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Going ‘Deep Green,' Office Buildings Give Back to the Planet

Jane Margolies

July 14, 2020 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

More and more commercial real estate projects are popping up around the United States that are focused on “deep green” building. This movement suggests that it’s not enough to just make a building out of renewable materials, but they can also be self-sustaining. For example, the Watershed, an office building in Seattle, has a slanted roof that collects rainwater that is then used in toilets. These types of projects can be more complicated and expensive to build, but developers can save money in the long run with the improvements.

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Why Singapore Has One of the Highest Home Ownership Rates

Adam Majendie

July 08, 2020 |

Bloomberg |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Singapore

Affordable housing in Singapore has resulted in one of the highest rates of home ownership in the world. In 1964 the government embraced a "Home Ownership for the People Scheme" in which it gave lower and middle-income citizens access to affordable home ownership. Subsidized apartments were sold at low prices and were not to be sold for at least five years after which the real estate value had risen significantly. Apartments sold in 2009, for example, gained almost half a million dollars in value by 2020. New subsidized apartments are under construction and 16,000 have already been sold in the past year.

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Mosaic Development Partners works to bring people of color into the real estate market

Jessica Blatt Press

July 08, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mosaic Development Partners (MDP) seeks to create wealth for the black community in Philadelphia by providing affordable housing and creating opportunities in neighborhoods that are considered risky investments for typical real estate companies. The black-owned company has created housing as well as retail opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses who historically have a harder time accessing capital and loans. The company is mission-driven but operates on a for-profit model, finding economic solutions for systemic problems that have kept black communities from creating generational wealth.

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How a Waco nonprofit built a community grocery store in a food desert

Ciara McCarthy

June 27, 2020 |

The Victoria Advocate |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Waco, Texas

Jubilee provides an oasis in a desert - a food desert that is. The community grocery store provides the only fresh food for miles around at competitive prices and makes an effort to cater to the local clientele, stocking items that have been requested and offering locals a discount. The much-needed grocer is the work of a local nonprofit, Mission Waco, which worked with the community to assess its need before raising funds from corporations and celebrities. The success of Jubilee serves as an example to food deserts across the state who have looked to it for a blueprint to serve their own communities.

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Design Hacks Will Dominate the Coronavirus Recovery Landscape

Amanda Hurley

June 23, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Covid-19 created space for everyday citizens, who are not trained architects, designers, or urban planners, to alter how public spaces are used. Known as tactical urbanism, everyday people are using inexpensive and creative ways to change behaviors and stop the spread of the virus. Examples include homemade signs and makeshift barriers to maintain distance. At a protest in Israel participants maintained social distancing by staying on spray-painted Xs two meters apart. Some homemade design hacks do not inspire confidence, but others may become a part of the long-term landscape of changes caused by the virus.

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In Seattle, Protests Over Racial Equity Turn to Land Ownership

Gregory Scruggs

June 23, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Over 1000 community members gathered to demand officials keep a 2016 promise to give a vacant publicly-owned fire station to the Africatown Community Land Trust. The station is in a historically Black and quickly gentrifying neighborhood and the trust wants to turn it into a resource center to develop the next generation of Black entrepreneurs. As citywide protests for racial equality spread, the city abruptly agreed to turn it over. The group also wants more unused properties turned over to Black community ownership and for the city to develop an anti-gentrification land acquisition fund.

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The long road to a zero-carbon country

Jocelyn Timperley

June 01, 2020 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica, San José

The capital city of San José in Costa Rica is taking steps to become greener and less dependent on cars. By focusing on public transportation initiatives like city bikes and bike lanes, a green esplanade, and an electric passenger train, the city is hoping to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and help the country reach net zero-carbon by 2050. While the cost of these projects can be pricey, many residents are strong advocates for making the city more sustainable.

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'Cool pavement' experiments help urban planners find ways to ease rising temperatures

Erin Stone

May 15, 2020 |

AZ Central (The Arizona Republic) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

To combat the effects of rising temperatures due to climate change, Los Angeles piloted an experiment called “cool pavements,” where they coat streets with a light-colored sealant to reflect heat. Researchers are studying how effective this method is at reducing the urban heat island effect. Using a mobile sensor station, they found mixed results: While the surface temperature of the road was cooler, a person could feel warmer on the reflective roads. Figuring out how to balance different heat-mitigating strategies could be helpful as cities like Phoenix figure out how to implement cooling infrastructure.

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The best trees to reduce air pollution

Vittoria Traverso

May 04, 2020 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Oakville, Ontario

New technology is helping urban planners and developers better identify which trees could help cities reduce air pollution. In Ontario, the city of Oakville adopted a new software that resulted in planners halting the planting of one type of tree after learning it had little benefit on the air quality, while another digital tool designed in London is helping citizens determine which plants help remove particulate matter.

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How do you build a city for a pandemic?

Harriet Constable

April 26, 2020 |

BBC |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Major populated cities such as New York and London were once regarded as "death traps," but a series of deadly outbreaks led to structural changes that worked to improve the public health outcomes for those living there. From sewer systems to therapeutic gardens, the health of those living in cities has improved in a variety of ways, however, that has not stopped densely populated areas from turning into hotspots for coronavirus. To address this, local governments are experimenting with even more structural changes such as turning city streets into walking and biking paths.

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