RCP's community partner for the 2013-2014 academic year was the City of North St Paul, Minnesota. As a fully developed first-ring suburb, North St. Paul has a rich history and small-town atmosphere, reflected in the spirit of its residents and the livelihood of community events. In recent decades, however, the city has faced a number of challenges, including a declining tax base, aging housing and infrastructure, ongoing competition for commercial and retail development, and lack of accessibility due to the recently completed Highway 36 reconstruction project. These challenges also present opportunities for the community to reenergize its residents and forge ahead toward a more sustainable and resilient community that both honors its past and anticipates its future.
RCP partnered with North St. Paul on 16 projects that engaged hundreds of students in dozens of courses from across the University of Minnesota. You can access a handout summarizing the partnership and projects here. To learn more about individual projects, visit the North St. Paul Project page.
RCP-North St. Paul Kickoff
RCP kicked off our 2013-2014 partnership with the City of North St. Paul in September 2013 at the North St. Paul Community Center. The luncheon attracted more than 50 people, including community residents, City staff and local elected officials, state representative Leon Lillie, and staff from Congresswoman Betty McCollum's office. RCP staff and North St. Paul Mayor Mike Kuehn spoke about upcoming projects and the potential for long-term positive impacts on the community. Video from the presentation at the luncheon is below:
RCP-North St. Paul End-of-Year Celebration
We concluded our partnership with North St. Paul at our End-of-Year Celebration held at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota Campus in May 2014. The event included a popular poster session highlighting student projects, as well as a formal program acknowledging the participants in the partnership. You can view a video of the program below:
Press:
- Lillie Suburban News, January 14, 2015, North St. Paul to Unveil New City Logo
- The Ripple Effect (Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District), February 17, 2014, The Resilient Communities Project Revisits a Living Streets Approach in North St. Paul
- Eye on Earth (Institute on the Environment), January 14, 2014, North St. Paul Works Toward Resilience
- University of Minnesota Home Page, December 24, 2013, Connecting with Communities
- Office of the President of the University of Minnesota, December 9, 2013, 2013: A Year to Remember (RCP is featured around 0:59 into the video)
- Lillie Suburban Newspapers, October 18, 2013, Community Asked to Consider Possible North St. Paul Logos
- KSTP Channel 5 Eyewitness News, September 9, 2013, U of M Partners with North St. Paul to Improve Sustainability
- Minnesota Daily, September 9, 2013, Students, City Partner for Sustainability: University students and faculty will work on development projects with North St. Paul
- Morning Take, September 6, 2013 North St. Paul elected officials, city staff and residents will join University of Minnesota academic leaders to launch a new partnership
- North St Paul Business Bulletin, April 2013, North St Paul Selected for Resilient Communities Partnership
- Ramsey County Review/Lillienews, March 27, 2013, North St. Paul Gets Help from U Grant
- Pioneer Press, March 19, 2013, North St. Paul enters sustainability partnership with University of Minnesota
- UMN News Release, March 18, 2013, UMN Resilient Communities Project partners with North St. Paul to advance community sustainability
