Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
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Item The 38th Street and Chicago Avenue Small Area/Corridor Framework Plan(Minneapolis City Council, 2007-11-09) Rosell, AntonioThe purpose of this Small Area / Corridor Framework Plan is to support the ongoing improvement and revitalization of the area of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue by proposing specific policies and strategies to guide its evolution. This work was initiated by area residents, business owners, and other community leaders in early 2004. It has since advanced through several phases of refinement under the direct guidance of residents and neighborhood organizations. This work has been supported, financed and adopted by the four neighborhood organizations around 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, and by other business and civic organizations in the area.Item Audit Tool for the Central Corridor Pedestrian Environment (2008)(2008-05-13) Tolkan, JoshThis report surveys research into characteristics of good pedestrian environments. Much has been written bemoaning that streets are designed for cars and not for pedestrians. However, the goal of the research discussed here is to understand what makes a good pedestrian environment.Item Bioenergy Incentive Options for Minnesota Farmers: A Policy Perspective(Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 2008-09-11) Gangeness, BjornPrograms that support farmers interested in growing perennial bioenergy crops do not currently exist in Minnesota. Perennial bioenergy production faces many hurdles technologically and market‐wise but the current social climate seems to be leading toward more concerted development in the direction of renewable energy. Cost‐sharing and Annual Rental Payment programs exist in various forms supporting other environmental objectives and they are used in this paper to project their applicability to bioenergy development specifically. Carbon markets are also discussed as a potential source of support. After considering the analysis, it seems that a functional market for selling energy crops must exist before any real change can occur, but an establishment cost‐share program would go the furthest in helping farmers get started in farming these types of crops. Getting an early start in helping farmers adopt these practices may position Minnesota in a favorable position in an impending carbon‐constrained economy.Item Emphasizing the "Public" in Public Affairs Implementing a bottom-up, blog-centric new media strategy at an institution of public policy(2008-05-29) Lampa, GrahamIn the Spring of 2007, the University of Minnesota's Office of Service and Continuous Improvement (OSCI) approved a grant from its Service and Process Improvement Fund (SPIF) for a grassroots initiative entitled “Emphasizing the "Public" in Public Affairs” (see Appendix A). The aim of the proposal was to use an already existing university resource called “UThink” to build weblogs for the various research centers at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs to enable the centers to better publicize their own research and events and to serve as easily accessible public affairs resources for each center's particular policy field, policy makers, the blogosphere, the mainstream media, and elite or otherwise highly engaged publics. At $12,125, the grant was the smallest approved by OSCI for the 2007-2008 academic year, and was funded primarily due to the substantial benefit/cost ratio it promised to achieve. Further, the committee which approved the project included the following affirmation of its merits: “Reviewers supported this project because it will further develop the Humphrey Institute as an exceptional organization. It will be a model for other departments to follow and it will demonstrate what is possible through UThink with a systematic and coordinated plan” (OSCI, 2007). Most blogs hosted by the UThink system are deployed in an ad-hoc fashion as personal opinion blogs, collaborative research blogs, or as online complements to offline, traditional courses taught at the University. The Humphrey blogging project, by contrast, is an organized institution-wide effort that seeks to integrate blogs and blogging practices into the core of the organization's academic research and outreach efforts.Item Minimizing Methylmercury Exposure in the Hmong Community from Sport-Caught Fish Consumption in Minnesota(Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 2008-06) Endreson, DanielDue to increasing levels of mercury emissions throughout the world, there is an increased threat to the human population from methylmercury, a biomethylated derivative of mercury. Methylmercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that can have adverse effects on the central nervous system and behavioral centers of the brain. Humans can become exposed to methylmercury through consumption of contaminated fish from polluted waters. Many states, including Minnesota, use fish consumption advisories to warn the public of methylmercury exposure, but these advisories may not always reach at-risk segments of the population. The Hmong community in the Twin Cities consumes a high quantity of sport-caught fish for a variety of reasons, including a desire to maintain cultural identity, recreation, or economic necessity, even though fish consumption advisories warn against such actions. Four alternatives were considered to provide better protection to the Hmong community from methylmercury exposure – (1) continue the use of fish consumption advisories as developed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), (2) alter the current program by reallocating advisory education efforts from state agencies to local governmental units and organizations, (3) impose a ban on the consumption of all fish from methylmercury-impaired waters in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, and (4) establish more Asian-specific food shelves in the Twin Cities area to provide food alternatives to sport-caught fish. Each of these alternatives were evaluated using six criteria – safety effectiveness, program awareness, social and cultural acceptability, administrative operability, program cost, and health benefit. This report concludes that efforts taken by the MDH in educating Hmong anglers have the promise of being effective in reducing methylmercury exposure from fish consumption. However, based on theories of risk perception and communication, more needs to be done at both the state and local level to effectively target this specific subpopulation in Minnesota.Item Moving from “Broken Windows” to Healthy Neighborhood Policy: Reforming Urban Nuisance Law in Public and Private Sectors(Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 2008) Seiler, Bryan M.Speculations on the Limits of Legal Change, Mark Galanter hypothesizes that the legal experience of the parties, which he characterizes as “one shotters” and “repeat players,” plays a fundamental role in their success in the legal system generally. 11 His conclusion about the systemic bias of the legal system is every bit as applicable to the public nuisance laws that pit the resources of powerful state actors against unorganized and often economically disadvantaged defendants. This Note proposes statutory reforms at the state and local level to eliminate the undesirable legal and social consequences of current uses of public nuisance statutes. In addition, this Note sets forth an accompanying private attorney general prosecution structure to reintroduce market mechanisms and prevent abuse by overeager neighbors. Part I introduces the common law origins of nuisance law, the evolution of the doctrine in cities during the Progressive Era, and the usage of nuisance law in the modern urban renewal context. Part II argues that the current use of public nuisance law by cities as a civil injunctive remedy is unsound in both its assumptions and methodology; violative of modern takings jurisprudence; contrary to economic efficiency; ineffective as an urban renewal strategy; and unable to safeguard the vulnerable populations it claims to protect.Item New Town Centers Excelsior and Grand, St. Louis Park and Heart of the City, Burnsville: Adapting New Urbanist Principles to Meet Suburban Realities(Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 2008-04-28) Schweser, GregoryThe creation of new town centers based on New Urbanist principles has increased in the United States throughout the past decade as suburban areas seek to revitalize themselves and create a sense of place. While New Urbanism offers design principles intended to counter the trends of urban sprawl, in suburbia the practice must often conform to the realities of existing incongruous patterns of development, political, and market forces. Two suburban new town center developments within the Twin Cities, Excelsior and Grand in St. Louis Park and Heart of the City in Burnsville are nearing completion and exemplify ways in which New Urbanist principles have been adapted to conform to the suburban context. As additional suburbs in the Twin Cities seek to implement new town center plans they should carefully analyze New Urbanist principles in the context of their own existing suburban fabric. Strict adherence to New Urbanist principles may not be advisable if such principles threaten the viability of a project. However a balance must be attained in order to achieve economic success while also providing the benefits to the urban fabric that is exemplified in New Urbanist goals. Analysis of Excelsior and Grand and Heart of the City may be useful to understand how this balance may be achieved. Excelsior and Grand and Heart of the City will be critiqued here based on relevant New Urbanist principles of The Neighborhood, The District, and The Corridor and The Block, The Street, and The Building. Deviations from these principles will be examined based upon existing demographic, market, and land use factors that apply to each specific case.Item The Quiet City: The Hidden Strength and Economic Development Potential of the Minneapolis Music Industry(Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, 2008-06-19) Hagar, AaronThe popular music scene in Minneapolis is a robust but underappreciated portion of a thriving arts economy. The city may not have the musical history and influence of Nashville, New York, or Los Angeles, but in many respects it compares surprisingly well to cities considered to be musical hotbeds. While city policy may have difficulty directly growing any artistic industry, calling attention to the local music industry and carefully crafted policy may foster organic artistic and industry growth and recognition.