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Underneath This 'Pop-Up Forest' Is an Abandoned Highway

Alan Greenblatt

October 01, 2018 |

Governing |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

When the Innerbelt, a freeway in Ohio, was discontinued, a designer named Hunter Frank threw a party to liven up the space. From there, he pushed to transform it to a permanent greenspace. “There’s value in simply letting people use a space and allowing their behavior to inform a more permanent plan,” reporter Alan Greenblatt writes. While local governments often focus on planning and details, the success of the “Innerbelt National Forest” can be attributed to experimentation: kids playing alongside live music and trees may be what allows the “forest” to stay.

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Trash to Treasure: A Mongolian Man Turns a Landfill Into a Children's Park

Didem Tali

September 10, 2018 |

The Diplomat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

A Mongolian man named Ulziitogtork transformed a former granite mine that was filled with rubbish into a park/community center for children that sits on top of an artificial lake. Children used to play in the mine, which presented a real health risk, but now they can use the park to boat, ice skate, watch movies over the lake, and learn about Mongolian culture. Ulziitogtork considers it a work in progress and is counting on the local government to address the pollution and infrastructure problems that led to the park's creation, but already provides fun for over 6,000 children a year.

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Transforming Tulsa, Starting with a Park

Patricia Leigh Brown

August 10, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Gathering Place is the name of a new park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a large-scale creative park project that, rather than receiving funding from the local government, was funded entirely through a local philanthropic foundation. One goal of the park is to bring different areas of the city together--though it remains to be seen if this will work as well as if privately-funded public spaces are effective in the future.

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Hungry for change: urban foragers take the law into their own hands

Jenny Cunningham

August 07, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

According to one canvassing research project, there are 450 edible plants within Seattle's parks. Similar trends are also found throughout the United States as a whole. Although foraging is typically against the law, a new trend of food forests - areas specifically designated for foraging - is spreading across the U.S., allowing city dwellers to become better acquainted to and nurtured by nature.

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Can Green Space Be a New Mental Health Treatment?

Linda Poon

July 30, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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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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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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 3 Loved-To-Death Parks Are Taking Action: Permits, Poop Bags And New Paths

Ann Awad

May 24, 2018 |

Colorado Public Radio |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Colorado

As Colorado's popular parks become slammed with visitors park officials are noticing dramatic environmental impacts to the areas. To mitigate against continuous damage, three parks - Garden of the Gods, Conundrum Hot Springs and Hanging Lake - are piloting stricter Leave No Trace policies via targeted outreach and education.

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Paris is building the eco-community of the future right now. Here's how.

Susannah Shmurak

May 23, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Clichy-Batignolles, Paris

Setting the bar high for environmental sustainability can encourage innovation and experimentation. Developers of Paris’ new Clichy-Batignolles eco-district are reducing the neighborhood’s carbon footprint in nearly every way imaginable. Solar panels and vegetation cover the energy-efficient buildings, the water table under the 10-hectare (25-acre) park provides geothermal heating, deliveries are directed to a central drop-off site, and much more.

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Saving Africa's wildlife

Kevin Sieff

May 18, 2018 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Malawi

Africa's wildlife have made headlines time and time again, as species find their way closer to extinction. There are some pockets of the continent, however that have provide refuge for species and allowed them to not just populate, but thrive. Recognizing this, a group known as African Parks found a way to use these growing populations to repopulate other areas of the continent by transporting animals to newly protected areas.

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