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How one community beat the system, and rebuilt their shattered streets

Aditya Chakrabortty

February 14, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Liverpool

Eleanor Lee is one of many women leading the charge to restore the Granby neighborhood in Liverpool. The few households that remained inhabited after the neighborhood was forgotten came together and formed a community land trust. This major step allowed them to get private development funding. Now, the Granby area is offering affordable housing and attracting business back to Liverpool.

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How a Liverpool suburb upended its housing market

Aditya Chakrabortty

February 14, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: England, Liverpool

To combat neighborhood neglect, a group of community members in Granby, a Liverpool neighborhood, took matters into their own hands by creating a community land trust. The land trust raised funds to reconstruct homes in a unique, sustainable way, and the trust protects housing rates by keeping rates in line with median income of the surrounding area.

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A way out of Bozeman's shadow

Katheryn Houghton Lewis Kendall

February 11, 2018 |

Bozeman Daily Chronicle |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Belgrade, Montana

Belgrade, Montana, a city 12 miles outside of Bozeman, uses creative financing and revitalization to ensure its identity remains independent from its rapidly growing and ever-popular adjacent city. While many residents of Belgrade work in Bozeman, the city has developed "tax-based renewal strategies" and restaurant liquor license regulations to ensure Belgrade stays on the map.

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In 2011 Preston hit rock bottom. Then it took back control

Aditya Chakrabortty

January 31, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Preston

In 2011, when a huge plan for a sprawling shopping mall halted after the financial crisis, Preston’s future looked bleak. That is, until Matthew Brown, a local government leader, decided to spend money locally, an idea that drastically reshaped the city’s economy. The city council “ adopted a guerrilla localism,” and it paid off. By changing procurement practices and business methods, Preston has become a model for how to turn around a failing city.

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Minnesota Deploys Drones to Care for Aging Bridges

Laura Bliss

January 24, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Minnesota

Bridges don't last forever without at least some occasional repair, but how do city officials know when an aging bridge is in need of reconstruction? Typically, an individual has to bungee down to inspect it or specialized (and extremely expensive) equipment must be employed. That's why Minnesota is testing out the use of drones to do the work. Although not able to be used in every instance, these specialized drones that can be flown sans GPS, are able to get to places originally untapped during bridge inspections and so far have proven to be a highly useful tool.

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How to turn a struggling small town around

Jan Anderson

January 10, 2018 |

The Boulder Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boulder, Montana

Boulder, Montana struggled upon learning that a major local employer, the Montana Developmental Center, was going to close. However, the news pushed the town toward a path of redevelopment. The Boulder Transition Advisory Committee stepped up by launching the “Make Boulder’s Future Bright” campaign, which involved citizens in creating goals and strategies to achieve them. Since earning a major grant, the town has been working to revitalize the downtown area. This story is part 1 of a series about housing for rural Montanans.

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In Medellin, cable cars transformed slums—in Rio, they made them worse

Anoush Darabi

January 10, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Medellín

In the 20th century, Colombia’s city of Medellin was a center for drugs and violence. Then the city developed a cable car system that enabled cheap transportation for people to find employment. The cable car system revitalized the economy of the city and made it much safer. However, other cities have tried cable cars for revitalization and found less success, even failure.

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How Medellín went from murder capital to hipster holiday destination

Stanley Stewart

January 04, 2018 |

The Telegraph |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Medellín

Medellín is a hub of growth and innovation, re-born after years of devastating violence. Building a metro system was an early step in the city’s transformation. “It was the first positive thing that had happened in this city for decades,” says Julian, a local guide. “With this metro, we suddenly realized things could be different, that progress and change were possible.”

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How the Cuyahoga County Land Bank revitalizes homes

Ron Regan

December 27, 2017 |

WEWS-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

At the worst point in the 2008 housing crisis, up to 30,000 houses in Cuyahoga County were vacant. The Cuyahoga County Land Bank aims to fix this problem by acquiring houses, eliminating blight, and transforming the houses into more useful spaces. Already, the Land Bank has turned old, empty properties into a Children’s Museum and an Amazon Fulfillment Center, and it has decreased the number of empty homes to about 7,000.

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Murder in America: What Makes Cities Safer

Scott Calvert Zusha Elinson Max Rust

December 27, 2017 |

Wall Street Journal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Certain cities in the United States are facing startlingly high rates of homicide and violence that haven't been seen since the height of gang activity in the 1990s. But certain cities, including Los Angeles, have continued to see declines in or stable crime rates, thanks to a community-based policing approach that uses tactics such as working with former drug dealers, hosting neighborhood events, cleaning litter from the streets, and mediating sit-downs between formal gang rivals.

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