Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Trinidad seizes artist pursuits as economic development strategy

    One small town in Colorado has spurred economic development by implementing a strategy that focused on the revitalization of creative industries. As a result, Trinidad, CO, has seen a twofold increase in lodging tax income and restaurant sales tax as well as a drastic increase in profits from commercial building permits. Local artists recognized the potential Trindad could have as a creative district and brought the plan to city officials who were eventually able to take advantage of state programs and collaborate with a nonprofit to generate creative business, revitalizing the local economy as a result.

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  • Can Green Space Be a New Mental Health Treatment?

    In Philadelphia, a study has found that turning vacant lots into parks and green spaces helped reduce rates of depression in the poorest neighborhoods. These findings complement previous evidence that providing access to nature and greenery can impact mental health.

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  • A new 'floating park' made out of recycled plastic waste has popped up in the Netherlands

    Rotterdam’s new Floating Park showcases how recycling can be put to use. Litter traps collect plastic from the river to prevent it from going into the ocean. Then, the plastic is recycled into hexagonal pods that are used as building materials for the floating park - creating spaces to sit, walk, and grow plants. Supported by the Recycled Island Foundation, this floating park is ideally going to be the first of many.

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  • A simple solution to help cities fight overheating: more trees

    Trees are an effective bulwark against summer heat, providing shade and cooling the air as water evaporates from leaves. A collaborative project mapped heat and other considerations in Dallas and picked the neighborhood of Oak Cliff to plant more than 1,000 trees. The ultimate goal is to revegetate the entire city.

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  • Feeding—and healing—the hood

    Project Feed the Hood, a community effort to increase food access and security for lower-income families, has established gardens and pilot programs at ten schools in Albuquerque. The program originally aimed to convert lawns into gardens while giving youth an alternative to military recruitment. Now, it is run by community volunteers and also offers paid internships for youth. “We’re here to resist, to reclaim our food systems, our community spaces,” explains one of the project's dedicated staff members.

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  • How Rwanda Tidied Up Its Streets (And The Rest Of The Country, Too)

    In Rwanda, "Umuganda" is compulsory community service once a month—citizens 18-65 must all clean up their local community. The rule is enforced by police officers who may stop citizens and force them to work on the spot. Though it's compulsory, one of the side effects is community pride.

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  • How the efforts of a single resident (and a few friends) beautified Yorkshire Woods

    In the Yorkshire Woods neighborhood of Detroit, where there was once blight and vacant properties, there is now a community garden. Thanks to the enterprising efforts of Mose Primus, a community activist, the neighborhood has gained the funding, volunteers, and land to change the area. Little by little it is being restored to the tight-knit community of families it used to be.

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  • How a yoga garden nourishes the soul of a West Side block

    Under the care of a local non-profit, what was once an abandoned lot is now a safe space—an urban garden where yoga classes are offered. Classes are donation-funded, as is the continued expansion of the project. For locals, it's a chance to think about possibilities outside of the difficulties of the neighborhood.

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

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

    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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