Research reports

Overview

Our formal research reports:

• Must have a majority vote of the Committee of the Whole.
• Must cover topics for, or under review by, the City Council.
• May include presentations, data, visualizations, and interactive dashboards.
• Content will vary depending on Council Member needs.

Reports may include the following types:

• Scoping: Analysis of the feasibility, opportunities, and potential barriers to realizing a specific policy or program goal.
• Landscape analysis: Overview of similar policies/programs in other localities, applicable lessons learned and/or good practices. For example: Comparing MPD organization, staffing, and capacity to other police departments under consent decrees.
• Opportunities assessment: Estimate of required resources to implement specific policy/program, analysis of potential impacts. For example: Estimating potential impact of TOPA on housing affordability, real estate market, and racial gaps in home ownership.
• Case study: Assessment of effectiveness, impacts, and lessons from one or two comparable policies/programs. For example: Comparing and contrasting results of Saint Paul and Minneapolis' approaches to auto theft.