Winter 2015
Table of Contents
The Cities Issue
In Depth
Explore SectionFrom the Editors
Urban Comeback: How Cities Are Leading Us Into the Future
At a time when nations are gridlocked and corrupted by special interests, cities are taking on poverty, social isolation, and the climate crisis.
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Want to See How Governments Are Making Real Progress? Look to the Cities Tackling Our Biggest Problems
New energy is transforming our cities into hotbeds of democracy and progressive innovation.
Sarah van Gelder
10 Climate Conscious Cities鈥擡lectric Cars, Rooftop Farms, and Other Ways They鈥檙e Preparing for the Future
There鈥檚 no time to waste when it comes to acting on climate change. The world鈥檚 most forward-thinking cities are curbing carbon and building for a sustainable future, now.
Natasha Donovan
LA Imports Nearly 85 Percent of Its Water鈥擟an It Change That by Gathering Rain?
The urban drainage-ways of Los Angeles can never quite look like wild creeks, but restoring some of their capacity to store, slow, and filter water fixes many problems at once.
Madeline Ostrander
When the City Turned Off Their Water, Detroit Residents and Groups Delivered Help
Grassroots action has backed down the city鈥檚 aggressive water shutoffs.
Larry Gabriel
How One Boston Neighborhood Stopped Gentrification in Its Tracks
Community land trusts create housing that is permanently affordable. And they also help new city farmers get land.
Penn Loh
How Gondolas and Hip Hop Transformed the Most Dangerous City in the World
Medell铆n went from being ground zero of Colombia's drug war to UN poster child for urban equality鈥攁nd the people made it happen, by designing the city they wanted.
Sven Eberlein
Can You Imagine a City Where Trees and Swing Sets Matter More Than Cars?
As we reimagine our future cities, we can make room for nature and humanity.
Jason F. McLennan
In 10 Years, No One In Helsinki Will Even Want to Own a Car: 3 Simple Ideas That Are Making Cities Sustainable
An app that combines the affordability of ride sharing with the reliability of taxis. Playgrounds built as sponges for reusable greywater. From Finland to California, the cities of the future are here.
Shannan Lenke Stoll
How to Hack City Money: Let 16 Year Olds Vote on Budgets, Get Banks to Invest Locally
In California and Ohio, two city governments are entrusting their citizens with budgeting and rewarding banks for valuing local communities.
Shannan Lenke Stoll
Three Ideas for Inclusive Cities: How Raleigh, Seattle, and Others Are Bringing Everyone Into the Fold
From city-issued ID cards to open-source data anyone can access, simple urban innovations are creating more transparent and equitable cities.
Shannan Lenke Stoll
Solutions We Love
Explore Section
鈥淭hey鈥檙e driven by love. And they鈥檙e fierce.鈥� Naomi Klein on the Climate Heroes Who Inspire Her
From Native activists to urban youth, new leadership finds ways to deal with climate chaos.
Sarah van Gelder
How to Feast Sustainably During the Holidays
Stories in classic literature remind us that for most of our history, end-of-season feasts celebrated local harvests. Can we find our way back?
Nina Bunker Ruiz
Alaska Bolstered Its Economy and Curbed Inequality鈥擝y Paying Everyone Thousands in Oil Dividends Every Year
After 30 years, the practice of paying every resident鈥攊ncluding children鈥攁t least $1,000 has made Alaska one of the least unequal states in America. Here's what the rest of us can learn.
Peter Barnes
Meet the Lobstermen Arrested for Blocking a Coal Freighter鈥攁nd the DA Who Kept Them Out of Jail
Last spring, these men were in a small white lobster boat anchored to block the path of an oncoming freighter hauling 40,000 tons of coal. They didn't expect the district attorney to support them.
Natasha Donovan
The Page That Counts
Permanent Housing for 85 Homeless People Saved Taxpayers $1.8 Million (And 18 Other Facts to Think About)
Did you know an elephant can bring in more than $1.6 million during its lifetime鈥攆rom ecotourism?
Natasha Donovan
Culture Shift
Explore Section
Sit Still and Listen: What White Men Can Do in Times Like These
Even the most decent and principled white men have to exercise muscles of consciousness they might not have used before.
Kevin Kahakula鈥檃kea John Fong
Book Review: After Landing Herself in ICU, This Woman Changed Her Lifestyle, and Built a Tiny House
In building her tiny house, the author built a simpler and happier life.
Abby Quillen
A Baltimore Public School Teacher Explains Why It Pays to Put Kids in Control
What do Shakespeare鈥檚 plays tell us about how to run classrooms in an unequal society?
Andy Lee Roth
How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms at Home (and Get Plenty of Flavor and Protein for Free)
You don't need a garden to grow mushrooms鈥攁ny cool, shady space will do, even a cupboard or dark corner.
These Gorgeous Photographs Show Indigenous Americans Without the Stereotypes
Three years ago, Matika Wilbur set out on an ambitious undertaking: a vast road trip across America to photograph members of all 562 of America鈥檚 federally-recognized tribes.
Natasha Donovan
Also
Explore Section
Photo Essay: At a Half-Mile-Long Table, Chefs, Farmers, and Volunteers Feed a Neighborhood for Free
In St. Paul, Minnesota, artist Seitu Jones wanted to start a community-wide conversation about food access and food justice鈥攁nd where better to talk than over a good meal?
Valerie Schloredt
