In this edition...
  • Remote, Remote Work - Barefooting 9-5 in February
  • Better Transit for North Loop/East Town - Give Feedback on Route #3
  • What Should Hennepin Ave in Uptown Look Like?
  • Move with Move: Yoga + Urban Education
  • Take Action On Climate Change in Hennepin County
Tips for Really Remote, Remote Working
Love it or hate it, working from home is the norm for most downtown office workers. Eleven months into the pandemic and we’re remote working pros. The home office, be it the basement or half the kitchen table, is a daily routine now. Still, after months closeted in our homes, many of us are longing to get away for a while.

Let’s face it, heading to a crowded resort in Cancun isn’t a wise choice. But what if you could work from a place that’s as COVID safe as home? Remote, remote working is a change of scenery, a chance to recharge your batteries and still make it to the morning Zoom check-in. What’s not to like if the temperature outside is 75 degrees instead of 2 below?

The five-person Move Minneapolis staff took to long-distance working faster than you can say, “pass the suntan lotion.” Avoiding hotels and resorts, each of us planned a home or cabin stay. Destinations included a condo in Puerto Rico, a mountainside hut in Costa Rica, a relative's Florida home, a cabin on the North Shore, and a change from a shared apartment to a couple of weeks house-sitting. We each included pre-travel COVID testing, the most direct travel route, religious mask-wearing and remaining within our established bubbles. The experience was challenging at times but very worthwhile. With the right planning, remote, remote working can be productive and rewarding for both employer and employee.
 
When researching a destination, work capability is a priority. Inquire ahead of time about internet reliability and speed test results. Bandwidth should be enough for everyone in your bubble to be online simultaneously – spouses working and/or children distance-learning. Ask about adequate workspaces, tables, and desks so that each person working/learning can do so comfortably. Make a packing checklist of essential accessories including power cords, phone chargers, and a short extension cord … just in case your perfect table-top corner overlooking the beach does not have an outlet. Download a pdf scanning app to your phone and if your job requires paper copies, look up the closest print shop or public library.
Crossing time zones requires adjustment for Zoom meetings, conference calls, and deadlines. Sync schedules within your bubble to help avoid noise and interruptions. 

Be prepared for the unexpected. One co-workers had the water of her AirBnB turned off at random times, another staffer endured two days of constant pounding when a new roof was installed on the house he was staying. A back-up plan to work at a public library failed because COVID closed the public spaces there. Partial salvation was found on a nearby park bench with enough signal for iPhone Zooming. Be mindful of daily work goals and build in some flexibility to how to get there. 
Despite some hiccups, each of us valued our experience. How wonderful to take a coffee break amid palm trees with birds chirping in January, or a lunch hour hike in the fresh snow-covered woods. The end of the workday offers an opportunity to explore local surroundings. The Costa Rican foothills were filled with tropical smells and sounds, sunsets on a Puerto Rican beach are spectacular. Even our house-sitting staffer who never left town enjoyed checking out new neighborhood coffee shops. The work got done and the cold, dark winter became a little shorter.

Employers and employees can learn about all aspects of telework with the Move Minneapolis Guide to Remote Working. Download the pdf for FREE.
Improvements Proposed for a Better Bus Route # 3
Weigh in on upgraded transit service coming to the North Loop and East Town! Route 3 is a local bus route that runs between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul. Currently, the route runs along 3rd St. & 4th Streets in downtown Minneapolis. To better serve the North Loop and East Town, the proposed improvements would move Route 3 to Washington Avenue and extend it further into the North Loop.

Other proposed improvements include:
  • Speeding up the route by consolidating some bus stops
  • Relocating stops past signaled intersections
  • Installing new shelters
  • Installing concrete pads to improve accessibility

For a full summary of the proposed changes, check out the project website or view this video summary

Metro Transit seeks public input via online survey, open until March 12.

Metro Transit hopes to implement the improvements in late summer of this year.
Gateway To Uptown: Hennepin South Reconstruction
Hennepin Ave between Douglas Ave and West Lake St is scheduled for reconstruction in 2023. Minneapolis Public Works is seeking community engagement, and reviewing policy guidance, including the Transportation Action Plan , Complete Streets Policy, and Vision Zero commitment to inform the design of Hennepin Avenue.

Like the newly rebuilt section downtown, this reconstruction project provides an opportunity to redesign Hennepin Ave to meet the street’s current and future needs, as well as furthering progress towards the city's transportation and climate change goals.

Minneapolis Public Works will host two virtual open house meetings to share proposed design options, provide project updates, and answer questions.

  • Tuesday, March 2, 4 - 5 p.m.
  • Thursday, March 4, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

The project team is seeking input through April 16, 2021
Move with Move is rolling to week 4 of our transportation and sustainability yoga series. RaKi Williams, Move Minneapolis Outreach Specialist and Thomas Collins of Mind Body Soul Wholistic Fitness will take you through a gentle, 45-minute practice of movement and meditation, held on Mondays. 12:15 - 1pm, thru March 29. This series takes you to the past, holds you in the present, and allows us to imagine a sustainable future together. For beginners and masters alike, attend the whole series or drop in for one or two; each session will have a different sustainable transportation theme. By way of yoga and urban education we will move our bodies, move our minds, and Move with Move! 
Move with Move Sessions: Mondays, 12:15 - 1:00 p.m., Free

  • March 1: Beyond the Pavement - What happened to neighborhoods across the nation in the name of progress, who did it affect, and how do we heal from plans gone awry?
  • March 8: Drawing the Line - How did restrictive covenants come about? Review the origins of policy practices between urban planners and politicians.
  • March 15: To Be Free - The power to act, speak, and think without hindrance or restraint. Join us as we visualize and analyze freedom in today’s age.
  • March 22: The Power of a Plan - Dive into urban planning, from policy level to street level. We will talk about tactical urbanism and the impacts of inclusive planning.
  • March 29: Moving Forward Together - At our last practice we will set a tangible and impact-based intention before we part. Let’s commit and move forward together.

The Zoom registration is good for any/all of the sessions.
Development of Hennepin County's Climate Action Plan
Hennepin County is developing a comprehensive Climate Action Plan with initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strategies to adapt to our change climate. Feedback sessions and an online survey with 2300 responses helped shape the draft of the plan. You can still provide input at a community online meeting on Monday, March 1 from 4 to 5:30 p.m., or on a comment board by Wednesday, March 3.

Recently, the county has:

County staff will summarize the feedback and make final edits to the plan in March. The board would take up formal adoption of the plan, which will include a final public comment process, in April.
View webinar:
Safe Rides to School: Approaches to School Transportation during a Pandemic
Featuring a lively discussion with:
  • Amy Morgan - Associate Transportation Planner, City of Minneapolis
  • Tom Thoemke - Director of Safety and Compliance, Voigt's Bus
  • Alejandrina Mendez Martinez - Transportation Project Coordinator, Minneapolis Public Schools
Move Minneapolis is a 501c4 nonprofit that promotes sustainable transportation.

Support is provided by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant in partnership with the United States Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Council, the City of Minneapolis, MnDOT, Hennepin County, and the downtown community.