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Oklahoma schools district offers insight as EPISD, YISD consider shutting schools

Lindsey Anderson

March 21, 2015 |

El Paso Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa Public Schools drew on expertise across many sectors and extensive neighborhood input to address the issue of thousands of empty seats in local schools. Through a community-focused process, they were able to mindfully close under-utilized schools and better maximize the community's resources for students.

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When Life Gives You Saltwater, Make Shrimp Ponds

Eve Troeh

February 03, 2015 |

New Orleans Public Radio (WWNO) |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Vietnam, Lang Tram

When the Vietnamese government built a gate in the 1990s to block saltwater from entering a key canal, they hoped it would lead to flourishing, year-round rice crops. Without community buy-in and engagement, the government didn’t have a clear understanding of the needs of local residents. By the time the gate was built, farmers had turned their fields into saltwater ponds to farm shrimp, demonstrating the need for ground-up solutions and deep community listening.

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Istanbul is slowly but surely getting on its bike

Jennifer Hattam

January 04, 2015 |

The National |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Turkey, Istanbul

Istanbul is often congested with traffic, especially as the population grows and more people buy cars but the lack of bicycle infrastructure has prevented biking from being an alternative transportation. This is changing now that biking is being encouraged through social media, the Cyclists' Transport Platform organizing group bike rides, the creation of bike lanes and other initiatives.

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Tanzania's ambitious water project undercut by dueling economics

Tom Murphy Jacob Kushner

November 26, 2014 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Tanzania

A water program funded by the World Bank has run into some obstacles as it tries to bring clean water to rural villages in Tanzania. The use of private contractors for projects and allowing communities to decide what water system they should build has led to delays in bringing access to water for residents.

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How a $1.42 billion project failed to bring water to this Tanzanian village

Tom Murphy Jacob Kushner

November 25, 2014 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Tanzania

Years after a World Bank pilot program built a system to bring clean water to villages in Tanzania, these communities are finding it difficult to fix and operate these projects. While some villages were able to raise funds to maintain these costly water systems, not every community has been able to repair them.

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'Big Dry' Lessons: Southwest can learn from Australia's drought

Marty Schladen

November 17, 2014 |

El Paso Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia, Kilmore, Victoria

In Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council was formed after a severe drought to bring together federal, state and regional governments and bridge parochial concerns. It was meant to manage the basin as a whole and end overuse and salinization of farm land, leveraging new technologies to adapt to new realities.

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In India, Latrines Are Truly Lifesavers

Vivekananda Nemana Ankita Rao

November 13, 2014 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Odisha

In India, 620 million people openly defecate outdoors, causing harm to hygiene, sanitation, food, and water resources. The president of India funded an initiative to build public toilets for the people in his country, but the people did not use them because of traditions and behaviors. The Total Sanitation Campaign is starting to change villagers’ minds by having local leadership persuade those who resist the toilets by holding community activities and creating special committees to maintain the sanitation.

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Everyone Wants to Copy This Pedestrian Bridge (It's Not the High Line)

Gregory Scruggs

October 09, 2014 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Poughkeepsie, New York

City officials and nonprofit organizations in Poughkeepsie used extensive research and sustainable financing to revitalize an outdated railroad bridge into a bustling park & walkway. Rather than demolish the suspended tracks, a local organization used city funds to develop a financial and development strategy, which ended up costing the city five times less than the famed New York City High Line.

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How Did the Meadow Vole Cross the Road? Designing travel routes for wildlife

Benjamin Goldfarb

October 09, 2014 |

re:form |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Missoula, Montana

As a state with robust populations of wildlife, Montana has had its share of roadkill. Its Department of Transportation developed animal shelving, a type of wildlife crossing, to enable safe passage for small animals who need to cross the road. The measure, combined with other types of crossings, has reduced animal-vehicle collisions by half.

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Is the co-op the future of housing affordability?

Susanne Schindler

October 01, 2014 |

Places Journal |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

There is an escalating housing affordability crisis in America, where even the middle and creative classes are having difficulty finding somewhere they can afford to live. A possible solution could be cooperative housing as explained through several examples around the world where this method has been used.

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