ABOUT NORTHEAST FUTURES

Northeast Futures is a community visioning and planning project for Northeast Minneapolis, MN. The purpose of the project is to help Northeast get on the same page and to work proactively and consistently when dealing with land use and community development issues.

Northeast Futures seeks to evoke commonalities from a variety of groups and individuals, while encouraging them to work together on shared interests. We want to unite the Northeast community behind a common vision for the future of Northeast that Northeasters create! The Northeast Futures Project will produce a Common Values and Vision statement for Northeast.

Our project partners are the Northeast Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce and the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association.

WE REACHED OUT

To learn the common values and visions of Northeast residents for Northeast Minneapolis, NE CDC embarked on a Northeast-wide door to door canvass with the goal of interviewing a resident on every block in Northeast. According to the Minnesota Center for Survey Research we needed to complete 385 surveys to achieve a representative sample of +/- 3.5%. We completed over 400 surveys.

We convened a series of Community Dialogue meetings to engage different segments of the Northeast community in the sharing of stories, information and ideas to gain useful perspectives and insights. Furthermore, we tried to identify the commonalities and shared interests of the increasingly diverse Northeast Minneapolis community. We’re trying to ensure diverse participation in the creation of Northeast’s COMMUNITY VISION.

NORTHEAST FUTURES COUNCIL

We formed a volunteer Northeast Futures Council charge with (i) analyzing the surveys and Community Dialogue responses, (ii) proposing a Community Vision Statement and (iii) proposing Principles and Goals for Future Community Development in Northeast.

WHAT NORTHEASTERS TOLD US

We spoke with hundreds of Northeast residents and have listened to stories about their experiences in and perspectives of the community, which best informs our advocacy at NE CDC. Indeed there were many commonalities and there are definitely shared interests across the diverse spectrum of "race," class, gender and family status.

The following list highlights the most common responses of things people value, or want to see happen here, with percentages representing the number of survey respondents indicated it:

Safe, quiet, clean neighborhoods: 67%
Good neighbors: 53%
Small Town Character / Neighborhood / Community feel: 40%
Local businesses: 40%
Parks, green space and bike paths: 37%
Convenience and accessibility: 35%
Property maintenance: 28%
Community events: 24%
Diversity (people): 20%
Families with kids / family oriented community: 18%
Economic development: 16%
Affordability: 15%
Homeownership: 14%
Streets and traffic: 14%
Arts: 14%
Youth programs: 10%
Public transit: 10%
Local schools: 10%
Walkable community: 9%
Churches: 9%
More police or better policing: 8%
Responsible landlords and tenants: 4%

NORTHEAST FUTURES COMMUNITY CONVENTION

The Northeast Futures Community Visioning Project culminated with a Northeast Futures Community Convention on Saturday October 11th 2008.

At the convention, a community vision statement (CVS) was developed. To view the CVS in it's entirety, click here.

PDF's available:

NE CVS NE CVS FAQ's NE CVS Partner and Friends Agreement