Our Streets Minneapolis is a left-of-center transportation and environmental advocacy organization that promotes policies aimed at reducing car use, eliminating highway infrastructure, and expanding government-managed pedestrian and cycling projects. Originally founded as the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition, the group has expanded its focus to include broader left-of-center social, environmental, and economic issues within the context of transportation policy. The group supports the removal of portions of Interstate 94, the implementation of taxpayer-funded sidewalk-plowing programs, and the transformation of city infrastructure to reduce personal vehicle traffic in favor of bike lanes, public transit, and pedestrian boulevards. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Activities

Our Streets Minneapolis was founded in 2011 as the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition to promote the construction of more bicyclist- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and reject car-centric city planning. Since its founding, the group has expanded its efforts to other policy areas and operates campaigns targeting specific projects or areas. Projects include redeveloping and removing highways to reconnect neighboring communities, such as advocating for the reconstruction of 6th Avenue North, which was demolished in 1939 for the construction of Olson Memorial Highway. The group has also employed left-of-center rhetoric including stating that “Redlining, racial covenants, and white violence segregated the city.” ^{5 3}

Twin Cities Boulevard Campaign

The “Twin Cities Boulevard” initiative calls for the removal of a large section of Interstate 94 and its replacement with a surface-level boulevard. The campaign, promoted as a form of reparative justice, seeks to address the “harm” caused by the original construction of the freeway, which the group claims displaced minority populations. The initiative would significantly reduce highway capacity in a major urban corridor and prioritize non-automobile transportation modes such as bicycles and buses. ^{4 6}

Municipal Sidewalk Plowing and Streets for People

Our Streets Minneapolis advocates for a municipal takeover of sidewalk snow removal throughout the city, a proposal that would expand the role of local government into a service typically handled by private property owners. The organization supports using taxpayer dollars for year-round sidewalk plowing, claiming it is a matter of equity and accessibility, though critics have raised concerns about cost and feasibility. The group states that the program would be “worth the investment” citing that it would cost less than $100 per resident per year, however the city public works department shared that a municipal snow removal program for Minneapolis sidewalks would cost nearly $40 million a year, which was double a previous estimate. ⁷ “Municipal Sidewalk Plowing.” Our Streets. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.ourstreetsmn.org/initiative/municipal-sidewalk-plowing/[/note]

The group also runs the “Streets for People” campaign, which seeks to eliminate traffic lanes and replace them with green spaces, bike infrastructure, and pedestrian-focused designs. The group calls proposed redesigned streets “Complete Streets,” and argues that “More dangerous streets often border or intersect communities of color and do not prioritize the safety and well-being of those who live alongside them. Traffic crashes disproportionately impact Native American and Black community members.” ²

Leadership

Our Streets Minneapolis is led by Jose Antonio Zayas Caban, an organizer with a background in racial justice and climate advocacy. Its staff includes roles such as advocacy and policy managers, communications specialists, and community organizers, many of whom have prior experience in activism or left-wing nonprofit work. ^{8 9}

Funding

According to its 2023 annual report, Our Streets Minneapolis received $1,367,607 in revenue and reported $1,345,157 in expenses. In 2024, the organization was awarded $1.6 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation to study how a local highway corridor could be modified using “safety, environmental justice, [and] racial equity” considerations to achieve “equitable benefits for all…residents.” ¹⁰

1. “Municipal Sidewalk Plowing.” Our Streets. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.ourstreetsmn.org/initiative/municipal-sidewalk-plowing/
2. “Streets for People.” Our Streets. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.ourstreetsmn.org/initiative/streets-for-people/
3. “Bring Back 6th.” Our Streets. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.ourstreetsmn.org/initiative/bring-back-6th/
4. “Twin Cities Boulevard.” Our Streets. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.ourstreetsmn.org/initiative/twin-cities-boulevard/
5. “Our Streets Minneapolis.” Ecolibrium3. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.ecolibrium3.org/our-streets-minneapolis/
6. Hazzard, Andrew. “Minneapolis City Council Wants Smaller Roadway in I-94 Project.” Sahan Journal. October 17, 2024. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://sahanjournal.com/climate-environment/minneapolis-city-council-interstate-94-mndot/
7. Van Oot, Torey. “Snow Removal for Minneapolis Sidewalks Would Cost $40 Million.” Axios. June 8, 2023. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/06/08/snow-removal-sidewalks-minneapolis-cost-40-million
8. “Staff.” Our Streets. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.ourstreetsmn.org/staff/
9. “José Antonio Zayas Cabán.” Our Streets. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.ourstreetsmn.org/about/jose-antonio-zayas-caban/
10. Stilson, Robert. “DOGE and the Department of Transportation.” Capital Research Center. February 20, 2025. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://capitalresearch.org/article/doge-and-the-department-of-transportation/