Neighborhood Futures Project
Community Summit (Minneapolis)
Minneapolis has a history of citizen participation, from Model Cities to the
recent Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP). Although urban renewal and
neighborhood revitalization efforts come and go, the citizen participation
system creates the underlying foundation from which communities engage, discuss,
and advise city officials on critical issues.
The Community Summit was created to review the current citizen participation
system, explore its strengths and weaknesses, and suggest ways to improve upon
what currently exists. Participants were invited to share insights on how the
system responds to the diverse needs and interests of the city. Also important
is the history of how the citizen participation system has evolved over time.
The process reflected on the positive results gained through NRP as well as its
criticisms.
The Community Summit was designed to generate respectful and reflective discussion that would lead to improvement in the citizen engagement processes of the City of Minneapolis. We wanted to learn from the successes and failures of the past and to create recommendations for the future. Building mutual understanding and common ground for community action guided the process.
Four community organizations—Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association, Metropolitan Interfaith Coalition for Affordable Housing, Seward Neighborhood Group, and the Center for Neighborhoods—came together to sponsor the Summit. More than 20 people, with a mix of racial, geographic, and community interests (including neighborhood organizations, faith-based coalitions, community development corporations, business associations, youth programs, and racial and cultural advocacy/support networks) were invited to participate. Those involved reflected a range of perspective, experience, and background with the current citizen participation system.
The Community Summit recommendations are intended to:
 | Require inclusion and embrace diversity |
| Provide greater alignment with and input into citywide goals |
| Reduce fragmentation and conflict |
| Provide continued and improved capacity building for citizen processes and citizen-based planning and development efforts |
| Build upon the existing system and what neighborhoods have already
accomplished |
A PDF version of the Summary Report and Discussion Paper from the Summit is available here. Printed copies of the report, as well as optional attachments (the initial letter of invitation and notes from each of the Community Summit Meetings), are available by emailing us or contacting the Center at 612-339-3480.
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