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Smarter Design for Skid Row

Liz Wolfe

June 28, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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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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Creating a Better Community Through Text Messages

Krutika Pathi

June 14, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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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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How Did a Co-op Build Affordable Homes in Ballymun … and Can It Be Done Elsewhere?

Lois Kapila

June 06, 2017 |

Dublin Inquirer |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ireland, Ballymun, Leinster

Drawing on his experience creating affordable housing abroad, Hugh Brennan created the Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance just outside Dublin, Ireland, where state and city officials are grappling with a shortage of affordable housing. The OCCA has brought together local governing councils and private investors to remedy the issue.

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Lessons from India in building urban resilience

Patralekha Chatterjee

May 29, 2017 |

Citiscope |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Surat, Gujarat

TARU, an Indian thinktank, has found that Indians cities have combined decentralized action and "multi-stakeholder engagement" in public policy to respond to problems of scarcity in water and power as well as climate change-related natural disasters. Municipalities are putting responsibility for improving local lives at the grassroots level; integrating disruptive technologies from the private sector; and fostering collaboration between government and citizens.

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A garden bridge that works: how Seoul succeeded where London failed

Rowan Moore

May 19, 2017 |

The Guardian |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: South Korea, Seoul

Seoul’s new Skygarden has succeeded in transforming an old highway into an urban garden meant to connect different parts of the city. It is one aspect of a broader urban revitalization plan that includes the appointment of a city architect, emphasis on more pedestrian-friendly areas, and renovation of a business center. Cities like London, which has failed in building a garden on a bridge, can look to Seoul’s success for future urban development efforts.

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Detroit's DIY Cure for Urban Blight

Erick Trickey

May 18, 2017 |

Politico |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In an attempt to come back from bankruptcy, the city of Detroit created the country's largest land bank to facilitate the demolition of blighted houses around the city. The land bank helps dilapidated homes find new owners willing to pick up the pieces.

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Keeping it cool: Malaysia looks to district energy systems.

Feng Zengkun

May 17, 2017 |

Eco-Business |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Malaysia, Sedenak, Johor

A collaborative effort among the United Nations' District Energy in Cities Initiative, the Malaysian government, and private partners has facilitated planning in Malaysia's rapidly developing southern state of Johor for a "District Energy System": a single heating and cooling network which decreases energy consumption by converting waste heat from large power stations. Because of this intervention, Iskandar is projected to decrease its energy use by almost 40% -- all while saving money on energy costs, recycling heat energy, and contributing to the nation's goals under the international Paris Accord.

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The Unsung Government Program That Gives Federal Property to the Homeless

Kriston Capps

April 27, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Thirty years ago, the U.S. Congress created a process called Title V that requires excess federal land be offered to state and city governments and nonprofits for homeless services. Hampered by challenging obstacles throughout the process, only about 900 acres across the country have been converted to shelters and other facilities. Now streamlined and improved, Title V is poised to make a much greater impact.

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These cities have great, but sometimes strange, ideas on transit. Which ones can Toronto steal?

Oliver Moore

March 31, 2017 |

The Globe and Mail |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto, Ontario

Toronto wants to improve its transit system, perhaps there are solutions that can be applied from other cities. Changing the way parking is priced, improving bus shelters, implementing more highway tolls, and having automated subways are all possible options.

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In Beijing, Two Wheels Are Only a Smartphone Away

Didi Kirsten Tatlow

March 19, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: China, Beijing

As Beijing grapples with pollution caused in large part by the increase in cars on the roads, a tech-based solution has appeared in the form of forward-thinking bicycles. The Chinese bike-sharing system, spearheaded by several startups, allows commuters to find a bike using GPS, pay for it using an app, and drop it off upon arriving to their destination, wherever that may be. A mix of private investment and government support has allowed this market to thrive.

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