Armed With Data, Fighting More Than Crime

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/armed-with-data-fighting-more-than-crime

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

2 May 2012

Text / 800-1500 Words

CitiStat has show great success in cities like Baltimore, where it has improved city services' efficiency (removing snow, fixing potholes, etc.). Many cities use Stat programs, but Baltimore has been a particular case of success. Looking at how it implemented its CitiStat program holds lessons for other cities.

Dealing with blight complaints requires new approach, Memphis says

http://www.fayobserver.com/a9f5d553-c59b-5643-9b12-55aca76dde64.html

Greg Barnes

Fayetteville Observer

22 February 2014

Text / Under 800 Words

In Memphis, a creative blight-reduction initiative called 25 Square Blocks broke down the city into blocks. Inspectors were able to quickly identify all the violations and fix them, using the same amount of funding, but less time, as the old call-and-respond model.

New sanitation system tested in Arctic village of Kivalina

http://www.adn.com/article/20150907/new-sanitation-system-tested-arctic-village-kivalina

Scott Jensen

Anchorage Daily News

7 September 2015

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Lack of access to sanitary bathrooms in the village of Kivalina, Alaska led to the implementation of a novel, home-based water sanitation system, currently being tested for effectiveness. The hope is that it proves to be a solution for areas all over the state with lack of access to clean water systems.

How Did the Meadow Vole Cross the Road? Designing travel routes for wildlife

https://medium.com/re-form/how-did-the-meadow-vole-cross-the-road-21a0f0931418

Benjamin Goldfarb

re:form

9 October 2014

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As a state with robust populations of wildlife, Montana has had its share of roadkill. Its Department of Transportation developed animal shelving, a type of wildlife crossing, to enable safe passage for small animals who need to cross the road. The measure, combined with other types of crossings, has reduced animal-vehicle collisions by half.

Oklahoma schools district offers insight as EPISD, YISD consider shutting schools

http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/archives/2015/03/21/tulsa-outreach-key-palatable-school-closures/73899232

Lindsey Anderson

El Paso Times

21 March 2015

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Tulsa Public Schools drew on expertise across many sectors and extensive neighborhood input to address the issue of thousands of empty seats in local schools. Through a community-focused process, they were able to mindfully close under-utilized schools and better maximize the community's resources for students.

Out of India's Trash Heaps, More Than a Shred of Dignity

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/out-of-indias-trash-heaps-more-than-a-shred-of-dignity

Sarika Bansal

The New York Times

12 June 2013

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Throughout India, wastepickers – people who scour landfills for garbage they can sell to recyclers – live at the bottom of society. But the city of Pune did something radical: with the help of a collective, they did away with expensive garbage trucks, and now all household garbage is collected by wastepickers with pushcarts. Pune saves millions of dollars each year and recycles more – and the wastepickers have decent wages and social standing. The concept is now spreading globally.

In India, Latrines Are Truly Lifesavers

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/in-india-latrines-are-truly-lifesavers

Vivekananda Nemana

Ankita Rao

The New York Times

13 November 2014

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India has had a problem in which 620 million people openly defecate outdoors, causing harm to hygiene, sanitation, food, and water resources. The president of India funded an initiative to build public toilets for the people in his country, but the people did not use them because of old traditions and behaviors. The Total Sanitation Campaign is slowly changing villagers’ minds by having local leadership persuade those who resist the toilets by holding community activities and creating special committees to maintain the sanitation.

Indian authorities are out in force to enforce use of toilets

http://www.globalpost.com/article/6503467/2015/03/31/indian-authorities-are-out-force-enforce-use-toilets

Mandakini Gahlot

Global Post

31 March 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

The Indian government is attempting to stop the way in which people openly defecate in public by providing households with toilets. The real key is education about hygiene so the people understand why proper toilets are necessary to clean drinking water and public health.

Police chief, mayor tour city's rundown neighborhoods

http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20140222/News/302229785

Greg Barnes

Fayetteville Observer

22 February 2014

Text / Under 800 Words

In Fayetteville, the Mayor and Police Chief have taken a personalized approach in seeking a solution for blighted, low-income neighborhoods and are working to increase the number of city staff on-hand to help address issues like decrepit buildings, as well as decrease the disparity in resources allocated to maintaining these neighborhoods. But many challenges remain, and the line between the government's role versus the private homeowner's responsibility remains difficult to define.

'Big Dry' Lessons: Southwest can learn from Australia's drought

http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/archives/2014/11/16/coping-dry-down-under/73898368

Marty Schladen

El Paso Times

17 November 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

In Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council was formed after a severe drought to bring together federal, state and regional governments and bridge parochial concerns. It was meant to manage the basin as a whole and end overuse and salinization of farm land, leveraging new technologies to adapt to new realities.