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How Oakland Got Real About Equitable Urban Planning

Rikha Sharma Rani

October 08, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Oakland is making an effort to make city planning more equitable to include the needs of communities of color. "Esential Places" is the second iteration of a program that started off as "Slow Streets" and was criticized by local residents for catering to "white and moneyed interests." The initial attempt was informed by survey respondents who were overwhelmingly white and rich. Meetings with community members in distressed neighborhoods resulted in different traffic challenges and pedestrian needs. The shift in policy planning has led to safer intersections with no collisions at previously dangerous sites.

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A tiny house, a big step

Emma Athena

October 01, 2020 |

Boulder Weekly |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boulder, Colorado

Tiny home communities across several American cities have helped alleviate homelessness amongst veterans with the work done by the Veterans Community Project (VCP). The organization has successfully housed and served homeless veterans by designing and building tiny home villages which partner with existing local organizations to provide wraparound services to help keep people off the streets. VCP has successfully deployed the housing-first model in Kansas City, Portland, Detroit, and LA and is now breaking ground in Boulder County for its latest project.

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Jumpstart trains developers to fight gentrification in Philly neighborhoods

Courtney Duchene

September 29, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Jumpstart Germantown and five spinoff programs trained about 1,000 people in the art of locally controlled neighborhood rehabilitation. The Jumpstart programs target particular neighborhoods, mainly mid-range housing stock with vacant and deteriorating conditions, and lend money to newly minted developers to fix and resell the properties. Housing rehabs maintain the character of neighborhoods, rather than gentrifying them or making wholesale redevelopment changes. Beyond the community improvement benefits, the program helps diversify the real estate business and provides employment opportunities.

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Chicago Teens Unveil Vision for Change and Public Safety in Their Neighborhood

Zach Mortice

September 23, 2020 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Twenty high school students enrolled in Territory, an urban design nonprofit, produced a zine and their own quality of life report for West Austin, where many of the students live. The students conducted interviews, surveys, and gathered community input to create the report. It includes sections on public safety, youth empowerment, and mental health.

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The Shared Spaces program: a crisis-driven experiment that could permanently change San Francisco's urban landscape

Hayden Manseau

September 22, 2020 |

Mission Local |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

The Shared Spaces program is a pandemic-driven initiative that increases outdoor dining space in commercial areas. The initiative made the permit process more user friendly and less expensive. Over 1,200 outdoor dining applications were approved in three months, which is more than the city approved in 2018 and 2019 combined. The increased capacity of outdoor dining seating takes away other public spaces, usually parking and driving space, but the program’s success has helped businesses survive pandemic-related restrictions and officials are assessing the program to maintain it moving forward.

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As Concerns Over Climate Change Rise, More Developers Turn to Wood

Keith Schneider

September 22, 2020 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Spokane, Washington

Eastern Washington University recently built the first tall wood office building in the state joining hundreds of other large “mass-timber” projects in the United States. This growing industry constructs panels, beams, and columns from trees that need to be thinned to curb wildfires in forests. While wood buildings can be more expensive to build than ones constructed from concrete and steel, environmentalists are on board because wood can store carbon, which can help offset greenhouse gas emissions.

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How social-distancing symbols are changing our cities

Vittoria Traverso

September 16, 2020 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

Across the world, local governments and communities are looking for ways to draw boundaries that guide people's behavior towards social distancing. Although the perfect sign has yet to be determined, urban psychologists and researchers have found that community created signs as well as France's "wave-shaped sign" have inspired loyalty and a shared goal.

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This revolutionary housing reform bill out of Portland would bring relief to tons of Philadelphians

Jessica Blatt Press

September 16, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Portland's new policy allowing for multi-family homes resulted from a long campaign of coalition building to address a need for middle-income housing that often gets overlooked in many cities. Although the Residential Infill Project will not take effect until August 2021, its enactment offers cities like Philadelphia lessons in strategic policymaking that overcomes entrenched views at opposite ends of the income and class spectrum, from property owners concerned about declining home values and advocates for low-income housing concerned about gentrification.

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The buildings heated by human warmth

Chermaine Lee

September 08, 2020 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Stockholm

Harnessing body heat provides energy-saving heating to commercial and residential buildings. The Stockholm Central station in Sweden and the Mall of America in Minnesota both capture body warmth to provide some of the buildings' heat. Each has over 100,000 daily visitors during non-coronavirus times, generating substantial heat that can be captured by energy-efficient construction. Body heat is also utilized in residential spaces, where thermal insulation helps keep the warmth inside. Using body heat requires energy-efficient building materials and generally cannot provide all of a building's heating needs.

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Meet three Black-owned grocery delivery services bringing fresh food to your door during the pandemic

Jessie Roti

August 19, 2020 |

The TRiiBE |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Chicago-based grocery delivery services are alleviating the hardship faced by those who live in food deserts. Black and brown communities with limited access to groceries were hit especially hard during COVID-19, when shelves were emptied out by those who could afford to stock up. Black-owned grocery delivery meets a crucial need in a community that has limited access to fresh produce. The service is also able to deliver hard-to-find ingredients and is a comforting presence in neighborhoods that are braced for another possible wave of the virus, potentially making the upcoming winter especially difficult.

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