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Sanitation solutions: How giving people trash bins made Baltimore cleaner

Meir Rinde

October 20, 2021 |

WHYY |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore’s green bin program shows there are relatively simple steps cities can take to tangibly improve the cleanliness of neighborhoods. The solution is also working in Philadelphia, through which people who live in the city are lidded trash cans and bins to store their garbage.

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With investors knocking, Charlotte HOAs are starting to change their rules

Lauren Lindstrom

October 01, 2021 |

The Charlotte Observer |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

One reason the market for middle-income housing has grown tight in Charlotte is a shortage of available homes for sale because corporate investors have bought so many developments for their rental income. To preserve affordable housing and encourage healthier communities, some homeowners associations are using restrictive deed covenants to try to limit corporate owners' encroachments. In one neighborhood, it seems to have worked, but there are legal complications that must be considered as other HOAs seek to copy the tactic.

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How Zurich Blazed a Trail for Recycled Concrete

Corinne Gretler

September 26, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Switzerland, Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, is paving the way for sustainable building. Concrete is a major contributor of climate change due to the process it requires to make it. Zurich is making steps to reduce its use. A school building was constructed in 2002 with 80 percent recycled concrete. Three years later city officials passed a requirement that required all publicly-owned buildings to be made with recycled concrete and in 2013 ordered the use of CO2 reduced cement. According to a study the effort has saved 17,000 cubic meters of virgin materials.

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PA cities have a sewer-system problem. Green infrastructure can help — but comes with its own risks

Madison Goldberg

August 05, 2021 |

StateImpact Pennsylvania |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

In many cities, rainwater is drained through "grey infrastructure" things like pipes, streets, etc. In some cities, this system is combined with the sewage system. Rainwater drains into the sewage system, is then cleaned, then emptied into the river. However, with strong storms some sewage systems overflow. A problem that will worsen with climate change. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, rain gardens are one solution to overflowing sewage systems. Cities like Harrisburg are turning to green infrastructure, things like rain gardens, roofs with gardens, and parks, to ease the burden on gray infrastructure.

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Cooler, Cleaner Megacities, One Rooftop Garden at a Time

Marianne Dhenin

July 08, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Egypt, Cairo

Organizations in Egypt and Bangladesh are greening their cities by turning rooftops into urban gardens that can grow food, reduce air pollution, and decrease air temperatures. Green Savers in Dhaka has installed more than 5,000 rooftop gardens in the city and Urban Greens in Cairo partners with sponsors to install hydroponic rooftop gardens for families experiencing economic hardship. It’s been a challenge to convince people that the cost to maintain these spaces is worthwhile, but through community outreach efforts, these organizations have seen an increase in interest in installing rooftop gardens.

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‘Make room for everyone:' Why density could be key to liveability in Langford

Shalu Mehta

July 02, 2021 |

The Discourse |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Langford, British Columbia

A new rent-to-own development is providing an affordable housing option. Known as My Belmont, the new solution is combining affordability with walkability as well as access to public transportation - a combination that is hard to find. Although the new project offers limited spots, it’s being highlighted as the type of mixed-used housing developments that can help alleviate the issue of affordable housing and provide a better quality of life.

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The problem fueling the essential housing crisis and how to fix it

Jamie Boll Jessica Dyer

June 25, 2021 |

WBTV-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte's tight housing market can prove unaffordable to young professionals, with high rents equal to half a person's income. The "essential housing" niche, a middle ground between luxury homes and lower-cost "affordable" housing, provides an opportunity to economize on construction costs and pass those savings on to renters. Fewer apartment floor plan options and fancy amenities can translate into rents up to $700 less, a marketing strategy that has given the developer a strong rental business – and its younger customers a relative bargain in an expensive market.

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Affordable housing expansion happening on Indy's west side

Stephanie Wade

June 09, 2021 |

WRTV-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Indianapolis, Indiana

With 2,300 people on a wait list for affordable housing, the city of Indianapolis pumped $3 million into a vouchers program for 2021 that has already housed 672 people. Some of the vouchers are set aside for military veterans and their families experiencing homelessness. The city contracted with a national affordable-housing developer and property manager. The housing market has priced many people out of affordable, safe options. A new 61-unit development is under construction, with more homes dedicated to reducing the numbers of unhoused veterans.

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How Vancouver is protecting itself from future flooding — with plants

Stefan Labbé

May 27, 2021 |

Pique Newsmagazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia

Large cities like Vacounver and Seattle are increasingly leaning towards "green infrastracture," a method of managing stormwater through natural systems like green roofs and rain gardens that absorb rainwater. Cities have traditionally relied on traditional sewage systems, but in the face of climate change, and more intense storms, its proving to be inadequate. Green infrascture lowers flood levels, filters out pollutants in the water, and regulates city temperature. In Seattle, an early adopter of green infrastructure, rain gardens absorbed 1.5 trillion liters of rainwate.

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Can Removing Highways Fix America's Cities?

Nadja Popovich Josh Williams Denise Lu

May 27, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rochester, New York

One of the first cities to undo the damage that mid-20th-century urban highways did to neighborhoods has filled in a sunken highway and opened streets to new shops, pedestrians, and bikes. After more than two decades of planning, Rochester got rid of part of the Inner Loop that bisected the east side of its downtown during a phase of highway construction that prized suburban commuters' convenience over city residents' homes. The conversion to a thriving neighborhood will take more than just new streets and buildings, but the project serves as a template for dozens of infrastructure projects nationwide.

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