University of Minnesota Partnerships Pave the Way for a Revitalized Future in Small Communities

Dozens of communities in every part of the state are already benefiting from the University of Minnesota’s new Empowering Small Minnesota Communities (ESMC) program.

The program is driven by 2023 legislation that allocated funds to the University to support small community partnerships. The partnerships will help identify how individual small communities can utilize their assets to create infrastructure and projects that support and enhance community vitality, identity and resilience. Additionally, ESMC will assist communities in securing state and federal project funding.

“The state recognized that many of our small cities and towns face significant challenges with aging infrastructure, shifting economies and overburdened administrators,” said Kyle Shelton, director of the Center for Transportation Studies. “As part of the University’s unique statewide service, we created the Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program to meet these challenges head-on. U of M teams will help by identifying existing assets in small Minnesota communities as well as lending capacity, expertise and imagination to strengthen future opportunities.”

The first round of partnerships includes:

• Short-Term: Ten communities received immediate support through the Short-Term Tasks pathway, which involved University students and faculty working with the communities to deliver on short-term work such as mapping, data analysis or visual rendering. One short-term project in partnership with the City of Welcome will support the community with tree-care and tree planting information in the face of emerald ash borer issues.
• Tactical Action: Fifteen communities will receive support through Tactical Action Projects, many of which address infrastructure needs. Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail, a nonprofit based in southeast Minnesota, is one of the projects that will receive support through Tactical Action. The team will focus on trail design guidelines and community engagement sessions to support the development of the upcoming hiking trail.
• Community Futures: Eleven communities were selected to partner with the Minnesota Design Center through Community Futures partnerships to identify existing community assets, review comprehensive plans that identify the community’s vision for growth and change, and reimagine the future of their community infrastructure. The City of Crookston will be a part of one Community Futures partnership, focusing on revitalization efforts for their downtown.

“The ESMC work shows what we call Asset-Based Community Development in action,” said Tom Fisher, director of the Minnesota Design Center and a professor in the College of Design. “We are building on the assets that every community has, in abundance, and helping them leverage those assets to create a better future for themselves.”

ESMC is currently accepting applications from across Minnesota, including the Twin Cities metro area. The next round of applications for ESMC is open until November 15, 2024. Application requirements and materials are available on the ESMC website.

University of Minnesota partners collaboratively lead ESMC from the Minnesota Design Center in the College of Design, the Center for Transportation Studies, Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the Center for Regional and Urban Affairs.

A complete list of all awarded communities and a brief description of their partnerships can be found here.