On September 8, Streets.mn hosted a table at Our Streets’ Imagine Cedarfest, held in Cedar-Riverside. This was the first tabling event our organization has attended in years, maybe ever, and it developed out of board members’ interest in expanding our readership and diversifying the voices of those who contribute. In particular, our recent efforts related to the Anti-Racism Vision Statement highlighted the need for Streets.mn to make active efforts to reach communities of color. Many visitors to our table at Imagine Cedarfest had never heard of Streets.mn. Instead of that being discouraging, we were excited to be where we clearly needed to be — getting the word out to potential new readers and contributors.
Board members Fran DiCaprio, Glen Johnson and Micah Davison wrap up the first tabling shift for Streets.mn. Photo: Bryan Formhals
Activity Observations
Streets.mn ran a community survey activity during the event, asking visitors four questions about their transportation and housing experiences, as well as about Cedar-Riverside.
Here’s a summary of the results:
“Where do you live?” and “What type of home do you live in?” were among Streets.mn’s questions.
Question 1: Where do you live?
Several folks stopping by live in Cedar-Riverside proper, with many more coming from South Minneapolis neighborhoods like Uptown, Whittier, Kingfield, Seward and Longfellow. A smattering ventured from across the river to Cedar-Riverside — often called the West Bank, in a nod to its orientation to the Mississippi — either from Northeast Minneapolis or St. Paul.
Question 2: What type of home do you live in?
Single-family: 27
Semi-detached: 10
Mid-rise: 26
Highrise: 7
Other: 1
Single-family and mid-rise housing were by far the most common. We saw surprisingly few high-rise residents, despite our table being situated literally in the shadow of the towering (and architecturally controversial) Riverside Plaza.
This poster board asked questions about how people get around (foot, bike, bus, car, board) and what they love about Cedar-Riverside.
Question 3: How do you usually get to work, school or other frequent destinations?
Walk: 19
Bike: 39
Transit: 30
Drive: 16
Other: 2
I was happy to see many frequent bicyclists and transit users. No doubt, people with an orientation toward sustainable transportation are more likely to attend an Our Streets event and to engage with our table in particular.
Question 4: What do you love about Cedar-Riverside?
Tasty food, good music, happy faces | So much different food, and theater | Lots of different people is great; Food! | The community which is on the verge of getting gentrified out | We love coming here for the food + shopping! | Diverse and counter-cultural | Welcoming, diverse | Palmers (+1) | Palmers, Hard Times, Community!, Wienery, etc. | Fun place | Great restaurants | Right across the river from me | Minneapolis River Trails | Music! Palmer’s + Cedar Cultural Center | Music | Riding my bike to hang out with friends | Super diverse and lots to explore (+1) | Close to the U & Downtown! So many options for getting around! Blue/Green Line, bike, bus! | The History! | Hidden gem amongst the freeways | Water parks | The people are so nice here and it’s got a lot of great businesses and it’s close to Wilson Library! (+1) | It’s multicultural! | Cool architecture | Density of shops, restaurants, housing!; Proximity to buses & light rail; Diversity of people | Brian Coyle Basketball | I like the food, coffee/tea drinks, and community | The restaurants! Hard Times & Wienery
Music: Music was frequently mentioned as a major draw to the area, with many passersby speaking reverently of Palmer’s Bar (which calls itself “a West Bank institution since 1906”), in particular. The Cedar Cultural Center, as well as Mixed Blood Theatre and Theatre in the Round, also contribute to making Cedar-Riverside a multicultural entertainment hub.
Board members Jeremy Winter (behind the table), Brian Mitchell (in black) and Joe Harrington look over the Streets.mn booth. Photo: Bryan Formhals
Language accessibility is something to work on. Some folks who passed by did not have the English language skills to engage much with us, but nonetheless appreciated the Streets.mn-branded water bottles or notepads. Another passerby suggested having Spanish language stories or Spanish translated stories. We’ll keep this in mind as we work to broaden the accessibility of our site.
Trust-building with communities takes time, and expanding our audience to better represent the diversity of Minnesota will require patience and persistence. Our first tabling effort in years was an exciting crash course in attending a community event, as well as a welcome opportunity to learn more about Cedar-Riverside and its residents. Thank you to the volunteers who gave their time to run the table that day, and thank you to everyone who stopped by our table to say hello.
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Publish date : 2024-09-20 00:59:00
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