The Complete Streets act, which passed this spring and took effect August 1, requires the Minnesota Department of Transportation to consider the safety of all users, not just drivers, when designing roads and highways. The law only applies to MNDOT funded roads. Local governments are encouraged to enact their own complete streets policies. The Minnesota Complete Streets [...]

This summer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is offering cities, wastewater treatment facilities, and other local government units free energy benchmarking assistance. The program will allow you to benchmark against others nationwide. You can learn more here.

Minnesota Public Radio reports today that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will merge two of its departments in a plan to better protect the state’s waters. To read more about the change, click here.

The St. Cloud Times has published a series of articles about the fall-out of the development boom and examines the reprocussions to cities and homeowners. Click a link below to view these articles:

So many lots, so few houses
In stalled developments, disappointed homeowners wait for expected amenities
When developments stall, cities are left paying the bills
In Avon, [...]

The Consumerist, a website focused on exposing wasteful consumer practices, writes today about  suburban development patterns that are discouraging physical activities such as walking, running, and biking. The post compares a typical cul-de-sac laden community with a grid-system community and examines the impact of each development pattern on walkability. Read the full article here.

The Winona Daily News reports that energy efficiency improvements have saved the City of Winona over $120,000 in 2009 and over $27,000 for Winona County. The city, a GMET member, and the county pursued energy saving goals in partnership with GMET business member McKinstry.

Ex-Star Tribune and MPR staffers recently launched an energy news aggregator. Midwest Energy News, produced by the Media Center of Fresh Energy, aims to not be an “advocacy endeavor,” but rather a “daily online guide to the best journalism available on energy subjects of special interest to readers in an eight-state region.” If you are [...]

MPR reports today on the challenges facing exurban developments that sprouted during the housing boom and now must deal with the consequences of unplanned growth. Read the full article here.

Click here to read the newest issue of the GMET Gazette.

Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc., is hosting a series of videoconferences and seeking input from businesses, agencies, individual Minnesotans, nonprofits, economic development groups, academic faculty, staff and students, foundations, associations, industry and a host of other groups on strengthening rural-urban connections.