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“Duluth Creative Corridor” Report Outlines Vision for Duluth’s East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront

Mayor Don Ness, the City of Duluth, Duluth LISC, and community partners released The Duluth Creative Corridor report at a press event today.  This report outlines progress and recommendations of a team of national experts that visited Duluth in 2005 and again in 2011 as part of a visioning process known as Duluth East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront Charrette.

The report titled Duluth Creative Corridor was created by the Duluth Progress Advisory Panel from the University of Miami, FL School of Architecture and a team of Knight Community Building Fellows and follows up on the results of a week-long public design workshop and visioning process that began in 2005, known as the Duluth East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront Charrette and includes recommendations for Duluth community leaders, businesses and others to use in order to move forward with the Charrette vision and position Duluth to become one of the country's great urban spaces. Duluth East Downtown, Hillside and Waterfront Charrette was made possible by a grant from the Knight Foundation.

In their 2011 visit, a group of national experts in transportation, housing, and urban planning conducted a mid-course review of progress in achieving the guiding principles and recommendations from the 2005 Duluth Charrette.  Roughly 200 community members representing over 35 organizations convened in 12 separate meetings to talk about the arts, marketing and branding, economic development, connectivity, and housing in the Charrette focus area.

The team's conclusion was that the progress had been extraordinary and that in six years Duluth had accomplished what it would take many places two decades to achieve. As part of their process, they focused on identification of key next steps in achieving distinct, vibrant, walkable urban spaces that would attract new investment, residents, and businesses in the East Downtown, Hillside, and Waterfront District.

This process was sponsored by the City of Duluth, Duluth Local Initiatives Support Corporation (Duluth LISC) and the Greater Downtown Council. It was funded in large part by the Community Opportunity Fund and the Knight Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, with additional support from Minnesota Power, the Duluth Economic Development Authority and Duluth LISC.

The Duluth Creative Corridor report can be found in its entirety at www.duluthlisc.org.

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