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The Crime Machine, Part II

PJ Vogt

October 12, 2018 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

CompStat seemed like a miracle of technology and data when it was rolled out in New York City in the 1990s. Crime dropped as police leadership demanded precincts report every crime and what they were doing about it at weekly meetings where they were pressured to conform to this new system. But this also resulted in police distorting actual crime data to avoid reporting crimes in their districts and the push for increased police activity resulted in cops targeting minorities for minor offenses.

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What Democratic Design Looks Like

Barbara Brown Wilson

October 12, 2018 |

CoLab Radio |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In the Denby neighborhood of Detroit, the “Detroit Future City” framework led to a community-driven project to improve safety and schools. First, community organizers created the Denby Neighborhood Alliance. They next improved the high school curriculum, transformed a playground, and highlighted safer walking routes for children. “The power of the Denby project lies in the fact that it was rooted in, and driven by, neighborhood residents—not outside ‘saviors.’”

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As Milwaukee embraces bikes and pedestrians with 'Complete Streets,' commercial development gets boost

Tom Daykin

October 12, 2018 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is poised to pass a complete streets policy that would advance current efforts to make the city more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. But even without this policy in place, projects to widen sidewalk and improve bike infrastructure are paying off with more business openings and plans by developers who chose the city because of those efforts. The city council is supporting complete streets but it will need cooperation from state highway officials for some of those thoroughfares.

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The Crime Machine, Part I

PJ Vogt

October 11, 2018 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The creation of CompStat fostered a huge drop in crime rates in New York City by the 1990s. The idea came from an odd and obsessive transit cop was to track every single crime daily in every precinct and use that data to systematically go after everything from murders to low-level crimes once ignored by police. It was a drastic shift in the way NYPD worked and was credited with making the city far safer, but was also flawed.

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Why Public Transportation Works Better Outside the U.S.

Jonathan English

October 10, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

American cities can find solutions to low transit use by looking to other cities in Europe and Canada where the focus is on robust service and getting people to major transit hubs. These transportation systems use existing infrastructure and space with strategy so that transit is efficient and affordable. This in turn means more people are likely to use it because service is better.

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How One Inuit Community Won Against Big Oil

Melody Schreiber

October 09, 2018 |

The New Republic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Northwest Territories

Faced with the existential threat posed by an oil company in their community, the Gwich’in nation banded together with a former rival, Greenpeace, to take the company to court. By highlighting the failure of the company to consult the community and think through the effects of oil exploration on "lives and livelihoods," the Canadian Supreme Court forced the company to look for oil elsewhere.

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More Women Are Behind Bars Now. One Prison Wants to Change That.

Maurice Chammah

October 09, 2018 |

The Marshall Project |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Niantic, Connecticut

Connecticut's WORTH program (Women Overcoming Recidivism Through Hard Work) has changed the tone of one prison where it's being tested, by giving incarcerated women the ability to craft self-help programs while treating them with an approach in short supply in American prisons: dignity. While the ultimate goal of the program is to reduce returns to prison, and the state's overall female incarceration rate, the more immediate effect of the new program is anecdotal: Prison officials and incarcerated women alike see people gaining a sense of control over their lives and planning for a healthy future.

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West Virginia's Small-Town Revival

Zach Montague

October 09, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, West Virginia

Small towns in West Virginia are a natural oasis for adventure lovers from urban and rural areas alike; towns like Davis and Fayetteville are succesfully capitalizing on their natural resources to increase tourism and contribute to their economic development.

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Durango, Bayfield Schools Start New Program to Prevent Suicide

Mary Shinn

October 05, 2018 |

Durango Herald |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durango, Colorado

To address the wellbeing of students, schools must foster healthy relationships and trust. Schools in Durango, Colorado, have implemented Sources of Strength, a national program aimed at reducing the risk of suicide, bullying, substance abuse, and other issues in schools. The program works to create a positive school culture through youth mentorship training that emphasizes a student’s strengths, positivity, and builds connections to trusted adults.

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The Dutch Reach: A No-Tech Way to Save Bicyclists' Lives

Tanya Mohn

October 05, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts

A retired doctor in Massachusetts created a project to push for more places to adopt the robust culture of cycling and motorist safety from the Netherlands by training everyone in the “Dutch Reach.” Two states have it in their driver's manuals and the move greatly reduces the chance of cyclist injury by car doors because the driver uses his/her far hand to reach across the body to open the door. It forces drivers to look in the side view mirror and over their shoulders to check for cyclists.

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