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Always Under Construction

Sara Hudson

June 26, 2018 |

Slate |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

To resolve road construction communications with frustrated drivers, the New Orleans government developed RoadWork NOLA - an app that showed planned road construction. Unfortunately, no one was using it. Instead of giving up on their idea of a solution, they decided to embark on a plan to make it better through project iteration and human-centered design.

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Using schools to bring a dying Rust Belt city back to life

Emmanuel Felton

June 26, 2018 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, East St. Louis, Illinois

In East St. Louis, which is often known by outsiders for its 50 percent unemployment rate and status as the worst performing school district in the country, leaders are using a "collective impact" approach to improve test scores and social services. Officials and nonprofits have connected all community services "and use the school district, the entity that touches the lives of almost every kid in town, to help parents tap into that network." Longtime residents, who have seen many efforts flail over the years, offer mixed reviews of the newest initiative.

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The Mundane Joys of Playing a Bus Simulator

Linda Poon

June 26, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Germany, Mönchengladbach

Bus Simulator 18 is an online game that was released by a Germany company, and it helps players grapple with the challenges of operating a public bus system. Players run the bus company and need to make money while following traffic laws and helping users get from place to place. In America, where buses are not the most popular mode of transportation, the game is “an ideal look at how cities can appreciate the bus, how to love it so the system can realize its full potential.”

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Why Women From Asia Are Confronting U.S. Fracking: Oil Extraction Equals Plastic Production

Isabelle Morrison

June 25, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Manila Bay in the Philippines is covered in trash - more specifically discarded plastic waste that has been exported from the United States. Facing an imminent risk of the Bay (which many local fishers depend on) disappearing, two organizations partnered together to create the “Stopping Plastic Where It Starts Tour." Targeting specifically U.S. communities experiencing the harmful impacts of fracking, the tour aims to reduce plastic consumption and production through awareness.

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How two Belgian cities turned their pavements into playgrounds

Anoush Darabi

June 22, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Belgium, Antwerp

Urban planners in Belgium are creating play spaces, known as the “speelweefselplan,” to give children more room to be outside. The design process includes asking schoolchildren about their routes to and from school, and then planners map out ways to make those routes more interactive. As cities grow and traditional parks are limited, this model shows a way that cities can continue to be welcoming for children.

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The Cops Standing With, and For, the Gay Communities They Serve

Joseph Darius Jaafari

June 22, 2018 |

NationSwell |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The Gay Officers League in the New York Police Department started in the early 1980s when memories of the Stonewall Riots were still fresh to support gay officers in the NYPD while also improving relations between the LGBTQ community and the police. NYPD is now one of the most diverse forces in the nation and there are more than 2,000 GOAL members in Philadelphia, Chicago and New England. They have become role models in the gay community while also changing attitudes within law enforcement.

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Reviving the City: How an Asphalt Plant Turned Into a Public Park

Laura von Puttkamer

June 21, 2018 |

Urbanet |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Mexico City

By participating in the decision-making process, Mexico City residents successfully convinced the government to build a public park instead of an office development. The Parque Imán is 2.4 hectares, includes 163 trees, and the green space can potentially benefit up to 200,000 residents of some city boroughs. While there are some concerns about the soil quality in the park due to the adjacent asphalt plant, the park shows how participation from residents and transparency from the government allowed the public space to be built.

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How a southwest Detroit construction company is building community by building for the future

Dorothy Hernandez

June 19, 2018 |

Model D |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Saldiver-Ali, cofounder of AGI Construction in Detroit, sees construction as “the first step to community development and sustainability.” The company lives out this mission by engaging with long-time residents. Most recently, they have worked on Detroit Future Ops, a community resource center intended to increase employment of and development by minority contractors. Their mission is to ensure their work helps build up the community in an inclusive manner, today and in the future.

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Youth prisons are standing empty, but are a huge opportunity

Eillie Anzilotti

June 19, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Across the country municipalities are repurposing former juvenile detention centers as juvenile incarceration rates have declined and remaking them as places of healing. Each community is different in its approach, with some even knocking down the buildings to start anew, but the Urban Institute found that successful transitions had several core strategies in common, including seeking input from local community members and from those who had been incarcerated in the facilities.

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Solar Libre: Family Affair

Melanie La Rosa

June 19, 2018 |

Latino USA |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Puerto Rico

Hurricane Maria left many properties and people in Puerto Rico completely devastated. One family decided to do what they could to begin the reconstruction process on their own by forming Solar Libre Puerto Rico - a volunteer organizing that brings emergency solar to the region.

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