West of the State Capitol there is a huge area of tremendous promise and potential representing over $2 billion in new development projects, annual total income or purchasing capacity of almost $4 billion, a consumer base of almost 150,000 people, higher education institutions offering companies top notch employees, bilingual secondary educational institutions offering multiple global languages, a sizeable industrial base, multimodal transportation networks, established and emerging commercial corridors and a wide range of businesses.

Then there is the fusion of culture, arts and business reflected in vibrant cultural artistic nodes in the Creative Enterprise Zone, Little Africa, Little Mekong, Rondo and Frogtown.

We also have strong citizen groups working to build the area, beautiful parks and public spaces and even a community zoo.

We call this area Midtown.

There is another characteristic of the Midtown. Almost half the population are renters and people who earn less than $50,000 a year. There are huge racial achievement and income gaps.

Midtown, like other parts of St. Paul, is a tale of two cities – the world of opportunity and possibility and the world of economic frustration.

We wonder: In this context can we craft a new brew for the Midtown area – to create shared sustainable prosperity for all?

What would be the ingredients of this brew?

We invite you on Jan. 15, 2020, from 6:30-8 p.m. to join us at the Urban Growler to explore these questions.

As hosts for this initial exploration we begin with some core infrastructure for solutions to emerge. A community space where all are welcome with a shared understanding that this is a space to “listen,” “be inspired” and “act.” People who attend might hold formal titles and roles in the institutions they represent – but to craft this brew everyone comes to the table as a community of equals.

We do not plan to pass resolutions or to issue reports, but rather we hope to build relationships and understanding of what shared sustainable prosperity means and how this vision is reflected in the Midtown area.

We hope that as we craft the Midtown brew its essence will filter into policy and structural conversations and development agreements in the area and be reflected in local people in the area finding living-wage jobs, local businesses finding expanded markets for their products and services and people in the area building community.

Yes – we do plan to develop the other brew too – whether it is a Midtown Beer or Coffee or fusion fruit — and we plan to have expert brewers present to gain your insights.

Please join us in crafting the Midtown Brew!

Bruce Corrie is an economist and cultural entrepreneur and former director of Planning and Economic Development for the city of St. Paul. Jill Pavlak is co-head honcho of Urban Growler Brewing. For more information or to RSVP please send a note to corrie@empoweringstrategies.org.