Leaders in Baltimore realized that improvements in food policy would be enhanced by more accurate language and more local activism. The Baltimore Food Policy Initiative brings together city agencies and uses data and shared terminology to improve their work, referring to “food deserts” as “ healthy priority areas.” The group also engaged 14 new “resident food equity advisors” to begin the work of assessing the landscape, in terms of accessibility of healthy food. This data will be used to move thoughtful policies forward.

Police in New York already use algorithms to fight crime and now they have turned to a tech startup that uses algorithms to gauge trust levels towards citizens. The so-called “sentiment meter” is meant to address where police are falling short with the community and it has garnered the interest of police departments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Grand Rapids, Mich., as well. But some are skeptical of the data methods and what they are actually measuring.

An ambitious plan for the 69-acre Regent Park neighborhood is disrupting entrenched notions of class, race and religion, at a time when concerns over income inequality and immigration are growing.

In New York, hate crimes against Muslims have reached levels not seen since 2001. In response to deep racial divides nationally, the importance of having effective interfaith leaders is more relevant than ever.

The Climate Solutions Caucus is made up of half Democrats and half Republicans, by design. Drawing strength from a growing wave of Republican support for climate action, the bipartisan congressional group is an attempt to depoliticize environmental policymaking in the United States.

Different nations try different methods of peace building. International research suggests that military integration is essential and can be achieved through political education, guaranteeing personal welfare, socialization, and professionalization.

In Michigan, the Hope Not Handcuffs Initiative has partnered with local police departments to ensure that people with addictions are given support and treatment instead of being sent to jail. Ninety-eight percent of people are placed in a treatment center within two hours of their arrival at a participating police station; they estimate they've placed around 1500 people in their 18 months of operation.

The Gay Officers League in the New York Police Department started in the early 1980s when memories of the Stonewall Riots were still fresh to support gay officers in the NYPD while also improving relations between the LGBTQ community and the police. NYPD is now one of the most diverse forces in the nation and there are more than 2,000 GOAL members in Philadelphia, Chicago and New England. They have become role models in the gay community while also changing attitudes within law enforcement.

After a policeman shot and killed a teenage African American, a community in Cincinnati blamed law enforcement for racial profiling and riots expanded throughout the city. With the help of the Department of Justice as a mediator, Cincinnati made policy changes. The city now has an African American Police Association that brings police officers in communication with representatives of communities.

In Alaska, tribal governments are teaming up to eliminate programming redundancies, avoid competing for the same grants, and provide necessary community resources. Their collaboration allows the smaller tribal governments a flexibility and local impact that other governments aren't always able to maintain while still growing their programming.

As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues, peace and hope breaks out in unexpected places. People are bridging religious and cultural divides at a backgammon parlor, a school, a fashion company, and during peace talk simulations.

In Uganda, religious leaders and anti-gay individuals have been very vocal against the LGBTI community and have disowned many LGBTI religious leaders. This has led some of these leaders to publicly come out and advocate for others and speak of their own experiences, showing the possibility of being LGBTI and religious.

Sectarian conflict in Bahrain has torn friends and families apart, splitting the country into Sunni versus Shi’a. To soften the divisions, Bahrain Foundation for Reconciliation and Civil Discourse has hosted at least one event every month since its founding in 2012, inviting people from all ideologies to participate. These events include dialogue dinners, seminars, and even exchange trips to Northern Ireland and South Africa to learn about reconciliation experiences in those countries.

As views become more polarized, people increasingly sort themselves into tribes based on political ideology. In a effort to diminish this polarization, a small group of activists and academics is searching for ways to stem the partisan tide.

Grassroots organizations are helping Palestinians and Israelis to meet and discuss their experiences with each other, often for the first time. Ali Abu Awwad, a Palestinian, co-runs one of these groups with two Israeli settlers. He describes their center is a place where “the enemy is transformed into a neighbor,” a process he says must happen before lasting political solutions to the conflict can be reached.

Crimes against LGBT citizens have gone underreported in many U.S. cities. Washington DC’s Gay and Lesbian Liason Unit has employed and trained LGBT officers to represent community members that they protect and serve. After the establishment of the GLLU, the number of reported crimes has increased, demonstrating the comfort and trust that the community has with law enforcement.

Mining for tin in central Nigeria helped two ethnic groups overcome an age-old conflict. Thousands of people were killed between 2011 and 2016 in this ethnic conflict between Fulani herdsmen and Berom farmers, but a a new governor brought mediators to help. Now, a fragile peace persists between the two groups as they work together in tin mines, helping to ensure the safety of one other.

In Turkey there has been a long lasting dispute between the Tukish government and the Kurds that are often violent. AKP the leading political party has won elections in 2015 and may open the gate for transparent and democratic negotiations where the different ethnicities are recognized by the constitution. This is a solution because both the government and the PKK are conducting violent acts against each other.

Chicago has seen a decline in violence, and one neighborhood in particular has led the way, nearly halving its shootings and homicides. Police in Englewood have changed how they work with the community and where they send officers, focusing on the places and people experiencing the most violence, informed by data and surveillance systems. Community organizations are also providing job training, services and counseling to those most likely to be caught up in the violence.

Hyper-polarization on an issue hinders progress. The Convergence Center for Policy Resolution uses conflict resolution classes to help opponents across the U.S. find common ground on social issues like education, nourishing food, and health care.

Susan Rahr, a former sheriff, didn’t agree with the “boot camp atmosphere” of police academies. She also didn’t agree with the tough vigilante, us vs them attitude she observed from her fellow officers, and in school. So, when she became director of the Criminal Justice Training Center she changed the curriculum. The program has become a “national model of how law enforcement officers can be more empathetic to and respectful of the communities they serve without diminishing their own safety.”

Public support is key to advancing peace. That’s the idea behind Minds of Peace, an initiative that brings together ordinary Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate mock trust-building measures and political agreements. These small-scale events could mobilize public support during future high-level talks.

Drivers in a suburb of St. Paul, Minn., who have equipment issues with their cars may get coupons to help them fix the problems at repair shops rather than a ticket. The Lights On program was created by a nonprofit after the shooting death of Philando Castile by a police officer during a traffic stop over a broken tail light in a nearby town. Twenty participating police departments around the Twin Cities are participating and the program expanded to Iowa, with plans for additional locales.

Police can work better with young people if they understand more about how their brains work. Young people can deal better with police if they understand more about their jobs, and the law. New training and techniques aim to improve those relationships. Some are already being used in Cleveland, and others are on the way.