Cities

After Centuries Of Housing Racism, A Southern City Gets Innovative

May 26, 2018 Adam Lynch, Yesmagazine.org Create! Cities, Housing, Racism

Denise Fitzgerald’s property abuts the string of quiet, empty lots that line Ewing Street in Jackson, Mississippi. Recently she was leaf-blowing detritus shed by the enormous sycamore tree dominating the yard of her tidy Habitat for Humanity home. She says she’d cut the tree down herself but knows it’s big enough to take out both her house and the house beside her if she dare try it. Fitzgerald is familiar with the empty lots of Ewing Street, just a few blocks from Jackson State University. She’s lived here since 2008, and she remembers when Ewing was a series of derelict buildings smeared across the neighborhood. Only two empty houses remain. The rest is a collection of oak and hackberry trees, with some untamed vines.

Radical Municipalism: Fearless Cities

April 20, 2018 Staff, Blog.p2pfoundation.net Strategize! Cities, New Economy

Jenny Gellatly and Marcos Rivero: Fear and uncertainty seem to have settled into our societies, not only among citizens, but also political leaders and transnational corporations who see their capitals and centres of power stagger in the face of the combined effects of slowing global economic growth, imminent energy decline and increasing climate chaos. In this context, we are witnessing a multitude of responses, with three approaches that stand out. The first response attempts to regain control and security through new forms of authoritarianism and protectionism. We’ve seen the return of the nation state as a reaction to global capitalism, the re-emergence of national and cultural identity, and a revival of racist and xenophobic discourses.

What Happens To A One-Industry Town When The One Industry Is The Military?

March 28, 2018 By Dahr Jamail, Truth-out.org Educate! Cities, Labor, Military

According to that report, NAS Whidbey contributed $726 million to the economy of Island County in 2011, in addition to other ways the military base benefited the community where it is located, such as bringing in funding to local schools and retirement and disability payments to the local economy. However, a large number of residents from the community surrounding NAS Whidbey -- -- both civilians and people with military backgrounds -- have complained about the negative impacts of the Naval base for years. They've cited issues ranging from extreme jet noise to environmental and economic concerns. Because of these concerns, in 2016 they hired Michael Shuman, a nationally recognized expert on local economies, to investigate whether the Naval base was really bringing economic advantages to the community -- and what burdens the base was placing on taxpayer-supported services and infrastructure.

Cities With Most Immigration Raids In Fiscal Year 2017

March 12, 2018 By Liz Posner, AlterNet.org Educate! Cities, Deportations, Immigration, Repression, Undocumented

Raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have increased drastically since Donald Trump moved into the White House. Across the country, 2017 saw 30 percent more ICE arrests than the previous year. A number of these high-profile arrests are particularly despicable, from news that ICE seized a woman after she reported her husband for domestic abuse, to the arrest of a handicapped girl just out of surgery. For the past year, AlterNet has reported on ICE’s notable cruelty since Trump’s inauguration. Now the numbers are in, and they confirm that the stories of ICE targeting non-criminal individuals aren’t just one-off aberrations. ICE drastically increased arrests for undocumented individuals over the past year, many of whom posed no threat to their communities.

100+ Cities Worldwide Now Powered Primarily By Renewable Energy

February 28, 2018 Georgina Gustin, Insideclimatenews.org Create! Cities, New Economy, Renewable Energy

As the price of renewable energy drops, more cities are cutting the cord with fossil fuel-based electricity. A new report released Tuesday by the environmental group CDP finds that more than 100 cities worldwide now get the majority of their power—70 percent or more—from renewables. That's up from 42 in 2015, when countries pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the Paris climate agreement. CDP notes that more than 40 of those cities are now powered entirely by renewables, including Burlington, Vermont, which gets its electricity from a combination of wind, solar, hydro and biomass. Burlington will have more company within the next 20 years—58 U.S. cities, including Atlanta and San Diego, having announced plans to do the same. London-based CDP, which tracks climate-related commitments by corporations and governments, looked at 570 cities across the globe for the report.

How City-Owned Public Banks Could Transform Cities

February 21, 2018 Oscar Perry Abello, Nextcity.org Create! Cities, New Economy, Public Banks, San Francisco

It’s no surprise that Malia Cohen worries about what local public dollars are doing. As a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the municipal legislative body, it’s her job to know how, where and why the city’s money is coming in and going out. But recently, Cohen has joined a growing number of public officials around the country who are wondering what happens in between — what happens when the money in the city coffers goes to sleep at night. In fiscal year 2017, the city of San Francisco took in an average of $508 million a month in revenues and put out $467 million a month in expenses. But in between, the banks that handle all that cash sometimes used public dollars in ways that, in the opinions of Cohen and others, contradict the reasons why that money is coming and going in the first place.

German Cities To Trial Free Public Transport To Cut Pollution

February 20, 2018 Philip Oltermann, Theguardian.com Create! Cities, Germany, pollution, Public Services, Transportation

“Car nation” Germany has surprised neighbours with a radical proposal to reduce road traffic by making public transport free, as Berlin scrambles to meet EU air pollution targets and avoid big fines. The move comes just over two years after Volkswagen’s devastating “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal unleashed a wave of anger at the auto industry, a keystone of German prosperity. “We are considering public transport free of charge in order to reduce the number of private cars,” three ministers including the environment minister, Barbara Hendricks, wrote to EU environment commissioner Karmenu Vella in the letter seen by AFP Tuesday. “Effectively fighting air pollution without any further unnecessary delays is of the highest priority for Germany,” the ministers added.

Austin Becomes 1st City In Texas To Mandate Paid Sick Leave

February 17, 2018 Philip Jankowski, Statesman.com Create! Austin, Cities, Class Struggle, Texas, Workers Rights and Jobs

The Austin City Council voted early Friday to make paid sick leave a mandatory requirement for all non-government employers, making Austin the first city in Texas to regulate sick leave. The highly anticipated vote came after more than 200 people testified at City Hall, with a large majority in favor of the ordinance. It passed 9-2 with council members Ora Houston and Ellen Troxclair against. “For me, so much of this is about widening inequality and our fight against it,” said Council Member Greg Casar, the author and lead proponent of the ordinance. The vote was greeted with thunderous applause and singing as the council adopted a compromise ordinance Casar offered Thursday that addressed many concerns brought forward by Council Member Jimmy Flannigan and others earlier this week.

First U.S. City To Ban Fossil Fuel Expansion Offers Roadmap For Others

February 12, 2018 By Kevon Paynter, Towardfreedom.com Create! Ban, Cities, Fossil Fuels, New Economy, Oil

On a clear July morning three years ago, dozens of environmental activists pushed their kayaks into the Willamette River in Portland while others rappelled 400 feet from the top of St. Johns Bridge in an attempt to block a Shell Oil ship and its drilling equipment from leaving the port and entering Alaskan waters. A key piece of Shell’s arctic drilling fleet, the vessel had arrived in Portland for repairs but its departure was delayed by protesters chanting “coal, oil, gas, none shall pass!” during two days of civil disobedience that became known as Summer Heat. By the time the vessel finally sailed, the stage had been set for what would be a yearlong battle, culminating in an ordinance that banned construction and expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in the city.

City Takes Major Step To Reform Oppressive And Inhumane Bail System

February 10, 2018 By Mehreen Kasana / AlterNet.org Create! Atlanta, Bail, Cities, Reform

Atlanta's City Council just unanimously voted and adopted a move to reform Atlanta’s cash bail system, which frequently targets, jails and ultimately upends the lives of its poorest citizens for some of the most minor and non-violent misdemeanors. The decision took a heated six hours to reach a 13-0 vote, and has become the latest protest in a growing number of concerted efforts against the American justice system's notorious bail scam. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms signed the proposal that stipulated people guilty of nuisance offenses should not be jailed for unnecessarily lengthy durations—think in terms of days, weeks and months—simply because they do not have the financial power to pay fines starting at $100 and going up to $500 and more.

Cities Could Create Massive Virtual Power Plants With Distributed Solar

February 6, 2018 By Fred Lambert, Electrek.co Create! Cities, New Economy, Power Plants, Solar Energy

It will function much like Tesla’s giant Powerpack system, which charges when demand and electricity rates are low and discharges when demand and prices are high. We reported last month the single battery system managed to make around $1 million in just a few days. The new project is going to be financed through power sales and it is being assisted by the government with a $2 million grant and $30 million loan from the Renewable Technology Fund. The government says that they already started installations for a trial in 1,100 Housing Trust properties, which is for lower-income households. Tesla plans to ramp up its deployment in the next few years and have all 50,000 systems installed by 2022.

States And Cities Keep Battle For Net Neutrality Alive

January 25, 2018 By Klint Finley, Wired.com Create! Cities, FCC, Internet, Net Neutrality

STATES ARE STARTING to make good on their promises to fight for net neutrality in the wake of the Federal Communications Commission's decision to jettison rules that banned broadband providers from blocking or discriminating against internet content. On Monday, Montana Governor Steve Bullock signed an executive order effectively barring state agencies from doing business with internet service providers that violate net neutrality. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a similar order on Wednesday. The moves follow a lawsuit filed last week by 21 states and the District of Columbia challenging the FCC's decision to overturn its own protections. Montana is the first state to take action to encourage broadband providers to follow the principles of net neutrality, but others, including California, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington are considering legislative action.

Only 4 Out Of 20 #AmazonHQ2 Finalists Have Released Bids

January 20, 2018 By Beryl Lipton, Muckrock.com Educate! Amazon, Capitalism, Cities, Gentrification

The retail company has knocked out 90% of the competing cities - here’s the finalists that released their bids, and the ones that are still holding out. The growing global retailer Amazon has announced the 20 finalists for its challenge to secure homefield rights to its second headquarters. Los Angeles is the only contender left from the West Coast, where Amazon’s current Seattle operations are based; the other cities from that side of the Mississippi to make the cut are Denver, Dallas, and Austin. The other three-quarters of final round qualifiers are Eastern U.S. areas well-known to corporate establishments, places like Boston, Columbus, Raleigh, and Atlanta. Toronto makes the list as the sole non-U.S. locale under consideration.

Learn More About What Your Town Is Investing In

December 28, 2017 By Beryl Lipton, Muckrock.com Educate! Cities, Investment

Between government and private business, a lot of dollars exchange hands. This isn’t limited to the billions of dollars that get spent on government contracting - from purchasing bulk orders of toilet paper for daily office operations to outsourcing detention management to developing new war machines for global conflicts. It also involves direct investments in companies and funds, often via the use of investment or financial management firms like JP Morgan or Wells Fargo and not infrequently in association with an employee pension fund. The record of these investments should typically be of public record. In response to an ongoing request in Phoenix, MuckRock recently received a report of municipal security holdings.

How American Cities Can Help Close National Trust Deficit

December 28, 2017 By Katya Abazajian, Sunlightfoundation.com Create! Budgets, Cities

In a world where fake news has become an international preoccupation, an increasing number of American cities are committing to make data-driven governance a core part of their culture. It’s an important trend, and one that we’re proud to participate in leading. In March, Sunlight joined hundreds of public officials from more than 90 cities around the world and our partners in the What Works Cities initiative in New York City to share knowledge and discuss the future of data-driven cities. The entire Open Cities team traveled up from DC to host sessions on data standards, community engagement with open data, and share the state of the Sunlight Foundation’s work with local governments. We came away both reinvigorated and inspired to pursue our work in the coming year.

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