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Twin Cities Stories: Using Data for the Common Good
The Institute on Race & Poverty is using its research to assist Twin Cities organizations in their efforts to improve access and opportunity for all residents.
This project began with IRP's research on commuting patterns and employment centers in the Twin Cities region. IRP's research shows that the rapidly growing centers of employment are increasingly far from the core of the region - the central business districts of Minneapolis and St. Paul - resulting in longer commutes, increased congestion, and decreased access to jobs for people of color.
The Minneapolis Foundation encouraged IRP to take its research and apply it in a community context, helping local organizations understand the study's findings and incorporate the results into their own efforts. IRP has taken the project in the following directions:
1) Transit Equity on the North Side
IRP is working with the Minneapolis Urban League in response to Metro Transit's proposed cuts to bus service, particularly on the North Side of Minneapolis. The Urban League was concerned that the North Side, home to many low-income residents and people of color, were receiving a disproportionate share of the cuts to the regional transit system. IRP staff participated in numerous public meetings to document the North Side demographics as to race, income, car ownership, and transit reliance with the goal of restoring some of the transit cuts.
2) Preparing for Investments along the University Corridor
IRP is compiling an extensive set of recent data on the University Corridor, defined as stretching from downtown St. Paul to the eastern neighborhoods of Minneapolis along University Avenue. IRP collected the data from the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census, the Census Transportation Planning Package, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, and more. As planning for the proposed Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line proceeds, the data found on these pages may serve as a rich resource for all organizations and agencies interested in learning more about the current demographics of the many University Avenue communities.
3) Immigration and Employment on the West Bank
Given the high percentage of new immigrants on the West Bank of Minneapolis, IRP decided to explore how well new immigrants are able to access the local job market. With the University of Minnesota, Augsburg College, and Fairview Riverside Hospital comprising much of the neighborhood, there are many educational and health care opportunities nearby. Yet the West Bank residents are significantly underrepresented in these places of employment. IRP met with West Bank residents and activists to discuss the findings and explore this disconnect.
4) Latinos in the Region
IRP met with the Latino Economic Development Center staff to learn firsthand about issues Latinos face in the Twin Cities job market. The LEDC is in close communication with many Hispanic small business owners and has a strong sense of where many Hispanic workers are employed. IRP's data on Hispanic residence and commuting patterns is supplementing LEDC's work to assist in their regional perspective of how Latinos are faring in the region.
To learn more about any of these four projects, please click on any of the project titles above for expanded project descriptions and documents available for download.
IRP wishes to thank the Minneapolis Foundation for their support of these projects.
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