MOBILITY UNBOUND
Imagine a society where everyone is free to move safely and with self-determination; where everyone flourishes socially, culturally and economically, unrestricted by structural barriers within transportation systems.
Achieving this vision of mobility unbound requires a collaborative approach that is grounded in principles of mobility justice. This framework begins with an understanding of the ways that transportation infrastructure and practices have historically excluded or harmed groups of people, particularly communities of color, in order to heal the harms of the past and build transportation systems that work for all.
Building systems that work for everyone requires that we acknowledge the unjust histories of mobility and economic prosperity in American cities.
A mobility justice approach to transportation planning includes facilitating dialogue, funding the participation of people and community organizations who are directly affected, and establishing partnerships that lead to the shared decision-making that is necessary for meaningful repair.
By taking a mobility justice approach, government agencies and elected officials can advance transportation policies, programs, and projects that bring community-driven visions to life.
Bringing Back 6th
The Community Connectors program in Minneapolis will transform the current stretch of Olson Memorial Highway in North Minneapolis by repairing the damage of this divisive infrastructure, bringing the neighborhood back to the community and restoring the corridor as a place where all residents feel safe, connected, stable, and healthy.
The
Olson Memorial Highway was once a vibrant, predominately Black business corridor called 6th Avenue North. The area was also a cornerstone of the Jewish community in Minneapolis and was one of the few neighborhoods in the city open to immigrants and people of color [1]. The street was home to a vibrant jazz scene and the shops, bars, and restaurants along 6th Ave provided the Near North community with walkable access to their daily needs. Community resiliency can be seen through the efforts of local organizations such as the South Central Minneapolis Anti-Racism Collective and the Minnesota Alliance on Crime which offer anti-racism, racial justice, and community healing courses to redress the historic wrongs faced by their communities [2].
The
Constructed in the 1930s, the Olson Memorial Highway divides the Near North community and presents a safety risk with its 6+ lanes of vehicle traffic. The intersection of Olson Memorial Highway & Lyndale Avenue N has the city’s highest rate of injury [3]. In the past decade, there have been dozens of crashes on Olson Memorial that have resulted in death and severe injury. The Minnesota Department of Transportation and partners promised to address safety concerns with the announcement of the Blue Line Light Rail Extension along Olson. However, these plans fell through once the Blue Line was rerouted. Even though the line was never built, communities faced further displacement due to real estate speculation.
The
The Community Connectors project advances the work of the Bring Back 6th campaign, a grassroots movement that seeks to remove the highway and restore 6th Avenue. The movement is asking the Minnesota Department of Transportation to address long-ignored safety issues by installing immediate improvements on the highway. Longer term, the effort seeks to replace the highway with a restored 6th Avenue N to return highway land to the community and restore a walkable, locally owned commercial district. The campaign demands also include policies and protections to prevent displacement and ensure that benefits are prioritized for existing and historically marginalized community members.
The Community Connectors project contributes to this major effort by building local community leadership capacity to engage with the redesign of the corridor and ensure the community benefits from the redevelopment of Olson Memorial Highway. The work includes building awareness around the need and opportunity to transform Olson Memorial Highway, community engagement and storytelling to build the narrative of the work to bring back 6th Street, an informational and visioning event for community members, and a capstone event to summarize the results of the event series to community members and public officials.
The
Each City Snapshot offers local historical context related to mobility justice. The MOBILITY LEGACIES are organized according to five themes.
These MOBILITY LEGACIES do not provide exhaustive histories of the cities. Rather, they point to harmful policies and decisions and, subsequently, opportunities for repair and reconnection.
