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The Case for Portland-to-Vancouver High-Speed Rail

Gregory Scruggs

December 04, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

In an age of congestion and bumper-to-bumper traffic along the Pacific Northwest I-5 corridor, Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, BC look to the success of high-speed trains in Europe for inspiration. The international phenomenon of cross-country bullet trains - some reaching up to 250mph - has reduced transport time and competes with short-term flights that expend massive amounts of fuel. Now, the Pacific Northwest cities discuss plans to overhaul their current lagging transportation in exchange for a new high-speed railway.

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Home on the range? Private buyers restore U.S. grassland to cowboy consternation

Gregory Scruggs

July 18, 2019 |

place |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Bozeman, Montana

The American Prairie Reserve (APR)has diverged from government funding and instead created a free-market system to preserve prairie land across Northeastern Montana. Some ranchers in the state oppose the allowance of wild bison and other animals to wander fence-free, but others sell their land to the APR to maintain a diverse ecosystem on the plains.

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Manifest Destiny Yields to Indigenous Artistry in a City-Owned Seattle Art Gallery

Gregory Scruggs

March 25, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Publicly-owned galleries can provide an open, inclusive space for both artists and the community. In Seattle, the Office of Arts and Culture renovated the disused third floor of the King Street Station, turning it into an accessible and public-facing gallery space. ARTS at King Street Station hosted its first exhibition, the Yəhaw̓ exhibit, which included 200 artists representing over 100 indigenous tribes.

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'Shared equity' model for U.S. housing boosts home ownership for poorer families

Gregory Scruggs

January 21, 2019 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

A community land trust in North Carolina uses a "shared equity" model to help minority and low income people obtain access to affordable housing. The trust owns the land underneath the house, therefore holding onto the majority of the wealth of the property and allowing homes to be sold below market value.

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Unfinished business? Vancouver mayor departs with 'Greenest City' goal uncertain

Gregory Scruggs

October 19, 2018 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia

In 2008, Vancouver’s mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson said he would transform the city to be the world’s greenest by 2020. One decade later, steps toward decreasing greenhouse gas emissions have been made, but the 2020 prospect seems much farther ahead. While the city has run into obstacles, the Canadian city is moving forward to achieve its next goal: for buildings to produce more energy than they use.

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Lafayette Trades Oil for Cajun Songcraft to Drive Economy

Gregory Scruggs

October 19, 2018 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Lafayette, Louisiana

Layette is replatforming itself to embrace local culture over a dangerous oil dependency. CREATE, a voter-approved initiative in the city, funds cultural events and festivals to create new economic drivers and to promote the cultural legacy of the region. The fund draws upon money designated from a larger pool of surplus property tax revenue, as well as from philanthropic donations.

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This Tactical Urbanist Is Pasting Narratives of Enslaved People All over Richmond

Gregory Scruggs

August 27, 2018 |

Next City |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Richmond, Virginia

Untold RVA, a project developed by ‘tactical urbanist’ Free Egunfemi, intervenes in public space to foreground the history of slavery and the lives of the enslaved in Richmond. While work is being done to dismantle Richmond’s commemorations of the Confederacy, Egunfemi and other activists are working to ensure the people survived unimaginably oppression are not forgotten.

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Plaza Heralds New Era of Afrocentric Development in Seattle Neighborhood

Gregory Scruggs

August 07, 2018 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Central District, a historically black neighborhood in Seattle, is getting a makeover to better align it with its roots. Africatown is a nonprofit community land trust that is using its influence to bring Afrocentric design standards to the neighborhood as well as spurring economic development and construction of affordable housing. One real estate project includes a community mural, more gathering space for residents, and local government support.

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Real-world Minecraft mod: How the popular video game is transforming parks and other public spaces

Gregory Scruggs

April 19, 2018 |

GeekWire |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Serbia, Pristina

Popular video game Minecraft, an easy-to-use game where users construct the world around them, has been used by UN-Habitat in 40 projects across 35 cities in 25 countries to design public spaces. The accessible platform allows laypeople to quickly mockup what they would want in a public park or space, which is valuable community input for architects and urban designers.

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Singapore Is Creating a Subterranean Master Plan

Gregory Scruggs

February 09, 2018 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Singapore, Singapore

Singapore, among other cities around the world, serves as a model in the underground urban planning sphere as local governments combat over-densification. The city has begun expanding their underground network of public transportation, supply storage, and even water reclamation systems.

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