The City of Minneapolis defines equity as fair and just opportunities and outcomes for all people, and defines racial equity as the development of policies, practices and strategic investments to reverse racial disparity trends, eliminate institutional racism, and ensure that outcomes and opportunities for all people are no longer predictable by race.1 Work to define equity specific to transportation was advanced through the planning efforts of the 20 Year Streets Funding Plan (2016) and has been an on-going conversation and guiding force for transportation work in the City since that time.
In July 2020 the Minneapolis City Council declared racism a public health emergency.2 The related resolution outlines citywide goals related to reversing hundreds of years of racist policies and practices in the city. The work will permeate throughout the enterprise; the work in our streets of planning, designing and building projects is a part of building an active, anti-racist culture in the City of Minneapolis.
Developing a racial equity framework for transportation will bring together pieces of work that already exist and bring new approaches related to goals, metrics, engagement and evaluation into one framework. Existing work to inform the framework include the Strategic Racial Equity Action Plan, Minneapolis 2040, Blueprint for Equitable Engagement, 20 Year Streets Funding Plan, and other parts of the Transportation Action Plan. The framework will be developed in partnership with community.
Create a racial equity framework to tie the transportation work of Public Works to citywide efforts of eliminating racism and achieving racial equity; use the framework to guide the engagement and evaluation work of transportation plans, programs and projects.
Equity
Medium
2020-2023 (Years 0-3)
Complete
Public Works completed the Racial Equity Framework for Transportation in 2023. This provides direction on how to plan, conduct and evaluate inclusive community engagement.
Develop the racial equity framework with support and in collaboration with Minneapolis's Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities and the Division of Race and Equity.
Equity Active Partnerships
Medium
2020-2023 (Years 0-3)
Complete
The Racial Equity Framework was developed in partnership with the Cultural Wellness Center. This partnership led to the formation of the Community Equity Workgroup, which was a critical part of developing the Racial Equity Framework.
Define and set racial equity goals relative to transportation, building from City Council's definition of racial equity, City's Strategic Racial Equity Action Plan and the methodology of the 20 Year Streets Funding Plan.
Equity
Low
2020-2023 (Years 0-3)
Complete
The Racial Equity Framework for Transportation has four guiding goals: build organizational empathy; lead with a racial equity approach; build trust, cultivate partnerships, and share power with communities of color; and hold ourselves accountable to data-driven reporting and adjustments.
Include acknowledgment of historic harms and transportation inequities in racial equity framework.
Equity
Low
2020-2023 (Years 0-3)
Complete
The Racial Equity Framework acknowledges historic harms and current inequities still impacting transportation systems today.
Re-evaluate the use of the previous regional focus on areas of concentrated poverty with majority people of color (ACP50) areas as it relates to equity and transportation.
Equity Prosperity
Low
2020-2023 (Years 0-3)
Complete
The Racial Equity Framework created Transportation Equity Priority Areas, replacing the previous use of ACP50 areas as the standard way to define geography-based equity areas for City-led transportation efforts in Minneapolis.
Update metrics in the Transportation Action Plan to reflect a more nuanced approach to regional equity considerations that better reflect the updated regional approach as defined by the Metropolitan Council and racial equity framework.
Equity Prosperity
Progress 1.1
Low
2024-2027 (Years 4-7)
Complete
Equity metrics throughout the Transportation Action Plan have been updated to refer to Transportation Equity Priority areas (TEP) instead of Areas of Concentrated Poverty with 50% or more residents of color (ACP50s), aligned with the Racial Equity Framework for Transportation.
Adjust or reconfirm the methodology to the All Ages and Abilities Network and the Pedestrian Priority Network in the Transportation Action Plan to reflect updated approach to equity and transportation.
Equity Mobility
Bicycling 1.2, Walking 5.4
Low
2024-2027 (Years 4-7)
Successfully completed to date and on-going
Public Works reports on pedestrian and bicycle improvements in Transportation Equity Priority areas on an annual basis through the Your City, Your Streets Progress Report and on an biannual basis through the TAP report back. When the TAP is next updated, staff will analyze the methodology to the AAA and PPN to confirm whether adjustments are needed.
Update criteria used in the 20 Year Street Funding Plan to reflect a more nuanced approach to regional equity considerations.
Equity
Progress 1.1
Medium
2020-2023 (Years 0-3)
Complete
Criteria updated in alignment with the Racial Equity Framework for Transportation in April 2025.
Continue to advocate for the Metropolitan Council to more explicitly invest and award projects to promote racial equity within the Regional Solicitation framework and project selection process.
Equity Active Partnerships
Low
2020-2023 (Years 0-3)
Successfully completed to date and on-going
The City is participating in the Metropolitan Council's Regional Solicitation Evaluation (Spring/Summer 2025) to advocate for giving greater weight to racial equity in the project selection process.