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Item Creating System Change: How Government Builds Trust with Community-Based Organizations Serving BIPOC Communities(CURA Reporter, 2023) Cheng, Yuan (Daniel)Item CURA Reporter [Winter 2018-19](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2019-01) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsThis issue contains the following articles: Agglomeration Economies By Jason Cao, Michael Iacono, David Levinson, and Mengying Cui / MnPASS Pricing and Its Benefits to Drivers By Chunying Xie / AMI Cheat Sheet: Minneapolis Edition, 2018 / Affordability in Minneapolis for Households Who Rent / Minnesota’s Changing Consumer Economy By Bruce Schwartau and Will Craig / K–12 Achievement Gap Is a National Problem By Will Craig and Tom Scott / Program News and Notes / 2018-2019 Faculty Interactive Research Program Awards / 2018 Artist Neighborhood Partnership Initiative Grantees / Why Communities of Color Challenged a Fair Housing Complaint and What We Learned / Fall 2018 Community-Based Research Projects and Krusell Fellowship Placements / Fall 2018 Community-Based Research Projects and Krusell Fellowship PlacementsItem Agglomeration Economies(Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2010-01) Cao, Jason; Iacono, Michael; Levinson, David; Cui, MengyingEconomists have long recognized the importance of urban areas as focal points of economic production and exchange. In recent decades, they have also come to better understand the productivity benefits of firms being located in large urban areas. A variety of advantages may accrue to firms that cluster together in large cities relating, for example, to access to specialized labor, information spillovers, and interactions with customers or suppliers. These types of advantages are often referred to as examples of agglomeration economies in urban areas. Empirically, these gains have been shown to be potentially quite large, with reviews of the literature suggesting that doubling the size of an urban area’s population may be associated with productivity gains on the order of several percentage points. While economic research on this topic has greatly advanced our understanding of the concepts, theory, and likely quantitative implications for urban economies, there has been comparatively little emphasis on the spatial nature of agglomeration economies within urban areas. This is an important distinction, as different sources of agglomeration economies may have different spatial characteristics, and some may be sensitive to transport costs in ways that can be affected by the performance of urban transportation networks. Our research was an effort to link these concepts by operationalizing two specific types of agglomeration economies, localization and urbanization economies, and to investigate their relationship to employment density across several economic sectors within the Twin Cities.Item MnPASS Pricing and Its Benefits to Drivers(Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2019-01) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs; Xie, ChunyingItem CURA Reporter [K–12 Achievement Gap Is a National Problem](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2019-01) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs; Craig, William J; Scott, TomMinnesota is understandably concerned about the statewide gap in achievement between White students and students of color, especially Black students. In fact, every state has such a gap. While Minnesota’s gap is large compared to most states, it is often the result of White students performing at levels above the average while Black students score at or near the national average for their races. Some states, such as Massachusetts and New Jersey, have been able to get both Black and White students performing above average; they may provide insights into what Minnesota can do to help close the gap. The data used in this report are from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program of the U.S. Department of Education. NAEP (pronounced “Nape”) conducts biannual testing of math and reading proficiency of 4th and 8th graders in each state. Sufficient numbers of students in each state are tested to represent that state and allow comparisons across states. NAEP also provides comparisons across racial and ethnic groups nationally and across states. In this brief report, we focus on the test score achievement gap between Black and White students partly because this issue has commanded the most public attention and partly because Black students (including both African Americans and African immigrants) are the largest group of Minnesota students of color—nearly 100,000 students, and 11% of the state’s public school K–12 students.Item Minnesota’s Changing Consumer Economy(Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2019-01) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs; Schwartau, Bruce W; Craig, William JMinnesota’s economy recovered well from the Great Recession of 2007–2009. Based on an analysis of 2015 Minnesota Department of Revenue (MDOR) sales tax receipts from retail and consumer service businesses, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota show consumer spending at prerecession levels. Or nearly so. Today, retail sales are shifting from Main Street to Internet, catalog, and phone sales. For every $10 of taxable sales, at least $1 goes to retailers based outside Minnesota. In 2015, those external sales reached $3 billion, more than any Minnesota county, save Hennepin. During that period, Minnesota lost more than 5,000 retail businesses. Fortunately, surviving businesses are healthier than ever. Sales recovery has been particularly strong in sectors selling upscale, discretionary goods. Individual trade centers across the state show similar patterns. This study is based on current data from 47 cities in greater Minnesota, the same cities included in a 2011 Reporter article. In most of these cities, retail and consumer sales increased. Despite losing retailers they show growth in total retail sales. Notable exceptions exist as cities compete for consumers and some cities actually lose sales.Item Market and Feasibility Study for the Proposed National Loon Center(Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2018) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs; Charette, ElliotItem CURA Reporter [Spring 2012](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2012) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [Summer 2012](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2012) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [Fall-Winter 2012](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2012) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [Spring 2013](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2013) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [Summer-Fall 2013](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2013) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [Spring 2014](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2014) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [Winter 2014](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2014) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [Fall 2007](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2007) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [January 1979](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 1979-01) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [March 1979](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 1979-03) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [May 1979](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 1979-05) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [November 1979](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 1979-11) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional AffairsItem CURA Reporter [January 1978](Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 1978-01) University of Minnesota: Center for Urban and Regional Affairs