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Preparing Main Street for the So-Called ‘Retail Apocalypse'

Larisa Ortiz

March 01, 2019 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Corning, New York

A planning expert dives into responses from cities around the country to the infrastructural red tape faced by many brick-and-mortar retail businesses in the wake of an ecommerce boom. In Corning, NY, city officials created mid-block crosswalks to make navigating retail spaces downtown safer; in Memphis, local government passed a law that allows for light manufacturing in downtown areas to make owning "mom-and-pop" shops more affordable & convenient.

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To Build a Better Bus Lane, Just Paint It

Laura Bliss

March 01, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Rather than go through extensive urban planning processes to improve bus commute times, cities across the United States are simply relying on paint and human behavior to create dedicated bus lanes. Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and others have piloted these bus lanes by setting up cones or painting a bus-only corridor in traffic-heavy areas of the city, cutting down interactions between buses and other vehicles in order to make commuting more efficient.

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New York Has a Public Housing Problem. Does London Have an Answer?

Michael Kimmelman

March 01, 2019 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London, England

It takes political will to create mixed-income housing and manage the social impacts of gentrification. In contrast to New York, the London borough of Hackney has taken steps to fix its housing crisis by putting the interests of residents ahead of the interests of developers. Several housing developments slated for development in the East London neighborhood now blend subsidized and market-rate units.

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Local nonprofit fosters West End growth

Amy Peters

February 28, 2019 |

The Watch |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Nucla, Colorado

With the help of the nonprofit West End Economic Development Corporation (WEEDC), communities in Southwest Colorado use creative financing and collective action to rebuild their economies after the downfall of the coal mining industry. One town, Nucla, invested in a coworking space, business classes. and other tools to help community members start and maintain small businesses.

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You can now ski on top of a $670 million power plant in Copenhagen

Akshat Rathi

February 27, 2019 |

Quartz |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Denmark, Copenhagen

Amager Bakke is a powerplant in Copenhagen that is designed to get residents of the city engaged in a conversation about where waste goes, all while burning up to 400,000 tons of waste a year, powering 60,000 homes, and heating 160,000 homes. In 2013 the local plant was redesigned to burn the city's waste and encourage interaction by building a ski slope atop the plant, a hiking trail, and an elevator that introduces education about waste management. Amager Bakke is still new and experimental, so its long-term success is still unclear, and it is not completely emission-free yet.

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What if the future of housing means accepting that a home isn't permanent?

Rosie Spinks

February 27, 2019 |

Quartz |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

Modified shipping containers can offer a solution for housing shortages. In London, QED Properties and ISO Spaces partnered together to create The Hope Gardens, a temporary housing arrangement for Londoners facing homelessness. The units provide space for those awaiting permanent housing. The modular homes are easily constructed and help to keep people off of the streets.

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A city where all the traffic lights are green? The tech is live in Lakewood and coming soon to other Colorado cities

Tamara Chuang

February 26, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lakewood, Colorado

In Lakewood, Colorado, Audi vehicles using new Vehicle-to-Everything technology tell drivers the ideal driving speed at which they can hit all green lights. The technology also counts down red light wait times and improves the traffic flow and congestion throughout the city.

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A Card Game Designed to Help Urban Communities Plan for the Future

Jennifer Hattam

February 26, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Turkey, Istanbul

A card game called Imaginable Guidelines offers a medium of shared vocabulary and collaboration that allows community members to easily talk about city planning. Played in cities around Turkey, Imaginable Guidelines acts as a bridge between city officials and community members, both of whom want to see a more functional and accessible use of space.

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Fighting climate gentrification with a radical community garden

Maria Esquinca

February 25, 2019 |

Scalawag |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

To cope with and combat gentrification, residents of Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood created a community garden called the Femme Fairy Garden, founded by Fempower. Community members come together every Sunday to tend to their plants and connect with their neighbors.

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Solving the unsolved: How cities are turning up heat on cold cases

Patrik Jonsson

February 25, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Police departments across the United States are implementing strategies and reforms in response to the growing number of unsolved criminal cases. With cold cases often linked to declined trust in police and the undermining of wellbeing in, typically urban, neighborhoods, these reforms are seeking to reverse course.

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