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China's Crazy Plan to Keep Sand From Swallowing the World

Vince Beiser

October 01, 2017 |

Mother Jones |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Mongolia, Duolun

Overfarming, over-grazing, climate change and population growth are all to blame for turning Duolun County in China's Inner Mongolia region into a bigger desert than it was to begin with. With 87 percent of the area turned into desert, sandstorms began to be the norm and would often engulf the neighboring region of Beijing. The Duolun project attempts to stop this by embarking on a tree-planting mission. Not without it's limitations and criticisms, this solution is by no means perfect, but it's somewhat of a start that has seen Duolun reportedly increase to 31 percent forested land.

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Why Tearing Down Dams Could Help Save Endangered Killer Whales

Hanna Brooks Olsen

September 25, 2017 |

News Deeply |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

The population of Orca's is declining and a large portion of pregnancies are ending in miscarriage due to a decline in their food source- Chinook salmon. Taking down Hells Canyon dams, which disrupt the migration patterns of salmon, would help this problem as would decreasing detrimental human activity such as deforestation and boating.

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Wichita Art Project Brings Fresh Look at the River

Josh Cohen

September 25, 2017 |

Next City |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Wichita, Kansas

While the passage of the Arkansas River through downtown Wichita is a natural place for activity, it took attractions to get people to come. The ArkArt project developed art installations along the river beautifying the location and providing a hook to drive pedestrian traffic.

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The Future is Pittsburgh's To Lose

Bruce Katz

September 24, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Pittsburgh

In the future innovation and technology are only going to become more important to a city's status. Pittsburgh is making great strides by cultivating research, technology, and workers.

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Study suggests when mobile markets take wireless food stamps, more people buy healthy food

Michael D. Regan

September 24, 2017 |

PBS NewsHour |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

People living in food deserts have very limited access to healthy food, prompting 'Green Carts' (street vendors with vegetables and fruits) and other mobile markets to pop up. Critically important to the success of these markets is their provision of Electronic Benefits Transfer machines to allow customers to pay with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food stamps.

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In Germany, Blue-Collar Jobs Provide Bulwark to Populism

Jack Ewing

September 21, 2017 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia

With nearly one in five Germans working in manufacturing, the closing of steel mills and coal mines spelled trouble. Instead of despairing, blue-collar cities such as Dortmund leapt into the future. State and local officials in Dortmund expanded the technical university, gave start-up capital to entrepreneurs, and offered newly built office space to young companies. Unemployment is falling fast, and the city seems to have avoided the sense of alienation that has led to a rise in populist sentiment elsewhere.

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Should California look to Massachusetts to fix its housing crisis?

Matt Levin

September 13, 2017 |

CalMatters |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

The California Legislature, inspired by a decades-old Massachusetts affordable housing bill, recently passed SB 35. However, a few differences distinguish the two bills. In Massachusetts, the 40B bill fast-tracks development projects that include 20% affordable units in cities that have below the mandated amount of affordable housing. California’s bill rewards affordable housing projects, but it also rewards projects with above-average income housing. Still, the bill is a big step forward in the fight for more affordable housing at the state level.

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How good government can limit hurricane damage

Gregory Scruggs

September 07, 2017 |

Reuters |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

A look at how improved policies and procedures can help prevent the catastrophic amounts of property damage caused by the increasingly frequent "super storms" like hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Cities like New York and Philadelphia may offer creative development models that coastal cities in the path of future storms can emulate.

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Chicago's Pullman Park Continues to Build, Create Jobs

Oscar Perry Abello

September 06, 2017 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

At the old site of Pullman railroad cars, Chicago has found some creative ways to foster development. A community bank created Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, which uses neighborhood input to decide which projects to pursue. Emphasis is placed on projects with aligned values, such as Method, a B Corporation that manufactures soaps. Projects also aim to hire local and invest in local businesses.

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The Social Wall: How one Berlin school integrated by segregating

Kevin McCorry

August 29, 2017 |

Keystone Crossroads |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin, Berlin

A progressive funding model has been a boon to schools in Berlin’s poorer neighborhoods, which receive a baseline of staff and resources. But schools in poorer neighborhoods face a myriad of struggles that additional resources haven’t been able to quell, due to the deep socioeconomic disparities between the home neighborhoods of wealthy and poor students. However, one elementary school seems to have succeeded in desegregating students by offering a choice of academic tracks.

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