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  • California Wildfires Destroy Homes and Lives. Why Do Regulators Encourage Building in Fire Zones?

    November 14, 2018 |

    Reason |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, California

    In California, Proposition 103 – a decades-old ballot initiative – disincentivizes homeowners affected by wildfires to rebuild in less fire-prone zones. The proposition – which can only be reversed through another ballot initiative – bars insurers from raising their rates based on future risks, meaning people who live in fire zones are not paying a higher rate. Furthermore, because of these regulations and the lack of response to the problem, insurance agencies often err on the side of caution and won’t sell policies at all, leaving some people uninsured entirely.

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  • Can we design neighborhoods to survive wildfires?

    November 14, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, California

    Wildfires are inevitable, especially as forests become drier due to climate change, but it is possible to design the built environment so that fires don’t destroy as much property or as many lives. Architects now can choose different materials that resist ignition from wind-borne embers and can put more distance between homes. Spacing homes farther apart and burying power lines can help, but the changing climate is also making some places unsuitable for rebuilding destroyed communities.

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  • These ChatBots Help Zimbabweans Find Fuel During a Shortage

    November 07, 2018 |

    New York Magazine |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Zimbabwe

    Hashtags and chat apps can notify users when items of vital necessity become available during times of severe shortage. Despite the Zimbabwean government’s pushback against social media, Zimbabweans are turning to platforms like Twitter and WhatsApp to share information about gas availability amid a severe nationwide shortage. Automated chat bots and hashtags used on Facebook and Twitter deliver real-time information to people across the country about fuel deliveries and queue lengths, helping to circumvent group size restriction in chat apps.

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  • Emergency Preparedness for Prisons Isn't Just Sandbags and Non-perishables

    November 02, 2018 |

    New America Weekly |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

    After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 stranded people incarcerated in the New Orleans jail without food or water, the city used the experience not to question its disaster preparedness but instead to rethink who needs to be incarcerated in the first place. By easing policies in cash bail and arrests for petty offenses, the city cut its jail population by two-thirds and replaced its flooded jail with one less than one-quarter the original size. The new policies helped inspire Louisiana to revise its sentencing standards in an effort to end its distinction for having the world's highest incarceration rate.

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  • A New York City Park Built to Weather a Storm

    November 01, 2018 |

    Pacific Standard |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    Hunters Point South Park, a newly built park in Queens, NY, is functioning as a community space even before the addition of low- and middle- income housing slated for the area. But even more than that, the park has already proven that its storm resilient design is efficient and necessary.

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  • How an Expanding Park in Queens Can Withstand Any Storm

    October 24, 2018 |

    Bloomberg CityLab |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    In Queens, New York an industrial site along the East River has been transformed into an 11-acre park that offers quiet greenspace and recreation opportunities, but is also designed to withstand storms and tidal surges. The first phase already proved itself in the four-foot storm surge of Hurricane Sandy that inundated the site then drained off. The design helps ensure future housing on the site and other amenities will avoid decimation by rising sea levels and storms.

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  • Houston Looks for a Smarter, More Equitable Path to Hurricane Recovery

    October 22, 2018 |

    Bloomberg CityLab |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

    The city of Houston is changing its approach to measuring the full scope of damage from Hurricane Harvey so it can get help where it is most needed and improve future flood mitigation. Using data from numerous sources, Civis Analytics found unmet housing needs were far greater than initially recorded and low-income areas were hit disproportionately harder, even though recovery funding often goes to areas with higher housing values. Now city officials are working to implement solutions based on the data in order to allocate limited funds where they will be most effective.

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  • To prevent devastating wildfires, old adversaries are finding ways to work together

    October 21, 2018 |

    KLCC |

    Multi-Media |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Oregon

    The prospect of mass wild land devastation sparred by both wildfires and logging was enough motivation for people on each side of the debate to sit down and figure out a solution. What came of that conversation was the Blue Mountains Forest Partners that have worked together to propel the management of the forest.

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  • Houses intact after Hurricane Michael were often saved by low-cost reinforcements

    October 17, 2018 |

    The Washington Post |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Blountstown, Florida

    Small, cost-effective improvements to home construction were often the difference between houses that suffered small amounts of damage from Florida hurricanes and those that were destroyed. Knowing to ask for extra nails, strong windows, and hurricane clips for their roof, home owners can not only save their homes but save money from decreased insurance and energy costs.

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  • This professor wants to power Puerto Rico with a little help from Reddit

    October 17, 2018 |

    Grist |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Puerto Rico, San Juan

    After Hurricane Maria devastated much of Puerto Rico, much of the country was left without power and some were subsequently left sick due to fumes from generators. After receiving a call from a relative in his home county, Professor Monxo Lopez of New York City’s Hunter College was determined to create affordable solar for his home country.

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