1000 FRIENDS OF MINNESOTA

Where and How We Invest Will Shape Minnesota’s Future

From the State Capitol to City Hall, decreased revenues and stubborn unemployment are squeezing budgets. New projects are often put on hold and old programs are being cut back.  But even in this austerity, state government will still spend billions of dollars on transportation, economic development, housing, agriculture, conservation, energy, water supply and  treatment, and a host of other programs.

These investments need to pull together. It is imperative for state government to coordinate and align its approach to growth and development. Too often, program silos created 50  years ago dictate how and where funding goes. This makes little sense in the 21st century, especially in the current fiscal environment where every dollar counts.

Our next Governor will be able to ensure that Minnesota makes smart and strategic investments so we remain economically competitive, prosperous, fair, and good stewards of the environment. State government will shape development and our natural landscape as Minnesota adds over one million new people in the next twenty years. We must to do it better.

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Transportation Recommendations

Minnesota needs a transportation system that is safer, enhances and preserves communities, and saves families and businesses money through greater reliance on public transit, bicycling, and walking, and better maintenance of the infrastructure we already have. Transportation is about much more than getting from A to B. It is not an end, but it should be a means for a community to achieve broader goals of economic development, neighborhood revitalization, and environmental sustainability.

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Download full version (PDF): Investments for a Competitive and Healthy Minnesota

About 1000 Friends of Minnesota
www.1000fom.org
“1000 Friends of Minnesota promotes development that enhances the best of Minnesota: thriving small towns and cities, healthy natural resources and a growing economy. Our  mission is to advocate for development that creates healthy communities while conserving natural areas, family farms, woodlands and water. We accomplish this through advocacy, education and implementation.”

Tags: 1000 Friends of Minnesota, Complete Streets, Governor, Minnesota, MN, MnDOT

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010 at 2:48 pm and is filed under Aging Infrastructure, Competitiveness, Congestion, Democrat, Environment, Equity, Funding, Land Use, Local, Policy, Pollution, Public Parks & Recreation, Public Transportation, Republican, Roads, Schools, Smart Growth, Sustainability, Tax, Transit, Urban Planning . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.