Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 1204 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Can 30,000 Cameras Help Solve Chicago's Crime Problem?

Timothy Williams

May 26, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Using advanced data, cameras, and innovative mapping, Chicago is hoping to finally solve crime in the city. Hidden sensors like ShotSpotter and crime forecasting software HunchLab are being used to turn massive amounts of data into usable information for law enforcement officers, but concerns about privacy and surveillance are prevalent.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Environmental impact bonds can help cities invest in green infrastructure

Laurie Mazur

May 25, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Environmental impact bonds (EIBs) are a relatively new form of financing that combine private investment with government funding in a “pay for success” model. They are different than municipal bonds in that they are intended as a more experimental approach: for instance, Washington, D.C. started using EIBs to test green infrastructure and evaluate the results. Though all current EIBs are too early-stage to show formal evaluations, they are helping promote sustainability initiatives in D.C., Baltimore, and Atlanta.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Cash converters: could this Dutch scheme stop drivers speeding?

Elle Hunt

May 25, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Helmond, North Brabant

A city in Holland known for its lead-footed drivers is finding success in changing behavior by offering small increments of funding for each car that stays at or below the speed limit. The initial effort raised 500 euros for a local playing field well before the three-week target date. The mobile speedometer will be moved to various cities around the province for the next two years and officials say it's a way to break drivers out of their routines and encourage them to think more about everyone's role in traffic safety.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Rwanda wants to become Africa's first orphanage-free country — here's how

Jack Graham

May 24, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Rwanda, Kigali

Rwanda is approaching an ambitious goal - to be orphanage-free - and it's doing so by working to place children in orphanages with extended family and relatives, foster care, or re-integrating into society with the help of youth mentors. The program is based off of Home and Hopes for Children's finding in Romania and strategies are being shared with other countries in Africa, including Ghana and Uganda.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Amazing Psychology of Japanese Train Stations

Allan Richarz

May 22, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Japan

Rail transport is a necessity for many commuters around the world. Japan's transportation industry has found a way to improve this means of transport by implementing subtle behavioral psychology mechanisms. From blue lighting to decrease suicides to departure jingles to reduce passenger anxiety and haste, the nation is succeeding in having a near-perfect methodology for travel despite overcrowded stations.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Australia confiscated 650,000 guns. Murders and suicides plummeted.

Zack Beauchamp

May 18, 2018 |

Vox |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia

After passing the National Firearms Agreement in 1996, Australia saw a striking decline in suicide and homicide raters. The agreement – a result of a mass shooting – included a ban on certain kinds of guns, a mandatory buyback on those guns that had been deemed illegal, as well as amnesty for those who illegally possessed firearms to turn them in. In the years leading up to the agreement, the country witnessed 13 mass shootings; since then, Australia has seen only one.

Read More
Go to Original Story
U.S. environmental groups are largely white. Here's what some are — and some aren't — doing about it.

Virginia Gewin

May 15, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

A lack of diversity in the environment and conservation sector has been well calculated, documented and established, but the story doesn't end there. Many groups across the U.S are looking to not just recruit a more diverse population, but actually change organizational culture. "“We learned we need to be intentional about change, not just well-intended,” Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society explains, as one group working to achieve this change.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Treating violence like a disease helped cut Colombia's murder rate by 82%

Edward Siddons

May 15, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Cali

Colombia used a public health model of prevention to attack violent crime and has seen the homicide rate drop by 82 percent. The approach required the work of numerous public sectors, not just law enforcement, and a reliance on data to drive strategy. The country still has a higher-that-average murder rate, but the experience of several cities taking this approach offers key lessons for others to follow.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Healthy Soil Practices Balance Anecdotal and Scientific Observation

Christopher Biddle

May 15, 2018 |

KSJD |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Gunnison, Colorado

There's a movement rising to promote better cattle farming practices through the use of healthy soil, which means introducing more carbon into the land. Farmers throughout the agriculture industry are finding that by feeding cattle in carbon poor pastures, they are able to rejuvenate the land through leftover carbon-rich hay and manure.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Prison

Matthew McCann

May 12, 2018 |

Temple University |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Across the country, prisons are incorporating “therapeutic communities” to help incarcerated individuals find the residential treatment they need. Substance abuse continues to be strongly linked to recidivism, and in an attempt to break that cycle, these therapeutic communities provide people with structured rehabilitation, counseling, and support as an alternative to traditional prison. Many are federally funded, but considering they’ve only recently gained traction, they still face issues like buy-in and capacity.

Read More
Go to Original Story