We envision a just and joyful neighborhood where new development and wealth creation benefit all West Siders – no matter what we look like or where we come from. In this neighborhood, all West Siders have access to affordable, quality housing; opportunities to build wealth; transportation; and a healthy environment.
Our work is grounded in the histories of displacement that have affected the West Side, from the forced removal of the Dakota people in 1851, to the destruction of the immigrant community on the West Side Flats in the early 1960’s, to today’s displacement of low-income people of color due to gentrification. Too often, West Siders have had little say about development that comes into our neighborhood. As a result, development hasn't always benefited us. In fact, it has frequently hurt us by forcing people to move– especially Black and Indigenous people, people of color, and immigrants.
It is important that decision making is more accessible to marginalized communities, because they are the people most impacted by inequitable development. That’s why West Siders play an important part in making land use decisions. Click here to learn more about the community leadership pathways we’re building for West Siders to participate in decision making.
Focus areas
In addition to ongoing land use and planning work, our Equitable Development program focuses on seven key areas:
- implementing community recommendations from The West Side Flats Displacement Research Project
- developing the West Side 10 Year Community Plan
- participating in Saint Paul's Shared Ownership Collaborative
- offering free public workshops on collective ownership
- bringing vibrant new public art to our neighborhood
- community engagement to plan the future of WSCO’s land at 76 Baker St.
- continuing our work with the Equitable Development Scorecard
Learn more:
- Check out highlights from WSCO’s Equitable Development work
- Video: How can district councils like WSCO ensure equitable development?
The West Side Flats Displacement Research
Sixty years ago, West Siders were forcibly displaced from a neighborhood called the West Side Flats– but they didn’t just lose their homes. The financial, environmental, health, and cultural impacts of the displacement continue to shape our neighborhood today. The West Side Flats Displacement Research Project is an in-depth research project that seeks to understand and document the many forms of injustice that took place when West Siders were forced from their homes.
“How many families were not fairly compensated for their homes?” Asks Monica Bravo, Executive Director at WSCO. “What opportunities for generational wealth building were cut short? What was the cultural cost of dispersing one of the city's most diverse neighborhoods? Who benefited from this displacement? How will future development in our neighborhood avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, and work towards truly equitable opportunities for all West Siders?”
To answer these questions, we are partnering with Research in Action, a local Black, queer led urban research, strategy, coaching and engagement firm founded by Dr. Brittany Lewis. The findings from this research will allow us to chart a path forward in our Equitable Development work. We will reinvest in our community and keep racial and economic justice at the center of our work.
Click here to learn more about our work with the West Side Flats
Pictured, above: Sandra Alayon, who grew up on the West Side Flats. Photo by Elizabeth Leonardsmith.
The West Side 10 Year Community Plan
It’s time to create the next 10 year plan for our community to decide what the West Side will look like, and how we want to grow together. We believe West Siders should be directly involved in planning for our shared future: a vibrant and safe neighborhood where new development and wealth creation benefit all West Siders, no matter what we look like or where we come from. Affordable housing, investment in local businesses, access to public transportation and green spaces– let’s make sure these and other important elements are included, and reflect the needs of our neighborhood!
The City of Saint Paul has a comprehensive 10 year plan, and it is crucial that our neighborhood’s specific needs are included. You’re invited to join us in crafting a vision for the West Side for the next 10 years. We’re gathering a team of neighbors to guide the creation of the West Side Community Plan and make sure it is implemented. This is a unique opportunity to take a creative and transformative approach to urban planning and land use in our neighborhood.
Click here to learn more about past and future 10 year plans, and how you can get involved!
Saint Paul's Shared Ownership Collaborative
Mainstream economic development practices have inflicted economic, social, and political violence on BIPOC and low-wealth communities for generations. As organizations on the front lines of these historic and ongoing harms, we see the devastating impacts on families AND the power and resilience of our communities to guide and govern their own liberatory futures.
WSCO's Baker Street land
The West Side Community Organization owns an undeveloped plot of land on St. Paul's West Side, located at 76 Baker St. East. We will be working with the community to decide the future of this corner of our neighborhood! Click here to learn more and take a survey to share your ideas.
Building community with public art
On the West Side, art as a form of activism has always helped tell our collective stories and demand truth and justice. Art has been a tool of place keeping, a way of coming into our cultural belonging. Public art can disrupt gentrification, displacement, and exclusion– while increasing the accessibility and visibility of our community.
Click here to learn more about WSCO’s work with public art!
Free Public Workshops
WSCO’s Equitable Development program includes educational opportunities for all West Siders to learn more and participate in envisioning a better future for our neighborhood.
In 2017, we held a series of workshops called Action to Equity. Click here to learn more about this series and watch the full workshops on video.
In 2022 and 2023, we created a shared education series on community ownership called Visions for Our Collective Future. Click here to learn more
The West Side Equitable Development Scorecard
The Equitable Development Scorecard is a tool developed by West Siders, for West Siders, to decide whether we, the community, support development projects and other investments proposed for our neighborhood.
Too often, West Siders have had little say about development that comes into our neighborhood. As a result, development hasn't always benefited us. In fact, it has frequently hurt us by forcing people to move– especially Black and Indigenous people, people of color, and immigrants. As our community grows and changes, the scorecard gives us, West Siders, a say in new projects. That way, building by building, block by block, we can create a neighborhood that fits out vision, values, and priorities – now, and for future generations.
Click here to learn more about the Equitable Development Scorecard!
Community Leadership
“Nothing about us without us is for us.” –Slogan popularized by South African disability rights activists
At WSCO, our Equitable Development Action Circle is working together with resident leaders and collaborators throughout the Twin Cities region to create transformative economic and community development opportunities. We are building a pathway to engage our neighbors in decision making by providing space to access land use knowledge and planning
- Help develop the 10 Year Community Plan
- Join the Land Use Action Circle
- Come to an upcoming WSCO event
- Contact our team
We are reaching out to Black, Indigenous, People of Color, youth and elders, renters, queer folks, people living with disabilities, women, and immigrant communities so that they can fully participate in land use decisions that impact their quality of life.