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The town that refused to let austerity kill its buses

Aditya Chakrabortty

June 06, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Oxfordshire

When subsidies for local buses were cut, bus services stopped in West Oxfordshire. Rather than give in and allow retirees and children to be stuck in their homes, forward-thinking citizens stepped up and created a co-operative to run their own bus system, West Oxfordshire Community Transport. Through volunteer efforts and dedicated workers, the system is thriving and the model has spread across the UK.

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How Denmark lost its MindLab: the inside story

Jennifer Guay

June 05, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Denmark

Denmark’s MindLab pushed experimentation and innovation in government for more than 16 years, inspiring imitators around the world. Now shut down, the innovation lab fell victim to a swift shift in political priorities, say former directors. Digital transformation of the civil service is now the focus.

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Leave No Worker Behind

Samantha Harvey

June 01, 2018 |

Earth Island |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Mississippi

A decades-old principle called “just transition” has made international headway in the fight against climate change and toward equity and sustainability. Fundamental to the principle is transitioning from a capitalist system to a localized one that prioritizes cultural inclusion, local economies, decarbonization and environmental justice, and food sovereignty. But as this idea reaches prominence on the global stage, those that have been involved for years worry that its core meanings, morals, and actions will be co-opted.

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Australia confiscated 650,000 guns. Murders and suicides plummeted.

Zack Beauchamp

May 18, 2018 |

Vox |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia

After passing the National Firearms Agreement in 1996, Australia saw a striking decline in suicide and homicide raters. The agreement – a result of a mass shooting – included a ban on certain kinds of guns, a mandatory buyback on those guns that had been deemed illegal, as well as amnesty for those who illegally possessed firearms to turn them in. In the years leading up to the agreement, the country witnessed 13 mass shootings; since then, Australia has seen only one.

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How Southern organizers are leading the movement to end money bail

Gabrielle Hernandez

May 17, 2018 |

Scalawag |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

The organization Southerners on New Ground is helping reform the criminal justice system in the south. Activists won a small victory in Atlanta, where the mayor and city council approved a resolution that replaced cash bonds with signature bonds for misdemeanor offenses. They also raised money to help people pay their cash bails as part of a larger event called the National Bail Out collective, which bailed out 147 Black women in 26 cities this year.

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A Tiny House To Help With Boston's Big Housing Costs

Anthony Flint

May 11, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

In Boston, one solution to homelessness could be as simple as the new Plugin House, a prototype of a tiny house that is affordable and easy to assemble. As cities across the country struggle to provide enough affordable housing, Boston is taking a step forward with a pilot program to test the concept of small affordable housing units.

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New Zealand explores machine-readable laws to transform government

Anoush Darabi

May 11, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: New Zealand, Wellington

Legislation is currently written in such a way that it often takes a lawyer to interpret how policies are supposed to work. What if laws were written to be machine-readable instead? A team in New Zealand rewrote two laws as software code in a pilot program that showed how this style of writing could prove invaluable for increasing transparency and accountability across government.

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The Importance of Beauty in Affordable Housing

Emily Nonko

May 09, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Changes in zoning laws as well as the promotion of guiding principles and successful case studies has led to well designed, environmentally efficient, and beautiful supportive housing. Well-designed housing has lessened stigmas and provided residents with a sense of dignity about where they live.

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Cities are crowdfunding more. But is it fair to ask the people to pay?

Anoush Darabi

May 08, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Brighton and Hove

Governments in the United Kingdom, the United States, and elsewhere use crowdfunded donations to restore historic areas and fund new developments. The approach can build democratic participation and community cohesion while plugging budgetary holes from falling tax revenue.

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How Cape Town was saved from running out of water

Krista Mahr

May 04, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa, Cape Town

In late 2017, Cape Town announced “day zero,” the projected date when water supplies would be so low that the city would turn off the taps. It was a bold move and people listened. Water use fell.

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