Regional Policy Workshop
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Next Steps:
The Citizens League will step back and look over all the ideas that were generated at the workshop and circulate them to participants in light of achieving the proposed outcomes for the workshop (to frame critical issues, build a diverse base of committed leaders, and identify actionable next steps). That means that we will look at what participants expressed the most interest in at the workshop as well as some ideas that may not have been served well by the process.
We will define actionable next steps within policy areas that emerged at the workshop and test the willingness to move forward from participants and the broader community. This is a necessary test for the Citizens League to meet our mission and guidelines in this effort.
Resources and Presentations: (pdf format) Presentations:- Creating Communities for a Lifetime: The City of Waconia
- Communities for a Lifetime Metro Survey Results, Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging
- Creating a Regional Vision based on Competitive Advantage
- Communities for a Lifetime background
- Competitive Advantage resources:
Additional resources and more information on follow-up to the workshop will be available soon.
Continuing Education and Conference Center
University of Minnesota
1890 Buford Avenue, St. Paul
* Note location change *
$25 for Citizens League members, $75 for non-members
Scholarships are available to cover the fee - you will have an opportunity request a scholarship when you register
Become a member for as low as $25 and save $50 on registration!
Registration for this event has closed, but walk-ins will be welcome.
Join us in a fast-paced, interactive workshop designed to explore and address four cutting-edge policy topics that could make or break the future health of the Twin Cities metropolitan area -- depending on how we respond.
Program at a Glance
| 8:00 - 8:30 | Registration |
| 8:30 - 9:15 | Plenary session: Creating a Regional Identity |
| 9:30 - 12:00 | Workshop sessions (see descriptions) |
| 12:00 - 1:15 | Lunch |
| 1:20 - 2:30 | Present and respond sessions |
| 2:45 - 3:45 | Response panel |
| 4:00 - 4:30 | Setting the Foundation for Next Steps |
WORKSHOP SESSIONS
Creating a Regional Vision Based on Competitive AdvantageModerator: Jennifer Ford Reedy
In a global economy, regions become the basis for economic competitiveness. Are the strengths and attributes that we've built in the past sufficient in this new global era and are they the same strengths that could be a significant competitive advantage in the future? Participants will identify possible competitive advantages, explore the implications of pursuing them, and discuss what actions would be necessary to pursue the selected strategies.
Creating a New Model for Resource UseModerators: Stacy Becker and Jon Commers
The last forty years were arguably an era of unprecedented wealth and resources in the United States. Participants will explore the concept of a new era of relative scarcity, and imagine possible responses. What impacts will the massive demographic changes in just a few years have on our resource use? Are there important and costly areas where we tend to use our resources in single-purpose ways that could be developed into more flexible and adaptive purposes? Where do solutions overlap? What are the incentives that can encourage people and institutions to develop these approaches?
Building Communities for a LifetimeModerators: Peter Brown and Gretchen Nicholls
Presenter: Dawn Simonson
It's almost as hard to imagine our communities as "aged" as it is to imagine ourselves as "aged." The rapidly approaching shift in demographics to an aging society has many implications for how our communities are built and operate. Participants will explore the issues of aging in the context of the realities faced by one or two cities, develop possible responses, and determine what policy and/or system changes are needed to support communities' efforts to bring about sustainable, adaptable communities that serve people of all ages.
LUNCH SESSION (Optional):Foreclosure Trends in the Twin Cities: What's Ahead?
Presenters:
Michael Grover, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Melissa Manderschied, Minnesota Foreclosure Partners Council
In this optional lunch session, Michael Grover will present the very latest mortgage data from the Federal Reserve Bank, including a look at what's ahead by community. Melissa Manderschied will provide information on a draft plan to address foreclosures in Minnesota, and how to weigh in on the plan.
PRESENT AND RESPOND SESSIONS
These sessions will build on the morning's work. Moderators from each morning session will present the conclusions from the morning sessions. The responder groups will add their perspective and priorities.
PANEL PERSPECTIVES
A panel will give their feedback on the ideas of the day and offer their own thoughts to prepare the audience for rating the ideas at the end of the day.
Moderator: Peter Bell
- John Adams, Co-Director, University Metropolitan Consortium
- Russ Adams, Executive Director, Alliance for Metro Stability
- Laura Bishop, Director of Government Relations, Best Buy
- Toni Carter, Ramsey County Commissioner (invited)
- Frank Forsberg, Senior Vice President, Community Impact, United Way
- Rep. Jeremy Kalin (DFL-North Branch)
Moderator: Sean Kershaw
The entire group will hear short descriptions of key ideas and next steps and will then be asked three questions electronically. Regional discussions often focus on identifying problems in a wide variety of policy areas. This session will instead focus on identifying our region's competitive advantages and considering whether our institutional, governance and fiscal structures are prepared to support those advantages.
For more background on these issues, check out the Twin Cities Compass at www.tccompass.org, which provides data on key indicators in an easy-to-use format.
The Regional Policy Workshop was sponsored by the McKnight Foundation, with support from the Family Housing Fund.
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