Minneapolis Racial Equity Framework

The City of Minneapolis adopted a Transportation Action Plan in late 2020. As part of the 10-year plan for strategic planning and investment, Nelson\Nygaard supported City staff in developing a racial equity framework and implementation roadmap. Nelson\Nygaard led a team to support Department of Public Works leadership and staff to advance social and racial equity goals within the department and to provide guidelines that led to measurable positive outcomes in transportation planning efforts and projects in the community.

This project builds capacity across the Department’s planning staff and leadership to understand the importance of leading with a racial equity framework. Staff also learn how to apply the framework across different planning processes and project scales. Nelson\Nygaard support has also led the City to work towards the development and implementation of a community-based equity taskforce that will provide guidance on critical equity metrics to benchmark the goals and progress towards those within the 10-year transportation plan.

This work was supported by the American Cities Climate Challenge. The Challenge helps 25 cities work toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing equity, with a focus on implementing policies for reducing energy use in buildings and changing transportation systems and behavior. The City of Minneapolis earned support through a competition focusing on their goals, prioritized policies, and implementation plans. As part of the Challenge, Nelson\Nygaard provided technical support to over 20 cities changing transportation policies and implementing projects with strong climate and equity outcomes.