An industry leader in sustainability approaches has once again been selected for a project that will define the Minneapolis-St. Paul region in the 21st century.

Buro Happold has been named the winner of the competitive RFP process for the Metropolitan Council’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan that aims to lay a foundation for regional planning policy for years to come.

The firm has done other significant projects in major cities around the country, including Los Angeles, and Cambridge, MA. A 2017 research project for the C40 organization revealed that an estimated 223,000 lives could be saved if the prescribed actions included in Buro Happold’s report were taken.

“The plan aims to support ongoing mitigation and resilience efforts in the region, including for its most vulnerable communities,” Buro Happold associate principal Chris Rhie said in a statement.

The project comes at a critical moment for planners to address some of the attendant social inequality highlighted by climate change. According to a Minnesota non-profit called CEED, certain neighborhoods in Minneapolis have approximately 36 more sites per acre that are considered to be contaminated by the MPCA. A neighborhood that has at least 75% residents of color also has an air quality index which is a point and a half higher on average. 

Buro Happold’s plan will take aggressive steps toward expanded policies outlined by the Thrive MSP 2040 initiative, which addresses transportation, water usage, and housing issues for the area which represents more than half of the state’s total population.

The firm teamed with SRF Consulting, wastewater engineers Hazen, as well as a local non-profit to produce the master plan proposal. “Our team brings a diversity of perspectives and bolsters Buro Happold’s capacity to deliver this plan successfully and on schedule,” Rhie said.

The project has just begun the initial phases of planning. Rhie told Archinect he expects the finalized plans to be unveiled within the next year.