What is NRP?
The Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) makes the city's residential areas better places to live, work, learn and play. NRP is an investment program based on truly empowering residents by bringing them into the priority-setting process of the city. It is based on the belief that the empowerment of residents and the mobilization of untapped resources, energy and creativity can make our collective desire for a better future a reality. The four main goals of NRP: Build neighborhood capacity. Redesign public services. Increase inter-governmental and intra-governmental collaboration and Create a sense of community.
THE FIRST FIFTEEN YEARS
By the end of 2005, NRP had committed $280 million to improving neighborhoods and implementing Neighborhood Action Plans. Under the statute committing resources to NRP, the State of Minnesota required that 52.5% of all invested revenues be used for housing and housing related programs, projects, services and activities. In the past 8 years, the civic leadership and training by participating in their neighborhood organizations led to 12 of the past 26 Council Members and one Mayors election success.
During its first 15 years, NRP and the neighborhoods:
- Invested more than $130 million in improving existing and developing new housing
- Invested more than $10 million in improvements to seven major commercial corridors
- Invested almost $20 million in improving parks, more than $6 million in improving schools and almost $1 million in improving libraries
- Approved 597 public safety strategies that allocated more than $10 million to increased police services and innovative public safety strategies that ranged from bike and beat patrols to neighborhood organized walking groups
- Provided more than $1.5 million to support alternative transportation approaches and improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists and mass transit
- Planted thousands of trees, shrubs and plants to improve the urban environment and increase green space
- Conducted projects to stabilize lake shores and helped finance improved pedestrian and bicycle paths in parks
- Promoted art in public places throughout the city
- Conducted neighborhood cleanups
- Planted and maintained community gardens
- Promoted energy conservation and recycling
- Helped improve water quality in Minneapolis lakes and streams
- Built playgrounds, tot lots and trails
- Funded programs for youth, seniors, and new Americans
- Funded Community health clinics, immunizations, disease screenings and parenting classes
- Financed building improvements for small businesses
- Conducted thousands of community gatherings and events
What you can do?
*Contact your elected officials tell them you want to see NRP Phase II fully funded and NRP continued beyond 2009.