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This Kansas City neighborhood wrote the blueprint for transforming a community

Nikhil Swaminathan

July 25, 2017 |

Grist |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

The Kansas City neighborhood of Ivanhoe was once plagued by blight, illegal dumping, drug trade, gun violence, and neglect; neighbors lived in fear or moved away. Inspired by one compassionate and proactive family, the Youngs, the community stepped up, partnering with the local university and a charitable foundation to map out a tangible blueprint for sustainable change. They are working with police and the city council to tackle the blight and revive their neighborhood through affordable housing, park space, and a renewed sense of community.

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In Ethiopia, model drought defenses are put to the test

Ryan Lenora Brown

July 24, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s cosmopolitan capital, has long been considered a world apart from surrounding rural communities, all of which suffer from reoccurring droughts and civil war. However, thanks to international aid and government intervention, things are looking up for the whole of Ethiopia, dubbed one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Success is particularly linked to a government program designed to predict natural disasters before they occur, and an innovative economic development program, which employs Ethiopia’s poorest in exchange for labor on public works projects. So far, these measures h

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The Great Los Angeles Revolt Against Cars

David Dayen

July 17, 2017 |

The American Prospect |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles has faced deepening issues of severe traffic and extreme smog pollution in the past several decades, but for years intentions and promises to broadly improve transportation have fallen flat. At long last, the most congested city in the world - once home to the most extensive urban rail network on the planet - is reviving rail lines and trains as a solution to both issues. Robust public transport has proven to have multi-layered economic, cultural, environmental, and social benefits to communities.

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The slow lane: Dutch app allows elderly to 'hack' traffic lights

Gordon Darroch

July 12, 2017 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Tilburg, North Brabant

In the Netherlands, city councils are piloting remarkable new technology to make roads safer and friendlier for cyclists and pedestrians through the use of apps that improve the efficiency and sensitivity of traffic lights to the elderly, disabled, and young children. Improved traffic flow is a key part of the way forward into a greener, safer urban future.

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Pop-Up Bike Network Leads to Permanent Change

Josh Cohen

July 10, 2017 |

Next City |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Macon, Georgia

A bike share system as well as a pop-up experiment that added eight miles of temporary bike lanes in Macon, Georgia more than doubled the number of people riding bikes on the streets every day. It also showed county officials bike lanes were viable and desirable and now there are modest plans underway for three miles of permanent bike lanes and advocates are pushing for the county to adopt a complete streets policy for the city.

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NYC's 'Green City Force'

Thomas Shomaker

June 28, 2017 |

NationSwell |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Green City Force has expanded to many of New York City's public housing projects with a two-pronged approach. Not only does this program help develop professional skills of and job opportunities for young adult residents with high school diplomas, but also simultaneously promotes environmentally sustainable living.

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Smarter Design for Skid Row

Liz Wolfe

June 28, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Mitigating homelessness on Los Angeles' infamous "Skid Row" comprises myriad obstacles. But a collaboration between city officials, a USC architecture class project, and the Skid Row Housing Trust has responded with a multi-pronged solution in "pod-style" housing units. They have composed a cost-effective pre-fab design technology that eases their transportation, on-site construction and visual imposition on a neighborhood, while the pods' zoning classification as "congregant housing" minimizes the risk for local opposition to homeless support services on claims of structural or aesthetic noncompliance.

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How Tampa Turned a Dead Zone Into a Downtown

Richard Danielson

June 15, 2017 |

Politico |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tampa, Florida

Tampa's downtown used to be an industrial wasteland. After six mayors, 40 years, and half a billion dollars of investment later, the city's downtown is thriving. That's just the tip of the iceberg, as Strategic Property Partners is investing $3 billion in development in the next ten years for hotels, offices, and apartments. The University of South Florida is also working with developers as an anchor institution to support more growth.

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Creating a Better Community Through Text Messages

Krutika Pathi

June 14, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

For urban residents, participation in city-planning often means navigating complex administrative bureaucracy and struggling through a lack of transparency, but in New York City, efforts are being made to engage citizens in the renewal (and preservation) of Brownsville, Brooklyn. The city’s Housing Department has worked with the online platform coUrbanize to facilitate community-sourced ideas for the future via text. These residents’ responses are then inputted into a publicly-accessible map, which the city has pledged to incorporate into its planning.

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City Is Unequal for Bike Users

Bruce Murphy

June 11, 2017 |

Urban Milwaukee |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A report by the Rails to Trails Conservancy in Milwaukee shows how access to bike paths can be a catalyst for development and economic growth in low-income, minority neighborhoods where people are less likely to be able to afford a car. Ironically, those are the neighborhoods that currently have the fewest bike trails. To call attention to this, the study includes a "connectivity score" outlying the massive potential that bike paths have to connect neighborhoods with schools, hospitals, and employment centers and improve overall quality of life for the city as a whole, as they have done in Minneapolis.

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