We're very excited to have Carl on the ground in Milwaukee!

Carl Glasemeyer

Transportation Policy Analyst

Milwaukee Office

Carl entered the field of urban planning as a citizen advocate while working as a visual artist and educator. After graduating from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2021 with a Master’s of Urban Planning, Carl worked as a multimodal transportation planner for Wisconsin Department of Transportation in the Southeast Region. Carl sits on the steering committee for Wisconsin’s Coalition for More Responsible Transportation and advocates for a systematic revision of Wisconsin’s highway network to reconnect communities. He is leading our our efforts to tear down I-794 and reconnect the neighborhood with a people friendly boulevard along with other projects in Milwaukee neighborhoods..

Check out Rethink794.com for the details.

Assembly Democratic Leader

Greta Neubauer.

Madison Rep Francesca Hong.

FORWARD ON CLIMATE

A group of Assembly Democrats led by Assembly Democratic Leader Greta Neubauer introduced the Forward on Climate package of 20 bills at a press conference Thursday. “There's a lot that we can do here to make sure that Wisconsinites are prepared for the impacts of climate change, and that we are doing our part to address the challenge.” 1000 Friends is excited to support this package of bills ranging from infrastructure updates, to complete streets and the Wisconsin Climate Wisconsin Climate Corps, a program aimed at providing training and workforce development in climate-related job fields.

During Thursday’s press conference, Madison Rep. Francesca Hong said one bill set a path for what Hong referred to as “future-focused transportation.” She said, “(The bills) envision low carbon public transit, electrification, cost-effective charging infrastructure, complete streets and equitable clean transportation options for all Wisconsinites."

For more information and details on the bills

We'll be following the progress on these bills carefully and reporting back to you.

Our New Publication

FLEX YOUR GRANTS

2021 and 2022 were pivotal years for US transportation, infrastructure, and climate policy with the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Both laws are widely regarded as transformational, as they provide historic levels of investment in areas like clean transportation and energy systems.

For this paper, we explore how state, regional, and local governments can leverage new and existing federal funding sources to advance clean transportation projects. Throughout this paper, we explore specific grant programs administered by different federal agencies that provide funding for clean transportation projects, as well as highlighting grant-winning projects as examples.

For more information and to read the full report

Don't miss this webinar!

What highway fights can teach us

about building the climate movement

Highways offer a perfect example of how our most polluting infrastructure has been built in tandem with racism. And a wave of new highway fights demonstrates the power of communities to demand cleaner and more just solutions.

Wednesday, November 29

10 CT - 11 ET

Join us to learn about how grassroots organizing is changing the transportation landscape in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and across the country. Carl Glasemeyer from 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Raquel Sidie-Wagner from Our Streets Minneapolis, and Pine Holtz from The People’s Canvass will give an overview of their fights to tear down highways and build infrastructure that benefits the urban communities that highways now divide. These fights have lessons beyond the movement for transportation justice and can teach all of us in the climate movement about the power of community leadership.

Thank you to our generous sponsors:

MKE Downtown BID #21 and

GRAEF

and to our partners:

UW-Madison Master of Science in Design + Innovation
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC)
Visit MKE
Milwaukee 7

Breaking the Urban Doom Loop:

The Future of Downtowns

is Shared Prosperity

The UWM School of Architecture of Urban Planning and Lubar College of Business are excited to announce an upcoming lecture presented by Brookings Institute Fellows Tracy Hadden Loh and Hanna Love.

Thursday, November 30

4:00 – 5:15 CDT

UWM’s Englemann Hall 105

2033 E. Hartford Ave.

The event is free; registration is required. More details and registration can be found at UWM | Breaking the Urban Doom Loop.

Please share within your networks and platforms.

Moving Communities Forward on

Active Transportation Event

Our special event in Appleton last month, Moving Communities Forward on Active Transportation, was a great success! Many thanks to all speakers and attendees for sharing the day with us. The evaluations provided a lot of good feedback and suggestions for what to include next time - yes, we ARE planning on another event next year, so stay tuned!

Check out what attendees had to say:

"I’ve already sent two messages to local officials and the day isn’t over yet."

"I'm inspired in terms of the positivity for change and using organizing to coalesce around an issue."

"I learned more about transportation efforts and ways to advocate - very cool!"

“The group laughed and learned with Reps Lee Snodgrass and Kristina Shelton as they shared their personal and political stories. We connected on how we can successfully build stronger relationships with all who influence decisions on active communities and transportation. I have never had such a good time talking politics!”

-Michelle Bachaus, Bike Fed Community Engagement Manager

Read all about it on the Active Wisconsin website

Special Thanks!

To Lawrence University for hosting the meeting

To State Representatives Lee Snodgrass and Kristina Shelton for sharing their stories

And to Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment with the Medical College of Wisconsin for sponsoring the event!

Photo: Representatives Snodgrass & Shelton

Rethink794 Update

1000 Friends and our partners have been challenging WisDOT’s (Wisconsin Department of Transportation) plan to replace the interchanges near the Summerfest grounds at an expected cost of $300M. This may be our best chance in decades to remove the highway, which severed the Third Ward from Downtown and the lakeshore. It is estimated that 20+ acres could be open for redevelopment, re-connecting neighborhoods, and improving the health and economic well-being of thousands of residents if the entirety of I-794 was removed and replaced with a boulevard. To ensure south shore communities are connected to the rest of the region, we advocate for investing in transit such as the KRM passenger rail line and enhancing MCTS’s existing Green route. For details and renderings, visit our website www.rethink794.com.

Latest: Rethink 794 has been included in Connec+ing MKE – the city of Milwaukee new downton plan!

CITY OF MLWAUKEE DOWNTOWN PLAN 2024

Last summer, we hosted a presentation by Peter Park, Former City of Milwaukee Planning Director, on the benefits of urban freeway removal Moving Milwaukee Forward 7.17.23 - YouTube

Visit Rethink 794 for an in-depth look at the history and potential for the future and sign up to start receiving e-news updates with event info and current news.

794 NEWS

Uncertain Future for I794 - Spectrum News with Tom Daykin , Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

7 Reasons Removal of I794 Would be a Boom for Downtown Milwaukee.

Freeway Fighters Summit Brings Together a Movement

This fall, Carl was invited to attend America Walks’ Freeway Fighters Summit in Cincinnati to learn how we fit into the ongoing national movement to rethink urban freeways.

FOR DETAILS

Support Workplace Giving!

Pledge today through your Community Shares of Wisconsin workplace giving campaign to support 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and the nearly 70 nonprofit members of CSW. Your pledge funds systemic change and advances social and environmental justice in our community.

When you designate to 1000 Friends of Wisconsin we receive 100% of your gift.

Learn more here.

Comp Planning Grant Funding Notice!

Some grant funding has been allocated for comprehensive planning ($250,000 per year) through the Community Development Block Grant – Planning Program.

Some restrictions apply, including:

· Maximum grants are $50,000 and require a $1 match for every $2 CDBG.

· Communities wishing to utilize the CDBG Planning program must be at 51% low to moderate income to be eligible.

There has not been a lot of interest in these planning grants lately. So, while the pool of money is small, there may not be a lot of competition. Also, if demand increases, more money may be allocated to this activity.

Mark Staff ([email protected]) is the planning grant program contact. Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.