Racism, segregation, and discriminatory housing policies has plagued cities across the United States for decades. In this excerpt from Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt’s book, Biased, the author details the role surveillance an...

Formerly incarcerated individuals, community leaders, and members of San Francisco’s District Attorney’s office, have joined forces to create an advisory board. The collaborative meets to discuss the DA’s work, share ...

When big box stores shutter, communities can suffer: vacant buildings deter investment and sites can encourage vandalism and other crimes. Because demolishing the stores can prove prohibitively expensive, three cities...

Art inspires innovation. At the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the annual Black Creativity festival focuses both on championing the voices of African-American artists, innovators, and community leaders, an...

In an initiative to level the playing people for women- and minority-owned businesses, cities and businesses work together to evaluate and address racial and gender disparities in the private sector. By performing stu...

New grassroots efforts often struggle to get off the ground due to lack of funding. In Baltimore, a group called CLLCTIVLY aims to fix this problem for black-led non-profit organizations by offering a $1,000 prize eve...

Organizations across the country work to make sustainable solar energy accessible for low-income communities. Through creative financing models that allow community members to maintain ownership over their neighborhoo...

Riverside Correction Facility in Philadelphia has implemented a program that allows incarcerated new mothers the opportunity to both learn about the benefits of maintaining breast milk supply, and also provide it for ...

In Minneapolis, they've dealt with one of the largest encampments of people experiencing homelessness - not by "clearing" it as many other cities do, but by collaborating with local organizations to help residents tra...

A nonprofit grocery store in Washington, D.C. brings fresh, affordable food to regional food deserts. Through community engagement, public partnerships, and the willingness to learn from failure, Good Food Markets bri...

In western New York, local bike advocacy groups have found power in numbers, banding together to gradually convince their governments to expand cycling access and communities to change their attitudes toward cyclists....

Public libraries are increasingly using their positions as accessible centers for information to address homelessness and mental health issues - in San Francisco, a team of Health and Safety Associates have helped pla...

The collection and analysis of data is a crucial first step in revealing and addressing areas of racial inequality in cities. Using the methodology of a 2015 New York City program designed to study metrics of inequali...

Successful public private collaborations promote civic innovations that add value to communities. Programs that bring together nonprofits, tech start-ups, universities, and city leaders are helping Birmingham, Alabama...

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...

With the aim of providing a space for congregations without a space to worship, Church Space created “co-churching” spaces that offer a room, lighting, musical instruments, a PA system and other amenities for rent. A ...

Philadelphia looks to Oklahoma and New York City to close the achievement gap for kids from low-income areas. Both Oklahoma and NYC have implemented universal Pre-Kindergarten programs and have increased kindergarten ...

In Detroit, a new collective is bringing together affordable childcare and co-working in one space. Families purchase memberships priced per household, instead of through the traditional per child model -- parents ben...

In Chicago, where seasons as well as subpar local investment in the South Side limit children’s ability to play outside year-round, the new Pullman Community Center is a huge improvement. Beyond fostering recreational...

Australian company Orange Sky transports washers, dryers, and showers for people experiencing homelessness, who often experience a lack of access to things that promote general personal hygiene and wellness. While it ...

Kids will be the ones carrying out the effects of current city planning efforts. To get kids involved in city planning at a young age, Michael Ford started a series of “Hip Hop Architecture Camps.” By teaching about b...

When Juan Reid had a hard time finding a job after his release from prison, he finally founded a worker cooperative called Tightshift Laboring Cooperative. He wanted to create sustainable employment opportunities for ...

Opera theaters are struggling to sell tickets, but some productions are taking it as an opportunity to reinvent the way viewers experience Opera, bringing rise to a new opera. The University of California San Diego pr...

Governing Hope, an anti-racism organization, is combating racism in Portland by asking white people to pay reparations. The organization created an event called “Reparations Power Hour,” which invites people of color ...

A pilot program in Istanbul, Turkey allows subway commuters to pay for their fares with bottles and cans instead of cash. While a one way fare via the "reverse vending machines" costs about 28 1.5 liter bottles, the g...