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From video game to day job: How ‘SimCity' inspired a generation of city planners

Jessica Roy

March 05, 2019 |

Los Angeles Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

SimCity, a popular simulation game created in 1989, inspired a generation of future city planners with its ability to make urban design accessible and fun, While the simulations have their inconsistencies with real life urban planning, designers and architects around the country based their foundational understanding of city planning in these simulation games and look to simulation as tools for future planning.

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This new neighborhood in Amsterdam is made of floating houses

Adele Peters

March 04, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Amsterdam

A community in North Amsterdam tackles the issue of rising water levels head on by building homes that can float. The houses are built to include solar energy grids using blockchain so neighbors can share electricity, and the structures rise and fall with the ebbs and flows of flooding.

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To Build a Better Bus Lane, Just Paint It

Laura Bliss

March 01, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Rather than go through extensive urban planning processes to improve bus commute times, cities across the United States are simply relying on paint and human behavior to create dedicated bus lanes. Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and others have piloted these bus lanes by setting up cones or painting a bus-only corridor in traffic-heavy areas of the city, cutting down interactions between buses and other vehicles in order to make commuting more efficient.

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Preparing Main Street for the So-Called ‘Retail Apocalypse'

Larisa Ortiz

March 01, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Corning, New York

A planning expert dives into responses from cities around the country to the infrastructural red tape faced by many brick-and-mortar retail businesses in the wake of an ecommerce boom. In Corning, NY, city officials created mid-block crosswalks to make navigating retail spaces downtown safer; in Memphis, local government passed a law that allows for light manufacturing in downtown areas to make owning "mom-and-pop" shops more affordable & convenient.

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New York Has a Public Housing Problem. Does London Have an Answer?

Michael Kimmelman

March 01, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London, England

It takes political will to create mixed-income housing and manage the social impacts of gentrification. In contrast to New York, the London borough of Hackney has taken steps to fix its housing crisis by putting the interests of residents ahead of the interests of developers. Several housing developments slated for development in the East London neighborhood now blend subsidized and market-rate units.

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What if the future of housing means accepting that a home isn't permanent?

Rosie Spinks

February 27, 2019 |

Quartz |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

Modified shipping containers can offer a solution for housing shortages. In London, QED Properties and ISO Spaces partnered together to create The Hope Gardens, a temporary housing arrangement for Londoners facing homelessness. The units provide space for those awaiting permanent housing. The modular homes are easily constructed and help to keep people off of the streets.

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A Card Game Designed to Help Urban Communities Plan for the Future

Jennifer Hattam

February 26, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Turkey, Istanbul

A card game called Imaginable Guidelines offers a medium of shared vocabulary and collaboration that allows community members to easily talk about city planning. Played in cities around Turkey, Imaginable Guidelines acts as a bridge between city officials and community members, both of whom want to see a more functional and accessible use of space.

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Development is booming in Milwaukee Junction, but you might not have noticed it

Patrick Dunn

February 19, 2019 |

Model D |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Milwaukee Junction, a neighborhood in Detroit, focuses on urban renewal and business promotion as it seeks to become the next "up-and-coming" area in the city. Developers seek out abandoned lots and old auto manufacturing facilities to build space for retailers, restaurants and entertainment centers that bring tourists into the area.

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The orchid whisperers: Rare blooms find an urban perch

Eva Botkin-Kowacki

February 14, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Coral Gables, Florida

The Million Orchid Project has been reintroducing native, endangered plants into urban areas. From planting in school yards, to city parks, to the sides of busy roads, the initiative aims to preserve biodiversity by changing the assumption that nature has to be something separate from human society. While the project is still in early phases, it has shown indicators for progress, like the reappearance of wildlife species thought to have been extinct.

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Adding density: Project tests if city changes have made backyard apartments more attainable

Abby Lynes

January 27, 2019 |

Bozeman Daily Chronicle |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Bozeman, Montana

Community members in Bozeman work with students at Montana State University and city officials to test the sustainability and practicality of backyard apartments, or ADUs. Though high costs and historic value could be obstacles for home-owners, these studio and one-bedroom apartments offer a space-saving solution to Bozeman's housing shortage.

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