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 142 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Colombia's Displaced People Find Home by Transforming What's Discarded

Megan Janetsky

November 21, 2018 |

Sojourners |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Medellín

In the late 1960s and early 1970s Barrio Moravia was an illegal dumping site where displaced Colombians fleeing violence made informal settlements. Now a community center, organizations, and a public garden with more than 50,000 species have helped transform the neighborhood. “It's a barrio that the same people we see here constructed,” she said. “It's a neighborhood I love with all of my heart, one that I have fought to transform.”

Read More
Go to Original Story
The city turning streets into gardens

Richard Kenny

November 20, 2018 |

BBC |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: France, Paris

As Paris invests in public parks, local residents have been granted more than 3,000 permits to grow street gardens. The greenery is adding life to one of Europe’s most densely populated cities while fostering civic engagement and pride.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Ramsey Walk tackles fly-tipping with guerrilla gardening

Dina Aboughazala

November 08, 2018 |

Islington Now |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Islington

In a neighborhood in the United Kingdom called Ramsey Walk, one resident was tired of illegal dumping, also called fly-tipping, in her community. On a hunch, she formed a guerilla gardening group to plant flowers where the dumping was occurring to deter would-be fly-tippers. Their success rate has been 100 percent, and their new motto is "from fly-tipping to floewr picking."

Read More
Go to Original Story
Much to Do about (Vacant) Lots

James A. Anderson

September 10, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

In St. Louis, Philadelphia, Detroit, and other postindustrial cities, community organizations and city officials are trying a number of methods to reduce the number of empty lots and vacant houses that plague neighborhoods. As opposed to earlier, one-off programs, cities are now forging coordinated approaches that acknowledge the systemic issues underlying persistent vacant land -- for example, in St. Louis, an inventory of all vacant properties is shaping the work of a series of related city initiatives.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A simple solution to help cities fight overheating: more trees

Adele Peters

July 20, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Dallas, Texas

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.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Feeding—and healing—the hood

Laura Paskus

July 20, 2018 |

The NM Political Report |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Albuquerque, New Mexico

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.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How the efforts of a single resident (and a few friends) beautified Yorkshire Woods

Aaron Mondry

July 10, 2018 |

Model D |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

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.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How a yoga garden nourishes the soul of a West Side block

Heidi Stevens

July 05, 2018 |

Chicago Tribune |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

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.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A look at how Ohio's land banks are battling blight

Tracy Geibel

June 15, 2018 |

Richland Source |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Mansfield, Ohio

Ohio has more than 50 land banks, which are best known for reducing blight by demolishing old buildings, but several land banks are trying creative ways to enhance their land on a budget. Successful projects include a program for locals to redevelop old lots, a pop-up art gallery in a condemned house, and urban forests to make communities more welcoming. The collective effect of these projects is to revitalize cities all across the state.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How a Low-Tech Solution Helped Anchorage, Alaska's Gardeners

Sara Hudson

June 13, 2018 |

Slate |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Anchorage, Alaska

Starting small has had a big impact in Anchorage, Alaska as the city looks at low-tech composting solutions that could alleviate their growing landfill problem. By revisiting a once-failed attempt to encourage composting, the local government found a way to not only build trust with the community, but also increase sustainability and resiliency efforts city-wide.

Read More
Go to Original Story