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How to build a feminist city

Eve Livingston

May 13, 2019 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Delhi

Recent efforts to bring a gender perspective, especially a feminist one, to urban planning are making cities safer and more inclusive. One Indian app called SafetiPin crowdsources ratings of public spaces based on various safety criteria like lighting, visibility, and transportation. Elsewhere, city planners and researchers are defining what a feminist city would look like. In Sweden, buses are incorporating "night stops" between regular stops to decrease the amount of walking at night needed.

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The Country Winning The Battle On Food Waste

Max S. Kim

April 08, 2019 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Korea, Seoul

In South Korea, a combination of grassroots movements and government campaigns have dramatically reduced the country's food waste by 95% (about 400 metric tons a day). Residents are required to buy special biodegradable bags, which serves as a tax that finances 60% of the city's food processing. It's a pay-as-you-waste tactic that also prompts citizens to find creative ways to recycle and compost, and special weighing machines encourage them to extract the moisture first, saving even more money on collection costs.

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This city bans cars every Sunday—and people love it

Alma Guillermoprieto

March 27, 2019 |

National Geographic |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Bogotá, Capital Region

Ciclovía (Bicycle Way) is a well-known initiative from Bogota, Colombia that allows citizens to take over the public space once a week — roughly 75 miles of public streets. Citizens will bike, run, walk, dance, eat, people watch, and more in a weekly tradition that has turned into an egalitarian celebration imitated all over the world in countries like New Zealand and China. Proponents say that the Ciclovía increases the patience and cooperation of citizens are well as enhancing the feeling of community.

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Inside the Battle to Close Rikers

Maurice Chammah

March 22, 2019 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York City plans to close the eight jail complex located on Rikers Island and replace it with a series of four smaller, community-integrated facilities in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. While the administration has faced community pushback, the city has gleaned insights about the process, including jail reform and design and how to receive feedback from the community. The goal is for this plan could lead to further decarceration, financial savings for the city, and facilities that incorporate job-training, substance abuse treatment, and counseling into its services.

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You can now ski on top of a $670 million power plant in Copenhagen

Akshat Rathi

February 27, 2019 |

Quartz |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Denmark, Copenhagen

Amager Bakke is a powerplant in Copenhagen that is designed to get residents of the city engaged in a conversation about where waste goes, all while burning up to 400,000 tons of waste a year, powering 60,000 homes, and heating 160,000 homes. In 2013 the local plant was redesigned to burn the city's waste and encourage interaction by building a ski slope atop the plant, a hiking trail, and an elevator that introduces education about waste management. Amager Bakke is still new and experimental, so its long-term success is still unclear, and it is not completely emission-free yet.

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Cities across Colorado saw how gentrification impacted Denver. They're trying to avoid the same pitfalls.

Kevin Simpson

February 06, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fort Collins, Colorado

As gentrification drives involuntary displacement in Denver, Colorado, the city planners elsewhere in Colorado aim to avoid the same fate by instituting policy safeguards. Fort Collins has put in extra protection for mobile home parks, one of the only viable housing options for low-income residents, and another city program controls utility costs.

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Isle of Arran is Scotland's first plastic-free community

Elle Duffy

January 26, 2019 |

The Herald Scotland |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Scotland, Isle of Arran, North Ayrshire

The Isle of Arran became Scotland's first Plastic Free Community when they were accredited by the Surfers Against Sewage for their efforts to reduce plastic usage in their community. They credit their success to the help of organizations and businesses in changing packaging and consumer habits, as well as regular beach cleans and plastic-free produce. Last year alone they removed more than 800,000 straws from milk cartons and fruit juice cartons in all schools and cafes, and they plan on using the accreditation to expand their campaign to include more businesses and tourists.

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After grassroots victories, Vancouver, B.C. Chinatown turns toward revitalization

Amy Zimmer Chetanya Robinson

November 11, 2018 |

International Examiner |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia

Grassroots organizations, like the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, seek to preserve Chinatown’s heritage and fight the displacement of old-time residents by gentrification. The organizations bought an historic hotel to prevent displacement of 100 low-income residents, revitalized commercial spaces such as restaurants to preserve the neighborhood’s heritage and history, and funded programs to support social connections with events such as Majhong socials that bring together over 100 people. While the organizations agree on the goal to preserve Vancouver’s Chinatown, they sometimes disagree on how to get there

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The Other Side of “Broken Windows”

Eric Klinenberg

August 23, 2018 |

The New Yorker |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

By cleaning up thousands of abandoned buildings and vacant lots, the city of Philadelphia caused sharp declines in violence and other crime in a program that has become a model for cities nationwide. The cleanup program became the subject of two long-term experiments comparing the "treated" buildings and lots to those that remained signs of blight. In one study, gun violence dropped 39% in and around cleaned-up buildings. The 5% decline associated with cleaned-up vacant lots was much smaller but still meaningful. Neighbors praised the sense of safety they gained in the improved areas.

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Finding the Untapped Potential of Alleys

Lynn Freehill-Maye

July 13, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

Redesigning an alley expands commercial space and brings life to a city. Long-neglected side streets across the United States are getting makeovers both by citizens and developers. Miami’s Jade Alley is a particularly showy example with its archways, flowering trees, ice cream shop, and lingerie boutique.

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