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Facing unbearable heat, Qatar has begun to air-condition the outdoors

Steven Mufson

October 16, 2019 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Qatar, Doha

In Qatar, where temperatures have reached unbearably high degrees, an engineering professor at Qatar University has designed a way to provide air conditioning to the outdoors. Although the method is arguably not a solution for climate change and could actually have negative impacts, it is successfully allowing people in the country to be able to leave the their homes, which in turn benefits the economy of the country.

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Building for Real With Digital Blocks

Tina Rosenberg

October 15, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden

To get input on city design plans from citizens without any technical knowledge, some city planners are turning to Minecraft, an easy-to-use computer game that allows users to build in a three dimensional environment. Useful for planning public spaces (rather than designing a building), Minecraft has been adopted by UN Habitat to plan everything from soccer fields in Nairobi to a riverbank in Kosovo.

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Urban living makes us miserable. This city is trying to change that

Fleur MacDonald

October 15, 2019 |

Mosaic Science |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Scotland, Glasgow

Glasgow continues to learn from its systemic failure in urban planning during and after the industrial revolution by redesigning its living spaces to be separated from industrial areas, and by including nature and green space in the city scape. One initiative, called the Children's Wood, brings youth to a designated green space and teaches gardening as well as peer support and community engagement, fostering a sense of connectivity in the younger generation.

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This Conservative City Built a $132 Million Park Using One Weird Trick

Zach Mortice

October 11, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

After falling behind in urban planning and innovation in the 1990s and early 2000s, Oklahoma City created a limited-time sales tax called MAPS to pay for capital projects, like the new Scissortail Park. The tax consisted of a series of one-cent sales taxes and has brought in over $1.5 billion and has helped fund convention centers, other urban green areas, and more.

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Spain's Happy Little Carless City

Will Doig

October 11, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Spain, Pontevedra

In Pontevedra, Spain, the city has taken incremental action to reduce cars and congestion in the city center. As the city is small and walkable on foot, walking has become the foremost transportation option, not through extreme regulatory hurdles, but by engaging business owners, providing short-term parking and even free parking on the edge of town, and making sure pedestrians feel front and center. Through slight design changes, local government and citizens alike have been able to reimagine what a walkable city looks like, then put it into effect with great success.

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Kendall businesses to try a different kind of experiment — fixing traffic

Jon Chesto

October 09, 2019 |

The Boston Globe |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts

In 2016, MIT’s Transit Lab made huge changes in the transportation benefits it provided, including subsidizing public transportation for close to 11,000 employees and increasing the costs of employee parking. As smaller business in Cambridge’s Kendall Square come together to address the city’s transportation issues, it looks to MIT as a source of inspiration and hopes its collective approach can be used across the country.

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Fill, Build and Flood: Dangerous Development in Flood-Prone Areas

Laurie Mazur

October 08, 2019 |

U.S. News & World Report |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

To combat excessive flooding in low-plain areas, cities like Charlotte are passing critical legislation that regulates fill-and-build development, a type of construction that leads to more intense flooding in vulnerable neighborhoods. Charlotte bases flood control plans off future conditions rather than current or past flooding areas, and the city charges a fee for homeowners that, in turn, provides dedicated funding for stormwater management

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Erie Hit ‘Rock Bottom.' The Former Factory Hub Thinks It Has a Way Out.

Ruth Simon Kris Maher

October 07, 2019 |

Wall Street Journal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie, Pennsylvania, uses creative financial incentives for companies and businesses that invest capital gains in low-income areas of the city in order to pull itself out of economic hardship caused by the decrease in industrial jobs. The city looked to Cincinnati as an example of a city that turned around a failing neighborhood through collective action, sustainable funding practices and investment in nonprofit organizations that support development efforts.

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Street by Street, Amsterdam Is Cutting Cars Out of the Picture

Feargus O'Sullivan

October 07, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Amsterdam

In order to cut back on automotive emissions and traffic within the city center, Amsterdam has introduced road-dividing "cuts" - called "knips" in Dutch - along major roadways to make travel in the city center easier for pedestrians and public transportation users. These cuts consist of barriers set to close off short sections of a street, therefore disabling through-travel to cars. The city notes that a "knip" effectively cuts automotive traffic on a blocked-off road by 70 percent.

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What Does This Street In Zürich Mean?

Norman Garrick

September 30, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Switzerland, Zurich

In Zurich, Switzerland, urban planners designed streets that put pedestrians and streetcar riders first as an effort to cut back on car usage and promote sustainable transportation. While cars are limited to one lane and often wait in lines to get through the city, the tram carries nearly seven as many passengers as cars in a given hour, making the layout sustainable and efficient for urban travel.

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