Engagement

CTS identifies core issues, brings stakeholders together, and helps put new knowledge to work. We foster a welcoming community that values equity and diversity in people and ideas. And while we serve Minnesota, we broaden our reach through comprehensive communications programs. Highlights from FY24 follow.  

Project Showcase

CTS spotlights rural transportation through events, profiles, featured research

Supporting 2024’s theme of “Rural Needs. Statewide Answers. Improving Transportation for all Communities,” CTS engaged with thousands of community members, professionals, advocates, and scholars throughout the year. We’ve hosted numerous events, shared profiles, and illuminated research focused on this critical topic that impacts every Minnesotan—and communities across the US.

Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program supports development of rural infrastructure

Small Minnesota communities have many existing assets—beautiful natural areas, essential built environments, and economic strengths—as well as human capabilities to build upon those assets, meet community challenges, and move toward their aspirations. In 2024, the CTS-administered Empowering Small Minnesota Communities program launched to support these communities. Through the program, University of Minnesota partners collaborate with individual small communities to identify infrastructure and development projects—and position them to benefit from federal, state, and local investments.

TPEC program publishes, shares 10-year retrospective

The Transportation Policy and Economic Competitiveness (TPEC) Program was established by the Minnesota Legislature in 2013 to more completely understand the importance of transportation to the economy and communities in Minnesota. A new retrospective was created in 2024 to highlight the program’s research, tools for policymakers, and outreach activities that have increased understanding of the relationship between transportation and economic development. CTS is proud to have served an integral role in TPEC’s numerous successes through the years.