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  • Waiving Regulations for Affordable Housing Shows Results in Austin

    September 22, 2020 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Austin, Texas

    Affordable housing requirements for developers were eased in Austin through legislation known as Affordability Unlocked. As a result of less stringent parking, set-back and height codes, developers are able to maximize the number of units per building and deliver a bigger impact per project. These projects are generally built through government subsidies, therefore giving tax payers a higher return on investment.

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  • What happened when the BC government started selling cannabis Audio icon

    September 11, 2020 |

    Capital Daily |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia

    Legalized marijuana sales in Canada were supposed to make the industry safe, stable, and prosperous. But the rollout of licenses for pre-existing private dispensaries has turned into a debacle for small businesses in British Columbia. Ignoring the advice given to Health Canada by dispensaries seeking licenses about sensible ways to regulate, the agency delayed approving licensing applications for months, only to begin raiding applicants' businesses as soon as competing government dispensaries started opening. Hundreds were put out of work and quality product grew scarce.

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  • Why Pennsylvania is ground zero for mail-in voting debate

    September 04, 2020 |

    The Christian Science Monitor |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

    Learning from the failures of the 2020 Pennsylvania primary, where a sharp increase in mail-in voting led to a 2-week delay in certifying election results and many ballots being invalidated, officials introduced a bill to address those problems. Anticipating 3 million mail-in presidential election ballots, the bill would allow mailed in ballots to be opened before election day, which is currently prohibited. The bill would also notify voters and allow them to prove their identity in the case of signature mismatches. While officials are optimistic, there is not much time left to pass and implement the bill.

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  • How Philadelphia Has Tried to Address Water Debt

    September 01, 2020 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    An income-based payment structure has alleviated water debt in Philadelphia. Decreasing federal aid to municipal water utilities in conjunction with rising costs associated with climate change has increased the cost of water, making it unaffordable for many. Philadelphia created an income-based program, which caps water bills at three percent of income. The Tiered Assistance Program, or TAP, also provides debt elimination for those who make their minimum payments. Advocates have successfully pushed for similar reforms in Baltimore.

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  • The Law Preventing Congress from Sending States the Coronavirus Bill

    August 27, 2020 |

    Governing |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) protects states from having to fund federal laws. Prior to its passage, Congress passed bills without worrying about how to fund them, leaving states, cities, and counties to pay for federal mandates. Though UMRA has not been foolproof, 185 unfunded mandates were passed in 1993 before the law was passed and only 15 laws that violate UMRA limits were enacted between 1996 and 2018. Congress is not required to fund the whole bill, which means localities can still be required to pay significant amounts for federally mandated laws.

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  • ‘It's like paradise for us': the Cree Nation's fight to save the Broadback Forest

    August 22, 2020 |

    The Narwhal |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada, Quebec

    Canopy works to preserve the untouched Broadback Forest, which stores twice as much carbon as the Amazon and is central to the Cree Nation. The nonprofit works with 750 corporations, including fashion brands, commercial printers, and publishers to reduce the amount of packaging they use and eliminate sourcing from biodiverse, ancient, and endangered forests. They help source waste from grain and other food harvests for packaging, paper, and fabric production and enlist companies’ support of conservation initiatives. They also partner with other groups to lobby the government to protect the Broadback forest.

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  • Courts rule

    August 20, 2020 |

    Boulder Weekly |

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    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

    Almost half of U.S. states guarantee citizens’ rights to petition for ballot measures, but the coronavirus made gathering signatures in person infeasible. Massachusetts courts allowed electronic signatures, but other states have not approved virtual citizen initiative campaigns. Ballot initiatives allow citizens to advance solutions and enact structural changes without relying on support from elected officials. MA groups used DocuSign to gather 30,000 signatures to get a proposal for ranked choice voting on the ballot. Not all MA groups were able to quickly or successfully pivot to the e-signature process.

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  • Want More Housing? Ending Single-Family Zoning Won't Do It.

    July 29, 2020 |

    Bloomberg CityLab |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

    Abolishing single-family zoning rules as an affordable-housing solution has failed in places such as Minneapolis and Oregon because their narrowly drawn reforms left other obstacles in place. Houston serves as an example of effective policies that promote "missing middle" housing – denser developments than detached houses – because it combined its lack of single-family zoning with a reduction in minimum lots sizes. The result is far more affordable housing than in other booming job markets. Lot-size restrictions are among several other rules that can frustrate the desire for more housing.

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  • Democracy Reform: Voters Not Politicians

    July 10, 2020 |

    How Do We Fix It? |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Michigan

    Voters Not Politicians is a grassroots initiative that, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, ran a successful campaign to defeat gerrymandering in Michigan. The state has a citizen-led ballot initiative option, so the group held townhall meetings and gathered over 410,000 voter signatures to get the initiative on the statewide ballot. The measure was challenged in courts, but the group raised funds for legal help and the initiative passed by a margin of 61-39 percent. The new law requires that an independent group of average citizens will decide district boundaries with full transparency.

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  • How Other Countries Handled Their Jobs Crises

    June 17, 2020 |

    NPR |

    Podcast |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States

    Varying tactics have been adopted in response to the worldwide pandemic, prompting financial implications; some more successful than others. Germany and Japan, in particular, have been able to maintain low unemployment rates in comparison to the US. Germany's approach is a work-sharing program, or "Kurzarbeit," which allows employers to reduce hours for all employees instead of letting some employees go, preventing workers from experiencing the uncertainties of unemployment. South Korea's successful approach to containing the virus prevented the loss of jobs and prompted a faster return to normal.

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