Cities are turning to brand consultants to improve their image — does it work?

Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) brings together college students from different faiths so that they develop respect and appreciation for each other and different traditions. IFYC also cultivates interfaith leaders and organizes campus-based campaigns called Better Together. Some students have received push back from their faith communities, but students and faculty have reported the campaigns for interfaith engagement leads to positive outcomes of increasing tolerance on campuses. The organization has trained students who have run campaigns on 106 campuses.

Despite years of change, African Americans feel ostracized from the medical care community that is dominated mainly by white people, especially when it comes to hospices. Some are trying to remove the stigma of hospice care as well as make health care systems more fair.

Overall, Cambodia is a relatively poor country whose residents don't own much. Norwegian hotel owners in the city of Krong Siem Reap urge their Cambodian staff to be more in charge of making their own decisions by making them co-owners of the hotel, an act that forced them to have more confidence and critical thinking skills.

The pressure is on for the federal government to spend tax money more wisely. Evidence-based policy making is gaining in popularity as a way for the government to spend tax money wisely. While not quite as flashy or exciting as past ways, this has a proven track record of positive impact.

Amidst a world struggling with smart ways to confront climate change, Hawaii's 2050 Plan for sustainability is working to be a model for the rest of the world. So far, it is on it's way to being a leader in solar energy, with Honolulu having the most "solar panels per capita than any other North American city," and the state is working to produce more food locally, as well.

Colombia has attempted to decrease murder and homicide rates by setting up curfews for teenagers, forcing bars to close earlier in the evening, and creating gun laws to prevent the carrying of weapons. As a result of this epidemiological, data-driven approach, along with other governmental factors, the homicide rate has decreased significantly in most of the cities in which it was implemented.

Crime is a result of many underlying social issues, but Crime Lab, a research organization with branches in New York and Chicago, is studying which simple solutions will have the most impact in their city. Cost-effective efforts such as tutoring combined with cognitive behavioral therapy have proven to be successful.

As Vermont struggles to create legislation regulating school district management and financial efficiency, the state looks to models in Maine and New Hampshire for guidance. In Maine, school districts have tried to save money and resources through consolidation; in New Hampshire, officials have reworked the way schooling is financed altogether.

Colorado causes a large decline in teen pregnancy and abortions by implementing free, long-term birth control to prevent pregnancy. While demonstrating massive success, its continuity is in the air considering the ongoing fight over health insurance at the federal level.

The California prison system is overwhelmed after adopting tough-on-crime laws with no improvement. New York adopted more tolerant policies and has decreased the state's crime rate and its prison population.