The Organization’s Expanded Footprint Reflects Growing Highway Removal Campaigns
The transportation advocacy organization Our Streets Minneapolis is no longer limiting its efforts to the City of Lakes. Officially renamed Our Streets, the slight rebrand better reflects their ongoing campaign to convert an urban stretch of Interstate 94, which straddles the Twin Cities, to a multimodal boulevard. Despite being a relatively minor change, the new name signifies the organization’s growth and momentum across the river—and beyond.
Our Streets has gained state and national attention with two major campaigns for highway removal. Most recently, the organization was awarded a $1.6 million federal grant as part of the Reconnecting Communities Program to “Bring Back 6th,” a campaign for reparative justice that plans to convert Olson Memorial Highway into a boulevard and reclaim highway land back to the community.
“We’ve been gradually expanding our footprint, advocating for people-first transportation infrastructure in the metro region,” says José Antonio Zayas Cabán, executive director of Our Streets. “We are excited that our name now reflects that work and we are committed to setting a national example by pursuing equitable transportation policies and infrastructure within Minneapolis and across the state of Minnesota.”
Our Streets is leading a statewide effort to divert state highway funding to “repair, restore, and reconnect communities” impacted by the interstate system and end highway expansion. The organization joins national efforts to increase funding for investments in multimodal transit options, not just personal vehicles.
About Our Streets
Our Streets works to lead the nation in putting people first by transforming transportation and infrastructure in the Twin Cities, the metro region and the state of Minnesota. We do this by making our streets places where people can easily and comfortably walk, bike, roll, and use public transit.