A low-income Brooklyn high school where 100 percent of black male students graduate

http://hechingerreport.org/a-low-income-brooklyn-high-school-where-100-percent-of-black-male-students-graduate

Meredith Kolodner

The Hechinger Report

14 July 2015

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The overall graduation rate for black male students in New York City was 58 percent in 2014 - student retention rates are equally poor. But one school achieved a 100% on-time graduation rate last year, motivating their students with a student-founded, student-sustained 'fraternity'.

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

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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.

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.

How One Weekend in Dallas Sparked a Movement for Urban Change

http://nextcity.org/features/view/how-one-weekend-in-dallas-sparked-a-movement-for-urban-change

Mike Lydon

Next City

20 April 2015

Text / Under 800 Words

A Dallas urban neighborhood was dilapidated with abandoned storefronts and offered no vitality for pedestrians. A group of artists and community members created Build a Better Block, in which local artisans and small businesses took over a vacant block and transformed it for a limited time to encourage the ingredients for more permanent urban renewal.

How Seattle Made Dark Alleys Safer—By Throwing Parties In Them

http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/how-seattle-made-dark-alleys-safer-by-throwing-parties-20150826

Araz Hachadourian

Yes! Magazine

26 August 2015

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Alleys in Seattle were once places of illicit, illegal, and unsanitary activity. The International Sustainability Institute in Seattle began organizing music and art events to bring in people, which, in turn, cleaned-up the crime and garbage. As an urban development strategy, adjacent vacant storefronts re-opened for business and beautification could be seen in new gardens.

How to Build a Better Neighborhood

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/how-to-build-a-better-neighborhood

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

18 June 2014

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The Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas suffered from recession-closed businesses and crime. Then community members used placemaking, in which people shaped their own environment to improve the quality of life, and the concept of Build a Better Block, which was a pop-up event showcasing art, food, music, and local faire. The idea gives citizens a fresh look at the possibilities through which to transform the space in which they live, and it has attracted attention across the country and around the world.

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.