The Northside Greenway is a proposed four-mile multi-use trail in North Minneapolis along Humboldt and Irving Avenues N from 44th Ave N to Van White Memorial Blvd. This project originated as a community-led initiative. When they first put together the idea for the Northside Greenway in 2008, some of the goals they wanted to achieve consisted of advancing health equity, connecting neighborhood institutions, parks, schools and regional trails, as well as creating urban greenspaces and low-stress active transportation options for recreation and community connection.
The Northside Greenway, and Greenways throughout our city, contribute to supporting these desired goals and outcomes. Since 2011, residents and the City of Minneapolis have explored a Northside greenway. Currently, the City is gathering input from community members and stakeholders to design a Northside Greenway that prioritizes the community’s needs, vision and aspirations. This community co-creation is extremely important for all advocates, urban planners and policymakers as we continue to support state-wide transportation funding initiatives, as well as advocate for policies and funding for community-based programs and projects that contribute to reducing health-care disparities, eliminating unequal treatment, and improving socio-economic outcomes.
All policy decisions have consequences. Whether intended or unintended consequences. That is why collaborative processes where community members actively participate in the design, development and implementation of solutions, projects or initiatives that directly impact them cannot be overlooked or overstated. Communities, policymakers and stakeholders are designing the “best, boldest, and most innovative” urban trails. These trails bring various benefits such as increased property tax revenue, more urban greenspace, better connectivity, access to active transportation options and an improved quality of life.
Additionally, they also can contribute to the process where the character of an under-served urban area is changed by affluent people moving in, improving housing and attracting new businesses, typically displacing current inhabitants in the process. As a result, it is critical that community engagement processes for this project ensure a collaborative co-creation process and do not contribute to displacing current residents in the process of planning, designing or implementing.
Factors like education, income and home ownership contribute to health disparities. To be healthy, people need peace, shelter, education, food, income and social justice. In short, health is created where people live, work and recreate. Ultimately, creating health equity and equitable outcomes for communities, particularly for Black-Indigenous-People of Color, requires comprehensive solutions that include but go beyond targeted community engagement grants and access to multi-use trails. Institutions, advocates, policymakers and stakeholders need to address health disparities as part of a broad spectrum of public investments in active transportation, housing, education, economic opportunity and criminal justice solutions.
With that said, let’s create greenways for the future generation and not repeat mistakes and unintended consequences from previous and current policy decisions. Let’s chart a course forward that allows the community to not only have a seat at the table but also be in the driver’s seat.
Alexis Pennie,
Northside