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"One City" to Cut Poverty

Courtney DuChene

September 05, 2025 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Richmond, Virginia

Richmond’s Office of Community Wealth Building helps coordinate anti-poverty programs between different departments and offers a wide range of job services, such as career counseling, vocational programs, work-based learning initiatives, and adult education courses. The office is the cornerstone of the city’s efforts to drastically reduce its rate of poverty, which has decreased by roughly 10 percent over the past 13 years.

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University Brains To Solve City Problems

Malcolm Burnley

August 26, 2025 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

To improve traffic flow, the city of Pittsburgh partnered with researchers from Carnegie Mellon University who helped develop an AI-powered traffic signal system that helped significantly reduce emissions and idling time at stop lights. The collaboration grew into a long-term initiative called Metro21 Smart Cities Institute that brings academics and public officials together to work on municipal issues.

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Ideas We Should Steal: Divest Fossil Fuels From City Pensions

Courtney DuChene

March 03, 2025 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Following the success of New York City's divestment of pension funds from fossil fuels, a process that started in 2015, other cities around the US are exploring ways to achieve net-zero portfolio emissions. In most cases, the divested pension funds have performed at least as well financially as a city’s non-divested funds.

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Where Art Thou, Rebuild?

Malcolm Burnley

January 22, 2025 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia’s Rebuild project leveraged revenue from a new tax on soda along with philanthropic funding to renovate parks, recreation facilities, and libraries throughout the city. Because of its focus on equity, the program funneled roughly 20 percent more funding into disadvantaged areas compared to the city’s previous capital projects, but due to delays in the process and the level of repairs and renovation needed, the city was ultimately only able to tackle about half the number of Rebuild projects it originally projected.

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Idea: Open Health Hubs, One-Stop Shops for Addiction Recovery

Sammy Caiola

December 23, 2024 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Health engagement hubs like Washington state’s Buprenorphine Pathways connect people with prescriptions for methadone and buprenorphine to help treat addiction. In addition to medication and a syringe-exchange program, the hub also connects patients to social services, taking a more holistic approach to addiction treatment.

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Ideas We Should Steal: More Worker-Owned Businesses

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

November 12, 2024 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Democracy Brewing is a worker cooperative, which means worker-owners split the profits and have an equal say in business decisions that affect working conditions. Studies show that this type of business structure results in higher wages and household wealth for workers of color, and these workers also tend to stay in their positions longer.

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Ideas We Should Steal: Free Childcare for Women's Health

Courtney Duchene

May 29, 2024 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Mexico

New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Fund provides free childcare for families who earn up to 400% of the federal poverty level and serves about 18,423 children a month. Access to free childcare has also impacted parent’s health, particularly mothers, as they’re often the ones taking time away from themselves and their jobs to handle the majority of childcare tasks.

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Ideas We Should Steal: Homesharing

Courtney Duchene

May 13, 2024 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

A state-led program in Pennsylvania matches homeowners willing to rent out space in their house with renters who need affordable housing. The initiative is also focused on allowing seniors to stay in their homes and communities longer, so one of the parties is always over 60 years old.

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Business for Good: HeyKiddo

Courtney Duchene

April 29, 2024 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The HeyKiddo app and educational curriculum allow parents and teachers to access information and activities that help develop students’ social and emotional health and empathy, teach them how to make responsible decisions and maintain healthy relationships. Over 500 families currently use the app and the portion for teachers, called The Huddle, is used in a handful of schools in California, with plans to expand.

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Manufacturers Paying for Recyclable Waste

Courtney Duchene

April 04, 2024 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

State governments in the United States are implementing Extended Producer Responsibility laws to fund recycling programs. The laws impose a fee on the manufacturers of products that become recyclable waste. The money earned is designated for projects that increase recycling rates.

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