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Teens With Criminal Records Are Beautifying Baltimore By Planting Flowers

Emily Weitz

October 12, 2017 |

Vice |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

'Tha Flower Factory' is setting out to help provide employment, mentor kids, and restore hopefulness and beauty to the city of Baltimore. This project employs individuals to plant flowers and seeds, helping bring down criminal records and change the landscape at the same time.

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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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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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How Ljubljana turned itself into Europe's ‘green capital'

Simone D'Antonio

August 23, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Slovenia, Ljubljana

Ljubljana was once a highly crowded city but since the election of its mayor, the city has become far more green due to a clear strategic plan and efficient mayoral office. The largest impact change was making the downtown core largely car free, other changes such as reducing waste and creating urban gardens have also had an impact.

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What Montgomery can learn from Chattanooga's startup success

Andrew Yawn

July 28, 2017 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga's solution to revitalize the city through private-public collaborations could help Montgomery and similar cities do the same. Chattanooga is able to reinvent itself and attract startups and entrepreneurs willing to work together for a common goal, rather than competing.

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This Kansas City neighborhood wrote the blueprint for transforming a community

Nikhil Swaminathan

July 25, 2017 |

Grist |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

The Kansas City neighborhood of Ivanhoe was once plagued by blight, illegal dumping, drug trade, gun violence, and neglect; neighbors lived in fear or moved away. Inspired by one compassionate and proactive family, the Youngs, the community stepped up, partnering with the local university and a charitable foundation to map out a tangible blueprint for sustainable change. They are working with police and the city council to tackle the blight and revive their neighborhood through affordable housing, park space, and a renewed sense of community.

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How Tampa Turned a Dead Zone Into a Downtown

Richard Danielson

June 15, 2017 |

Politico |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tampa, Florida

Tampa's downtown used to be an industrial wasteland. After six mayors, 40 years, and half a billion dollars of investment later, the city's downtown is thriving. That's just the tip of the iceberg, as Strategic Property Partners is investing $3 billion in development in the next ten years for hotels, offices, and apartments. The University of South Florida is also working with developers as an anchor institution to support more growth.

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City Is Unequal for Bike Users

Bruce Murphy

June 11, 2017 |

Urban Milwaukee |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

A report by the Rails to Trails Conservancy in Milwaukee has identified how increased access to bike paths could be a catalyst for development and economic growth in low-income, minority neighborhoods where people are less likely to be able to afford a car. Ironically, it is those neighborhoods that currently have the fewest bike trails. To call attention to this, the study created a "connectivity score" outlying the massive potential that bike trails create to key community entities such as schools, hospitals, and employment centers, while better connecting diverse neighborhoods and improving overall quality of life for the city as a whole, as they have done in Minneapolis.

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Columbus, Ga., used as model in downtown Prattville's renaissance

Marty Roney

June 08, 2017 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Prattville, Alabama

Prattville, Alabama's city-run Historic Redevelopment Authority has emulated the downtown revitalization project successfully implemented by Columbus, Georgia in an effort to reverse the community's issues of vacant industrial sites and a visually blighted downtown region. Through a collaboration with area entrepreneurs, a private real estate company, the Chamber of Commerce, and other departments and members of the local government, the HPRA is transforming the small city. Several local business prepare to open, the old cotton gin mill will open new apartments, and recent community events demonstrate an increasing public interest in a revitalized downtown Prattville.

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How 3 Cities Are Using an App Designed to Help Them Collaborate

Johnny Magdaleno

May 22, 2017 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Cities are often alone in trying to develop solutions to their problems. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago developed an app— "The Peer Cities Identification Tool"— that matches similar U.S. cities and encourages discussion about challenges and successes.

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