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The Trouble with Tourists

Douglas Fraser Manuela Saragosa

August 22, 2018 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Netherlands, Amsterdam

With tourism on the rise, city governments should prioritize the needs of residents first then those of visitors, says Xavier Font, professor of sustainability marketing at the University of Surrey. Two strategies to prevent overcrowding are to push visitors to travel outside of big cities and to encourage them to stay longer.

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Cities Sic the Taxman on Vacant ‘Ghost Homes'

Liz Enochs

August 20, 2018 |

San Francisco Public Press |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver

Vancouver is one city that has shown benefits of a tax on “ghost homes,” or units that sit empty for a certain period of time. The idea is to encourage development and ensure there is ample housing stock for newcomers to the city. San Francisco is considering implementing this system, but it is still in the very early stages of such a shift. However, in Vancouver, the tax has generated millions in taxes which will fund housing initiatives, while decreasing the vacancy rate significantly.

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U.S. Cities Issue IDs to Protect Undocumented Immigrants

Liz Brazile

August 20, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Poughkeepsie, New York

Over 20 U.S. cities have passed municipal I.D. laws, which provide a form of identification to undocumented immigrants. “Municipal IDs are one of the most effective measures that cities can implement to protect and empower undocumented people.” Poughkeepsie, New York, is the latest city to pass such a law, and several others are in the process of doing so.

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A Huge Win for Keeping Water Systems under Public Control

Dharna Noor

August 17, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Voting to approve the prohibition of privatizing the city water system was just the most recent success in Baltimore's history of keeping the water system under public ownership. Through efforts pioneered by the city's various communities coming together, the city itself has turned into a model for others to learn from.

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How governments can open up trillions for women — without spending more

Alia Shahzad

August 17, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Chile

Chile supports women-owned enterprises by including gender criteria in all government purchasing. The country also offers mentorship and management training opportunities, which has led to the creation of a networking organization. The policy ideas are spreading in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

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Can the Great Lakes continue to fend off an increasingly thirsty world?

Ron Seely

August 16, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Muskegon, Michigan

The Great Lakes contain 84 percent of the surface freshwater in North America—a staggering 21 percent of the surface freshwater worldwide. To manage the resource sustainably, all eight lake-bordering states, Congress, and Canadian provinces created the Great Lakes Compact in 2008, which has regulated and curbed water use. An evaluation of the agreement ten years later shows promising yet mixed results. And critically, it asks whether strong policies can withstand a future of growing water scarcity.

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Climate Change, the Rio Grande and Border Water

Naveena Sadasivam Zoë Schlanger Daniel Wolfe

August 16, 2018 |

Texas Observer |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, El Paso, Texas

The Rio Grande River, which provides water to 6 million people and irrigates 2 million acres of farmland, is one of many transnational sources of water imperiled by climate change. Indeed, many states and countries that share water are drawn into conflict over dwindling resources. One relationship between officials in Mexico and the U.S. offers some hope that (with the right coaching) countries can cooperate, even in the face of greater political problems.

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Saving Lives With Tech Amid Syria's Endless Civil War

Danny Gold

August 16, 2018 |

Wired |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Syria

For people living in Syria, minutes can save people from dying due to bomb strikes. So three men got together and created Hala, and launched a warning system that uses data from aircraft to predict where and when warplanes will strike, then notifies nearby people. Now, the Hala team has 60,000 followers on Facebook, and 16,400 Telegram channel subscribers. “Without the Sentry warning, my family and I would probably be dead.”

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State-sponsored friendship: the city using flatshares for refugee integration

Fergus Peace

August 16, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Belgium, Antwerp

CURANT is a co-housing program launched by the city of Antwerp in Belgium, meant to support unaccompanied children who become legal adults. Participants are offered subsidized housing and are co-housed with a buddy, who is a Belgian resident.

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The man who is fervent about feeding hungry kids, but hates food banks

Aditya Chakrabortty

August 15, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: England, Liverpool, Merseyside

A social enterprise in England is tackling the issue of so-called holiday hunger for children who go days without full meals during breaks from school. Named Can Cook, this organization makes over 37,000 meals around the county of Merseyside alone for the 13 weeks a year that school is out. Can Cook is also part of a broader movement to make food banks— a once ad-hoc solution that is now industrialized — obsolete.

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