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In Pursuit of Big Data, Mexico City Mapathon Gamifies Crowdsourcing

Zoe Mendelson

February 25, 2016 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Mexico City

By “gamifying” the process, urban planners can crowdsource data collection. In Mexico City, members of 14 organizations—ranging from government agencies to nonprofits and consultants—launched a city-wide game, Mapatón CDMX, in an effort to collect data and map the complex transportation system. To participate, users downloaded an app and mapped transit routes for points.

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São Paulo Is Betting Better Urban Planning Can Solve a Housing Crisis

Catesby Holmes

February 08, 2016 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, São Paulo

The Western Hemisphere’s biggest city has developed a model blueprint for progressive housing policy in developing countries, in large part by affirming squatters' rights and demanding a certain percentage of low-income housing in new developments.

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Architects Deploy Traffic Barrels to Make U.S.-Mexico Connection

Gregory Scruggs

January 19, 2016 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, El Paso, Texas

Art installations create spaces that can bring together members of diverse communities. Using the motif of urban design on the US-Mexico border, professors at Texas Tech in El Paso created an installation that also served as a community event. The “Flash Installation” existed for only a day, but in that time the project brought together student volunteers, community partners, nonprofits, and local businesses.

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Researchers Unearth 100-Year-Old Affordable Housing Solution

Cassie Owens

December 29, 2015 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

A new book chronicles each below-market subsidized housing project ever built in New York, highlighting in particular Co-op City, where residents have come to care for their city-subsidized homes.

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The Blight-Fighting Solution for Saving 40,000 Detroiters From Eviction

Bill Bradley

November 09, 2015 |

Next City |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Loveland Technologies is finding creative uses for data that will help protect people’s properties and disseminate better information about local tax and foreclosure policies. Funded by angel investors as well as nonprofit organizations, Loveland Technologies has already succeeded with clever campaigns to educate the public. It also initiated Motor City Mapping to create an information-sharing space for residents, service providers, and local governments.

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Parklets Are Great, But Big Parks Pack a Big Punch

Cassie Owens

September 01, 2015 |

Next City |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Exeter

Larger green spaces may be critical to a city, as they can support more complete ecosystems. In contrast to smaller "parklets," large parks paired with high-density neighborhoods allow for healthier cities.

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Annoyed by Robocalls? This One Can Save Lives

M. Sophia Newman

July 01, 2015 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

Non-profit organization Reliefwatch is addressing supply chain breakdowns for developing world health clinics by sending them robocalls asking about procurement needs. The information updates a database in real time, allowing suppliers to get the drugs in the hands of the clinics in need and avoiding expiration of excess stock. “The whole idea in terms of the system is that the data goes up into a cloud system that can then be accessed by a manager, the supplier, whoever is relevant,” Yu says.

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Latin American Cities to Millennials: Move Out of Your Parents' House and Rent

Gregory Scruggs

June 29, 2015 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Chile, Santiago

Chile and other countries in South and Latin America have begun using positive peer pressure and humor in new housing campaigns to encourage millennials to move out of their parents' homes and into rental units. These campaigns are part of a larger international trend that's working to build rental markets in order to foster economic mobility and opportunity.

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Cleveland Wants to Make Sure the Next Wright Brothers Come From the Rust Belt

Lee Chilcote

June 22, 2015 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Northeast Ohio and other former industrial regions are finding a new way to bounce back: investing in hardware startup companies. Technologies from improved 3D printers to tools for livestreaming to aerospace applications are showing that not all investment dollars need to go to Silicon Valley software companies. In fact, cities like Cleveland and Pittsburgh can play on their strengths in manufacturing and are seeing that investment dollars are more likely to flow to hardware companies.

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How Detroit Taught Itself to Demolish Vacant Houses Safely

Cassie Owens

June 12, 2015 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

To develop new demolition standards, the Detroit Building Authority brought together a best practices working group that met biweekly. Under the new system, a pre-demolition review takes place to, among other things, plan out what will be recycled or salvaged. When an excavator claws through a building, a water truck or fire hose has to be dousing the structure to inhibit the reach of particulate matter—limiting the environmental and health impacts.

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