Strib editorial on "branding the Twin Cities" (Minneapolis: felons, place to live)

[Globe199]

Originally Posted by Min-Chi-Cbus

I know! We're one of the "lucky" few who will somewhat BENEFIT from Global Climate Change, with milder winters, more precipitation (and vegetation), and longer springs/summers/falls. It's possible it could also include that our Northern forests would dry up as well as some of our lakes, but it would take many many decades before the landscape adjusted to the climate.

This is kind of an ignorant position. Climate change can be disastrous. It's not just that winters will be milder; everything will simply be weirder. We have witnessed an increase in torrential rains, then we get droughts. Already, boreal forests in the north of the state are being attacked by pests that can survive the slightly more mild winters we've seen. Overall, the weather gets weirder and more extreme.

It isn't all good.

[moving123456]

Originally Posted by Globe199

This is kind of an ignorant position. Climate change can be disastrous. It's not just that winters will be milder; everything will simply be weirder. We have witnessed an increase in torrential rains, then we get droughts. Already, boreal forests in the north of the state are being attacked by pests that can survive the slightly more mild winters we've seen. Overall, the weather gets weirder and more extreme.

It isn't all good.

The climate change that melted the glaciers once covering most of MN doesn't seem so bad. It left this nice lake outside my window along with many others that the people of MN currently enjoy.

[Ghengis]

I plan on getting in on the ground floor of the burgeoning Minnesota date and pineapple industries.

[mn55110]

The minnpost.com website ran a thought provoking two-part article last week about the McKnight Foundation study, which is being referenced in this discussion thread, entitled "MSP's Identity Crisis Could Mean Trouble For Our Future" authored by Jay Walljasper.

Both articles are intriguing and thought provoking with a little different take on this issue than the Star- Tribune newspaper article; when you scroll to the bottom of the webpage, the readers' comments and discussion both for and against the McKnight Foundation's recommendation make for very interesting reading.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Part One


Challenges threaten Minneapolis-St. Paul's image as a livable place | MinnPost Part Two


After reading the two Minn Post articles, let the discussion continue.

[Beenhere4ever]

And the same newspaper comes back with not one but TWO articles showing how little "rebranding" is actually needed!

Minneapolis basks in the buzz | Star Tribune

Investors bullish on real estate projects in Minneapolis, St. Paul | Star Tribune

[steel03]

Originally Posted by mn55110

The minnpost.com website ran a thought provoking two-part article last week about the McKnight Foundation study, which is being referenced in this discussion thread, entitled "MSP's Identity Crisis Could Mean Trouble For Our Future" authored by Jay Walljasper.

Both articles are intriguing and thought provoking with a little different take on this issue than the Star- Tribune newspaper article; when you scroll to the bottom of the webpage, the readers' comments and discussion both for and against the McKnight Foundation's recommendation make for very interesting reading.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Part One


Challenges threaten Minneapolis-St. Paul's image as a livable place | MinnPost Part Two


After reading the two Minn Post articles, let the discussion continue.

Two spectacular articles. I love the idea of celebrating winter rather than scorning it, and thinking of MSP as a "Northern Sunbelt." Just brilliant. Seattle has way way way worse weather than MSP. That needs to STOP being a stumbling block for us.

[QuietBlue]

Originally Posted by mn55110

The minnpost.com website ran a thought provoking two-part article last week about the McKnight Foundation study, which is being referenced in this discussion thread, entitled "MSP's Identity Crisis Could Mean Trouble For Our Future" authored by Jay Walljasper.

Both articles are intriguing and thought provoking with a little different take on this issue than the Star- Tribune newspaper article; when you scroll to the bottom of the webpage, the readers' comments and discussion both for and against the McKnight Foundation's recommendation make for very interesting reading.

Minneapolis-St. Paul Part One


Challenges threaten Minneapolis-St. Paul's image as a livable place | MinnPost Part Two


After reading the two Minn Post articles, let the discussion continue.

I agree on the challenges, but what I don't agree with is the idea that rebranding is going to fix most of them. If anything, it could be a distraction from the real work that needs to be done. Bringing more MBAs to town isn't going to improve our transportation infrastructure, for example, or close the achievement gap.

Plus, if companies really need these people, there's an easy way for them to do it -- it's called offering people more money.

[Globe199]

Originally Posted by steel03

Two spectacular articles. I love the idea of celebrating winter rather than scorning it, and thinking of MSP as a "Northern Sunbelt." Just brilliant. Seattle has way way way worse weather than MSP. That needs to STOP being a stumbling block for us.

You go ahead and "celebrate" winter while most people outside the midwest continue to dismiss it. We didn't earn the reputation of being a frozen wasteland by accident. Winter will win us very few converts. We have to promote the positives here. But weather sure as hell isn't one of them.

[steel03]

Why?

Because it's cold? What's wrong with cold? We spend a hell of a lot on air conditioning in this country. Obviously something about cold appeals to us. Extremes are by definition not ideal, but plenty of cities celebrate their extreme heat - Phoenix, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Miami, etc. There's nothing worse about the cold in Minneapolis than about the heat in the Southwest.

Or is it the snow and ice? Well, apart from the fact that Minneapolis isn't nearly the top city in the country for annual snowfall, it's undeniably beautiful when it falls. Cities in warmer climates look the same all year round - and that's fine, many of them are very pretty - but Minneapolis gets to look starkly different every six months or so without sacrificing any of its natural beauty.

I'm not a big fan of snowblowing or shoveling, but it's no worse than mowing the lawn in 90-degree weather. Honestly the only real unspinnable downside is winter driving, but even there, Minneapolitans are much better winter drivers than most other places in the country. I wouldn't want to be driving in Portland after snowfall.

There are historical reasons that we don't celebrate winter - crops can't grow and it can be dangerous if you're not careful - but nothing that technology hasn't made archaic. People from the coasts, particularly the west coast, are horrified by the thought of winter because they have never lived through one and seen that it affects your daily life almost not at all. If we didn't treat winter as such an awful taboo curse upon our society, people absolutely would not think it's as bad as it is. Especially in Minneapolis, where the sun shines all winter. People would be more willing to move to winter cities based on the positivity alone, and fewer people would leave.

[Ghengis]

how about this for a marketing campaign...

"Come to Minneapolis, or else we send our cops to your cities and smack you around there"

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