Team member Adrian Diaz coordinates Latino Youth programs with La Oportunidad, a local non-profit serving the Latino community. This summer he organized a hands-on, dynamic youth program, “Latino Power,” with an emphasis to empower and strengthen the skills of Latino high school and college students to become active leaders in their community. As part of the program, the group of students organized a community event at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis.
From our blog
CDG recently completed a tactical urbanism pilot project in the City of Red Wing, MN. The project re-imagined the well-traveled intersection of Old West Main St and Jackson St as a pedestrian-oriented space with bump outs, colorful crosswalks, a four-way stop sign, and pop-up activities. As the consultant on this project, CDG guided overall intersection design, programming recommendations, engagement materials, and the processing of community feedback. Implementing this pilot included a few notable lessons:
This past Friday CDG hosted an enriching water-themed Lunch-and-Learn to cap off Infrastructure Week. The presentation featured two field experts: Matt Kumka of Barr Engineering and Marcus Bush of the Metropolitan Council. Matt presented on infrastructure innovations that creatively and responsibly deal with water runoff. Marcus focused on the efforts of the Met Council's Environmental Services department to most efficiently process water and accommodate increased regional growth.
Key presentation takeaways:
Small towns across the country are looking to grow at the same time as they are attempting to preserve their unique character. How can thoughtful planning strike a balance between these two basic principles: protect and prosper?
St. Joseph, a city of approximately 6,700 people, is located in Stearns County in central Minnesota. The city is an hour outside of the Twin Cities and is home to the College of Saint Benedict, small local businesses, families, and industries. Residents love the city's small town feel, feeling of safety, and its close-knit community and local businesses. We're currently working with the city to develop their comprehensive plan update. The update is an effort to strategically plan and improve land use, housing, parks, transportation, and economic development as the city grows.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turned 27 this year and has had a huge impact on not only those living with disabilities, but also their families and friends. The benefits of ADA design extend beyond those with a disability to also include the elderly, parents with strollers, or transit passengers carrying heavy luggage, among others.
How do we plan and implement infrastructure that provides safe service to all forms of pedestrian traffic?
CDG has been working with This Inclusive Life to plan routes for accessibility walks in the Twin Cities.
The Community Design Group team is excited to be leading an update of the International Falls Comprehensive Plan! This is the first and only update since the City's first plan was created in 1966.
The 2016 Winter Cycling Conference was great. I presented as part of a panel entitled "Lessons about low-density bicycle planning" along with Jack Broz (Richfield Public Works) and Kalle Vaismaa (consultant with WSP Finland). From the conference program:
Greetings friends, welcome to our new website. It looks much like our previous version but has a whole different set of gears inside the hub (yes, clunky metaphor but I was trying to be less car-centric than "different engine under the hood"). Other candidates: different socks inside the shoe, different crank arms for our pedals, etc. - regardless, we're now running on a CMS instead of our previous static HTML site, it will help us more quickly and (and more often) share with you news about our work.