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San Francisco voters rank their candidates. It's made politics a little less nasty.

Lee Drutman

July 24, 2019 |

Vox |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In 2002, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to adopt ranked choice voting, which allows voters to rank their candidates by 1st choice, 2nd choice, and so on, in what effectively becomes an instant run-off. This heads off voter fatigue in successive rounds of voting. But also, ranked choice voting encouraged more campaigning, voter engagement, and coalition-building.

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New York is building a wall to hold back the ocean

Kimberly Mas Diana Budds

June 11, 2019 |

Vox |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Resilient infrastructure is one way to prepare cities for the unpredictable effects of climate change. In Staten Island, which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, officials have secured millions in funding to build a seawall, which will prevent coastal erosion and decrease the risk of flooding. Seawells or any type of resilient infrastructure, however, need to be combined with other solutions for the best chance of success.

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Oregon is poised to set a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. That's a huge deal.

David Roberts

June 05, 2019 |

Vox |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Salem, Oregon

A bill in Oregon has the potential to transform the way greenhouse gases are treated in the Pacific Northwest and potentially across the country. The Clean Energy Jobs Bill is an extremely detailed attempt to build a cap and trade system that also makes thoughtful exceptions along a carefully-planned timeline, with the support of environmental justice advocates as well as construction and trade workers. Though still in the early stages, this bill could transform the scale at which states approach greenhouse gas reduction.

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Why you want oysters and a salt marsh between you and a hurricane

Anne N. Connor

June 03, 2019 |

Vox |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Beaufort, North Carolina

Instead of building hard seawalls to protect communities from hurricanes, some are turning to “living shorelines.” These are made out of crushed rock or oyster shells that are placed offshore in front of a wetland. There are more than 120 of these types of habitats — including in Beaufort, North Carolina — and they have shown that they can absorb 50 percent of wave energy, which can reduce the risk of loss of human life and property from flooding. This might not work for all coastal communities, but living shorelines are cheaper than the traditional seawalls.

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Meet the Canadian doctor who prescribes money to low-income patients

Sigal Samuel

May 03, 2019 |

Vox |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto

Many times, a person's economic stability can directly impact other aspects of their life, such as their personal health. Realizing this connection, a Canadian doctor has started prescribing social services as complementary treatment for his patient's ailments.

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The traffic solution most cities haven't tried

Diana Budds

May 03, 2019 |

Vox |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Cities across the world have implemented “congestion pricing” – meaning that cars in high-traffic areas will have to pay a fee to drive within those limits. New York City is one of the most recent cities to potentially implement this approach in its attempt to reduce congestion and encourage walking, biking, and public transportation.

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Beyond Meat is going public. Meat alternatives are going mainstream.

Kelsey Piper

May 02, 2019 |

Vox |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, El Segundo, California

Food company Beyond Meat recently went public - a business success to be sure, but more than that, it is a reflection that environmentally-friendly meat alternatives have achieved more widespread appeal. The environmental impact of meat alternatives reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to the polluting effect of raising factory farm animals, and vegans and non-vegans alike have more and more options to make planet-friendly food decisions.

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How Norway designed a more humane prison

Gina Barton Christophe Haubursin

April 12, 2019 |

Vox |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Norway, Halden

Halden Prison in Norway has re-designed itself so that the look and feel of prison life isn’t an added punishment to restricted freedom. Designers took into consideration the role campus design plays in promoting or disrupting guard-inmate relations and created a campus that promotes community rather than violence and isolation. Also included was landscaping, more natural light, and the use of softer materials, like glass and wood, instead of metal and brick.

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Barcelona's superblocks are a new model for "post-car" urban living

David Roberts

April 11, 2019 |

Vox |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Spain, Barcelona

The implementation of "superblocks," or large areas of urban space dedicated to pedestrian & bike multi-use traffic and the unification of urban and rural living benefits, helped one Spanish city reduce automotive traffic. Now, an urban innovator aims to bring superblocks to Barcelona in an attempt to scale this community-oriented solution.

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Barcelona wants to build 500 superblocks. Here's what it learned from the first ones.

David Roberts

April 09, 2019 |

Vox |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Spain, Barcelona

Calming traffic reduces noise and brings new public spaces to urban neighborhoods. Across Barcelona, Spain, neighborhoods designated as superblocks—where through traffic is prohibited—now serve as shared-use spaces. Existing superblock projects, created through years of collaboration between Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona and the city’s administration, serve as pilot programs for the city’s broader vision to create hundreds of such spaces.

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