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What Is the Future of America's Greenest Town?

Anne Kniggendorf

April 19, 2022 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Greensburg, Kansas

After a tornado devastated Greensburg, Kansas, the town decided to use the disaster as an opportunity to become more environmentally sustainable. For example, they built a new school out of recycled wood and it was powered with geothermal heat. While the maintenance of these sustainable features can be tricky, this shift to a greener town can be a case study for others looking to make the transition.

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Wildflower revolution would lead to investment in our community, environmental future

Brittany Schock

March 26, 2022 |

Richland Source |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Ohio

In order to attract and sustain pollinators, communities in Ohio and Wisconsin are resorting to a more "unkempt" approach. In Mansfield, Ohio the community started planting "butterfly and pollinator gardens" in various areas of the city, as well introduced new mowing patterns which include mowing less areas and letting some areas overgrow. In Appleton, Wisconsin, the city council has instituted "No Mow May" during which "communities suspend the enforcement of their long-grass rules for the month, allowing property owners to delay lawn care as a way to promote pollinator-friendly habitats."

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The City Owned by Locals

Mary Hall

February 04, 2022 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, South Bend, Indiana

Incremental investment is gaining momentum in South Bend as an alternative to big developers. Residents are given the network and knowledge to become micro-developers so that ownership and money stay within the local economy. The project aims to cultivate community and strengthen the local economy.

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Growing Community in Vacant Chicago Lots

Jordyn Harrison

February 01, 2022 |

Yes! Magazine |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

On average, community gardens don't last longer than a decade, but Harambee Garden in Chicago is defying the odds during its 12th year in operation. A large part of its success lies in the involvement of local churches, library, firehouse, and multiple youth volunteer organizations, one which even paired local high school students with adult mentors.

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Tulsa paid people $10k to move there and work remotely. Here's how it worked out

Jared Lindzon

December 02, 2021 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Tulsa Remote program recruiting remote workers to take up residence in the city has proven a success. The first cohorts were chosen in 2018 and since then, the initiative has seen the financial impact: $62 million in new labor income for the local economy, new jobs, and more than 90 percent of participants who stayed beyond the program deadline.

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Atlanta Tried Housing Police in Disinvested Black Communities to Increase Trust. Is it Working?

Adina Solomon

September 29, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

The Secure Neighborhoods program lets select police officers buy houses at subsidized prices if they move into a mostly Black, historically disinvested neighborhood. The aim of the program is to make police officers part of a community, build community trust, and discourage crime. While violence and auto theft in the chosen neighborhood have dropped, and some community members say the program improved relations, others complain that the gesture has been fairly superficial and just adds to gentrification pressures.

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Richland Carrousel Park helps trigger 30 years of economic redevelopment in Mansfield

Carl Hunnell

August 30, 2021 |

Richland Source |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Mansfield, Ohio

A community effort in Mansfield, Ohio, helped ensure the success of the Fourth and Main Street Area Urban Renewal Plan to revive the deserted downtown. The center of the plan was creating a park complete with a carousel, but it also included adding parking, demolishing vacant buildings, and cracking down on illegal activities in the area.

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More Mini-Parks Mean Better Mental Health

Nora Macaluso

July 29, 2021 |

Next Avenue |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PHS LandCare, with support from the city, develops small vacant lots into mini-parks that bring people out of their homes and engage with their community. A 2018 study found that people living near LandCare lots reported a decrease in feelings of depression and a reduction in feelings of poor mental health. The city's role is important to the program’s success, especially in providing money to hire contractors to maintain the green spaces, especially local residents and formerly incarcerated people. Sites must be in low-income neighborhoods and near business areas, schools, and recreation centers.

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Co-Op Owned by Formerly Incarcerated Women Embarks on Next Step, Thanks to Surprising Money Source

Oscar Perry Abello

June 29, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

A worker-owned cooperative in Chicago got the financial boost it needed to secure a commercial space for expansion through a city fund. The Chicago Community Trust allowed ChiFresh Kitchen to make their business plan a reality while simultaneously reducing the blight caused by vacant, dilapidated commercial buildings.

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How a Kansas City neighborhood is transforming its dangerous and abandoned buildings

Celisa Calacal

June 28, 2021 |

The Kansas City Beacon |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

A neighborhood association is renovating dilapidated and neglected houses into livable homes that have transformed the look and feel of neighborhoods in Kansas City. The Lykins Neighborhood Association is able to assume ownership over houses slated for demolition by using Missouri’s Abandoned Housing act. “The result: A neglected house becomes a livable home.”

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