Peoples’ experiences of the places where they live, work, and recreate reflect the livability of the region. Feelings of safety and connection in one’s community promote a sense of belonging and ownership. A mix of uses make it possible for residents to take advantage of opportunities close to home, like parks and shopping. Planning for future growth presents the opportunity to design places where new and existing residents can gather and connect while meeting their daily needs. Communities can use public spaces to celebrate local culture and history through events that bring together people from different backgrounds. Thoughtful land use decisions can create a built environment that supports safety, physical activity, commerce, housing choice, and convenient access to amenities and services within cities, townships, and counties.

Develop transportation, land use, and open space plans that prioritize human-scale planning in both urban and rural environments. (Local Government)

Integrate creative street design within road rights-of-ways in collaboration with other transportation partners. (Local Government)

Consider form-based zoning codes to ensure that new developments enhance neighborhood aesthetics, increase walkability, and strengthen community cohesion. (Local Government)

Implement a holistic infrastructure design review process that assesses transportation, utilities, and other public amenities together for coherent and connected public spaces. (Local Government)

Adopt a Living Streets policy in the land use plan and integrate this policy into zoning ordinances, transportation plans, and development regulations to ensure its consistent application in all projects and street redesigns. (Local Government)

Consider incorporating Crime Prevention through Environmental Design principles, or similar, in local controls and encourage integration of these principles into new developments. (Local Government)

Track and monitor both residential and commercial components in mixed-use districts and develop guidelines to assess the extent of residential diversity within the districts. If local governments use large mixed-use districts, they must establish a precise methodology for tracking and monitoring uses for effective evaluation of system impacts and regional trends. (Local Government)

Support a comprehensive pedestrian network assessment, coordinated with transportation planning, and incorporate it into development projects to address network connectivity gaps.

Incorporate placemaking initiatives, such as street vending, pop-up parks, farmers markets, and community art installations, to inject vibrancy and encourage social interaction in public spaces. (Local Government)

Encourage creative and purposeful placemaking that celebrates diversity and enhances community spirit for all residents, incorporating universal design to exceed standard accessibility where practical. Universal design is a concept in which products and environments are designed to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. It aims to make the built environment inclusive, accommodating diverse needs and preferences, including those of individuals with disabilities, older adults, children, and people with temporary or situational impairments. (Local Government)

Facilitate creation and maintenance of free and accessible public gathering spaces and community gardens. (Local Government)

Facilitate update of zoning ordinances that encourage public spaces, including specific locations with access to water, restrooms, public transit, and parking. (Local Government)

Support culturally significant design elements that animate the public landscape to promote cultural retention and connection. (Local Government)

Support public art installations that draw residents to public spaces. (Local Government)

Develop partnerships with local organizations to facilitate cultural programs and initiatives within public spaces, enhancing community identity and inclusivity. (Local Government)

Support neighborhood-scale public open space and use of green spaces for public benefit. Create safe and inclusive green spaces for all abilities, ages, and needs by enhancing and adding parks, community gardens, and recreational amenities, especially in underserved areas. (Local Government)

Consider innovative and emerging practices to adapt underutilized land or buildings for development of green infrastructure. (Local Government)

Explore incentivizing preservation and integration of existing green spaces in new developments or redevelopments for public use. (Local Government)

Support the development of community-based urban agriculture initiatives and community gardens. (Local Government)

Adopt preservation ordinances to protect and maintain private green spaces, such as tree preservation or wetland buffer ordinances. (Local Government)

Integrate green infrastructure, food growing spaces, and nature-based solutions, like Living Streets, into local planning processes and development implementation. (Local Government)

Develop and implement criteria for the designation of historic and cultural assets, considering factors such as architectural significance, historical importance, and cultural relevance, ensuring alignment with evolving community standards and development goals. (Local Government)

Local governments must identify historic and cultural assets within their jurisdiction, incorporating measures to respect and protect the confidentiality and cultural significance of sensitive sites, such as American Indian burial mounds. (Local Government)

Local governments must develop policies to protect and preserve historic and cultural assets and should additionally adopt culturally expansive ordinances to further enhance restoration and preservation efforts. Culturally expansive ordinances may include provisions related to language access, cultural celebrations, religious practices, heritage preservation, and other aspects of cultural expression and identity. The goal is to ensure that public policies and regulations are sensitive to the diverse backgrounds and experiences of all community members. (Local Government)

Provide technical assistance to local governments on culturally expansive historic preservation practices. (Met Council)

Plan for developments that comprehensively address the needs of people with disabilities beyond minimum ADA requirements. (Local Government)

Support and partner on age-friendly initiatives, including the Governor’s Council on Age-Friendly Minnesota and Age-Friendly Minnesota’s Multisector Blueprint on Aging with keen attention to the needs of all older adults in the region. (Met Council/Local Government)

Collaborate with schools to enhance safety measures around schools. (Local Government)

Integrate Safe Routes to Schools into planning strategies to improve infrastructure safety and land use efficiency around schools. (Local Government)

Promote universal design for all residential use types to provide more housing opportunities for residents of all abilities. (Local Government)

Support small-scale, locally-driven development projects that reflect and serve the diverse needs of residents, particularly in underserved areas. (Local Government)