As gentrification drives involuntary displacement in Denver, Colorado, the city planners elsewhere in Colorado aim to avoid the same fate by instituting policy safeguards. Fort Collins has put in extra protection for ...

In 2016, the state of Utah took control over the funding model for individual county's legal defenders in order to better use resources. Thanks to the restructuring, in just a year, counties have seen noticeable incre...

Through its Transformation Office and Innovation Lab, Singapore encourages a culture of innovation and smart design when it comes to making policy among its 145,000 strong civil service. Borrowing aspects of its frame...

In Quebec, a subsidized affordable child care program has proven itself over two decades, contributing to a spike in the employment of mothers with young children. Research also shows that program is financially susta...

An initiative in St. Petersburg has reduced the number of vacant houses while increasing access to affordable housing. The city takes ownership of vacant lots and abandoned homes, then sells the properties to affordab...

In Los Angeles, The Bin gives homeless people a chance to store their valuables. “If I didn’t have this bin, I’d have to get rid of most of my stuff. These bins are really great to have.” Across the nation, other citi...

Cheetah cubs are routinely smuggled through Somaliland on their way to being illegally trafficked in United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia. Although small and resource-deprived, Somaliland is taking a stand against thi...

Iranian families are sidestepping the U.S. Muslim ban inside a library. The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is located in both Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec. Dozens of Iranian families have briefly r...

Colorado has recently adopted a new .25 percent sales tax to create a pool of funding for mental health and addiction services. The initial funds are earmarked to create a new mental health center, while the overall v...

In Denmark, drugs users can safely get high inside “drug consumption rooms.” One of those is Skyken, users have access to clean needles, are allowed 24 hour access, and nurses can treat overdoses with antidotes. Evide...

When local policy initiatives fail, it is often because they are not meeting local needs in a way that residents want. The Boston Housing Innovation Lab, know as the iLab, seeks to combat this challenge. So far, it ha...

Voter turnout is higher where voting is made easy. Consider one innovation: vote-by mail. States that allowed mail-in ballots had an average of 10 percent more voting in the 2016 election than other states. More innov...

Countries across the world are aiming to reduce their plastic waste. African countries, however, are leading the way with a variety of techniques. Kenya in particular has taken one of the most drastic approaches by ha...

A collaboration between pro-choice activists and tech workers is—in the face of increasing restrictive policy—creating access to services and information. Events like the Abortion Access Hackathon provide a means for ...

Singapore maintains its state of cleanliness through fines, public education, and an army of low-paid cleaners. Fifty years ago, the Keep Singapore Clean campaign was the first time the government used fines as a meth...

In New Zealand politics, families, children, and the environment come first. Amidst the rise of right-wing populist governments, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern stands out for her energy fighting for progres...

In 2017, Illinois passed a bill to re-establish the Women’s Correctional Services Division in response to the disproportionate level of discipline handed out to female inmates and in an effort to create more trauma-in...

Hotel workers and members of the union, Unite Here, successfully lobbied for a law that makes it mandatory for hotels in Chicago to provide a safety device, known as a panic button, to workers. The ordinance also in...

In the UK, the What Works Centres are bringing scientific rigor into the realm of government by promoting evidence-based policymaking (EBPM). By evaluating policies through an unbiased, empirical approach like a rando...

Indonesia's fisheries are responsible for a significant portion of the country's gross domestic product and job market. The industry is also one of the most threatened outlets due to a history of abuses including ille...

The reduction of plastic at any scale plays a vital role in improving the environment, and the travel industry is the latest sector to join ranks of those aiming to reduce the substance. From banning straws to using r...

In Michigan, a group of people decided they were done with gerrymandering: a political process in which district maps are redrawn to favor one party over another. They formed a group called “Voters Not Politicians,” a...

With a new prescribing protocol in place, drug store pharmacists can prescribe anti-smoking medications. People often visit a pharmacy more than their doctor, and the new protocol allows greater access to necessary me...

Building a country’s “brand identity” has shifted from a tourist-attracting gimmick to an exercise in nation building. Consultants meet with citizens, identifying common values and attitudes that can be used to suppor...

Since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed, investors, community leaders, and local governments have been talking about Opportunity Zones. These are low-income areas in each state--Alabama has 150--that will incentiv...