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Building Trust

Megan Kimble

April 07, 2020 |

Texas Observer |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

The Houston Community Land Trust (CLT) is a nonprofit that sells affordable homes in Houston to help resist gentrification. They keep it affordable by only selling the houses on top of the land and not the land itself. Their goal to build or convert 1,100 homes into the trust over five years, which essentially allows prospective homeowners to turn their land over to the community so that everyone benefits from the purchase. They are already underway on this goal, and this article features many voices of residents who personally benefitted from the CLT.

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“I wasn't scared of being groped," Women only parties are creating safe spaces for Nigerian women

Ope Adedeji

April 01, 2020 |

Minority Africa |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Lagos, Lagos

Wine and Whine is a Nigerian organization that creates a space for women only to feel safe and connect. The goal is to create a woman-to-woman network and to create an opportunity to talk about issues that affect them as women in Nigeria and how to execute relevant solutions. Wine and Whine has successfully pulled off a number of women-only events and there are many testimonials from women who love the opportunities and connections won through the group.

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When a Haircut Is More Than Just a Haircut

Aaron Randle

March 11, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Barbershops are a key part of Black Americans' culture, but the culture within those barbershops tend to be homophobic and alienating to LGTBQ individuals. To address this, a number of barbershops are catering specifically to the LGBTQ community by offering a safe and open space to get a haircut. They are able to cultivate this community through social media by using strategic tags, influencers, platforms, and outreach. A client describes the relief of having an accepting barbershop: "You just don't know how comforting it is walking into a place where you know you’re safe.”

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'Visible women': Feminist mappers bridge data gap in urban design

Anastasia Moloney

March 07, 2020 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Mexico City

The underrepresentation of women in technology and computer science has led to the creation of Geochicas, a group of women who recruit and train female, open source mappers across the world. Open source mapping is a male-dominated pursuit but one that informs urban design and public policy. When mapping a city, women tend to add services that are overlooked by men, such as childcare services, hospitals, and women's health clinics. Diversifying the volunteers who do this work to include more women leads to mapping that is more inclusive and minimizes crowdsourced-data bias against women.

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What Would a World Without Prisons Look Like?

Patricia Leigh Brown

March 06, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Deanna Van Buren and her nonprofit firm Designing Justice/Designing Spaces use architecture to advance social justice and criminal-justice-reform ideas, designing workplaces, meeting places, and homes nationwide founded on the notion of "what a world without prisons could look like." The firm's projects, often planned with input from the people directly affected, have included privacy-enhancing temporary living units for people recently released from prison, a "peacemaking" space in Syracuse, N.Y., and two of the first restorative-justice meeting places for crime victims and those who harmed them.

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Recife is tackling violence by making life better for its youngest residents

Megan Clement

November 15, 2019 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Recife, Pernambuco

The Brazilian city of Recife is tackling violence prevention by focusing on early-childhood education through a program called Urban95. In addition to painting the streets and buildings bright colors, Urban95 offers accessible services like pre- and post-natal services to caregivers and storytelling & play opportunities for young children. The program was rolled out in two communities, and one proved more successful than the other because it partnered with a preexisting organization within the community.

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The police experiment that changed what we know about foot patrol

Liz Tung

November 15, 2019 |

WHYY |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Of the three most notable experiments testing the effectiveness of police foot patrols at reducing crime, only one – the Philadelphia Foot Patrol Experiment – showed a significant reduction in violence, thanks to a three-month randomized controlled trial. By rethinking an old practice and infusing it with data-driven thinking about focusing on "hot spots," the Philadelphia brand of foot patrols debunked the myth that patrol might, at best, only improve community relations without having an effect on crime. But random car patrols, reacting mainly to radio calls, remains the dominant approach nationwide.

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Building for Real With Digital Blocks

Tina Rosenberg

October 15, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden

To get input on city design plans from citizens without any technical knowledge, some city planners are turning to Minecraft, an easy-to-use computer game that allows users to build in a three dimensional environment. Useful for planning public spaces (rather than designing a building), Minecraft has been adopted by UN Habitat to plan everything from soccer fields in Nairobi to a riverbank in Kosovo.

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‘I just want more for them': New program aims to boost families' economic mobility

Lauren Lindstrom

September 09, 2019 |

The Charlotte Observer |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

Economic mobility becomes far more attainable when children grow up in a "high-opportunity" area as opposed to a "low-opportunity" area: housing within the city with access to transportation and amenities, higher-performing schools, and lower crime rates. An enhanced voucher program through the Charlotte Housing Authority offers families housing vouchers to move into high-opportunity areas. They also offer incentives to landlords who accept the vouchers, such as up to $1,000 to repair damage beyond normal wear and tear. The program is still new, and it will take generations to see its affects.

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These Young Activists Are Fighting Chicago's Gun Violence With Lobbying and Group Hugs

Kim Bellware

September 03, 2019 |

Teen Vogue |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

A group in Chicago called Good Kids, Mad City is made up of youth who have been affected by gun violence. They offer support and accountability to each other and use the group as a way to cope with the daily violence they face every day. In addition to the therapeutic benefits of the group, the youth have even lobbied and passed legislation that expunges non-violent marijuana offenses as part of the state’s marijuana legalization proposal.

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