Since 2011 the city has put several measures in place designed to deal with the bedbug problem, and the latest data from city officials shows a dip in bedbug complaints for the first time in years.

Rural areas struggle to have internet, which can be a problem for everyone including students. Mansfield/ Richland County Public Libraries have started lending out hot spots, which has been very successful and useful for residents.

The University of Arizona is tracking activity on students' ID cards to identify the likelihood of freshmen dropping out and intervene when appropriate. Combined with information on student grades and financial aid, students' visits to the library, student center, mail room, dorm, etc. are an accurate predictor of whether or not they will advance to sophomore year. And U of A has seen improvements in retention rates.

For urban residents, participation in city-planning often means navigating complex administrative bureaucracy and struggling through a lack of transparency, but in New York City, efforts are being made to engage citizens in the renewal (and preservation) of Brownsville, Brooklyn.  The city’s Housing Department has worked with the online platform coUrbanize to facilitate community-sourced ideas for the future via text. These residents’ responses are then inputted into a publicly-accessible map, which the city has pledged to incorporate into its planning -- a commendable effort at civic participation, local control, and transparency in government.

The diverse Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota is filled with immigrants from all over the world. However, warning signs of gentrification are hinting at rising home prices that threaten the affordability of the area for its long-time residents. To ensure the neighborhood’s vision for the future is clear and accessible, local artists transformed the small area plan into a graphic novel that is helping residents have a voice in their community’s future.