CityLab
15 July 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
France
Some cities are using coronavirus shutdowns as opportunities to start infrastructure projects that support car-free living and encourage walking or biking to jobs, shopping, and city services. Car-free urban development benefits the environment, revitalizes cities by keeping resources local, and has become more appealing because of fears of virus spread. Paris, Milan, Tallinn, Ottawa, and Portland are among the cities using coronavirus-related lockdowns to kickstart bike lane and pedestrian zone projects. As the pandemic has decimated city budgets, it is a challenging time to begin infrastructure projects.
http://www.cgdev.org/blog/7-hopeful-climate-stories-around-globe
Jonah Busch
Center for Global Development
20 April 2015
Text / 800-1500 Words
Evidence continues to build that humans are contributing to a climate change issue that is nothing but bad news for the planet. Hopeful stories from seven countries, including India, Indonesia, and China, show that efforts to combat climate change might finally be working.
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'.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/amazing-new-process-treats-wastewater-captures-carbon-and-producing-renewable-energy
Trent Knoss
Alternet
18 August 2015
Text / Under 800 Words
Cleaning up wastewater can often be a process that harms the environment. But an electrochemical reaction that absorbs more CO2 than it releases while creating renewable energy could transform emission-heavy industries.
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/big-ideas-in-social-change-2014
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
11 December 2014
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A overview of 2014's Fixes columns - connecting the dots between 60 or so ways that people are trying to change the world.
http://ensia.com/features/climate-change-mitigations-best-kept-secret
Jim Motavalli
Ensia
6 January 2015
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The breakdown of the ozone layer is one of the most well-known effects of climate change. Citizens enact different ways to protect the atmosphere from a build up of methane gas.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/in-urban-jungles-green-roofs-bring-relief-from-above
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
23 May 2012
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New York City black tar roofs cause a number of environmental problems, including air pollution, heat absorption that raises energy consumption, and storm water runoff in the sewer system. Efforts to turn these old roofs into green spaces cool the buildings, enable the containment of more rainfall, reduce sewer discharge, generate energy, and absorb carbon emissions. New York City has a pilot program offering financial help for green roofs.
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.
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.
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.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/senior-living-initiatives-ill-take-manhattan-114227#.VYmluvlViko
Debra Bruno
Politico
13 January 2015
Text / Over 3000 Words
Cities tend to be dangerous and difficult places to live for older residents. A private public partnership in New York is catering to seniors through small changes in the city such as para-transit options and seniors-only hours at public establishments.
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