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A New York City Park Built to Weather a Storm

Karim Doumar

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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Fixing Montreal's Raccoon Problem

Emma Jacobs

October 26, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Canada, Montreal, Quebec

Feeding the raccoons in Montreal’s Mount Royal Park was a tourist activity promoted by websites and supported by park vendors selling cat food. When the result was overpopulation of raccoons unafraid of people, steps were taken to protect the raccoons including banning vendors and educating tourists about their impact.

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What Democratic Design Looks Like

Barbara Brown Wilson

October 12, 2018 |

CoLab Radio |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In the Denby neighborhood of Detroit, the “Detroit Future City” framework led to a community-driven project to improve safety and schools. First, community organizers created the Denby Neighborhood Alliance. They next improved the high school curriculum, transformed a playground, and highlighted safer walking routes for children. “The power of the Denby project lies in the fact that it was rooted in, and driven by, neighborhood residents—not outside ‘saviors.’”

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

Alan Greenblatt

October 01, 2018 |

Governing |

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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 |

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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 |

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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 |

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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 |

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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 |

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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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