Walking Distance

LOOK: Guerilla Gardening with Pocket Change

Kyla Fullenwider — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:00:00 PDT

When Daniel Phillips and Kim Karlsrud inherited five old cherry red candy machines, they considered filling them with sweets and placing them outside for neighborhood passersby.

“My dad was giving up vending and hoisted some machines on us and we didn’t know what to do with them,” says Karlsrud. But the recent Otis grads and Project H collaborators decided on a different solution. They filled the machines with seed bombs: balls of dirt packed with native wildflower seeds ready to land in unsuspecting sidewalk cracks, vacant lots, and parking medians. “For anyone who has spent time in a city that actually has functional open public space, the lack of open green space in LA is shocking,” says Phillips.

It’s not that Los Angeles doesn’t have green space. It does. The city is home to the largest municipal park in the country and big back yards are common even in the heart of the city. The problem is that most of it comes at a price and the city’s lower-income communities have some of the lowest green space per capita in the country. Trying to solve for the inequitable distribution of green space between the wealthiest and poorest residents is no easy task, as many city officials would insist.

But Project Green Aid is less a cure for that urban ailment than it is a public awareness campaign—a kind of casual activism. “The beauty of the vending part of this is that it’s so easy and fun,” says Phillips. “It helps people realize ‘wow I have more the power to do more’ and people can begin to think about ways they can engage on a larger scale.”

In the last year the duo has managed to install eight machines throughout Los Angeles and several others in places as nearby as Fresno and as far as Vienna, Austria. Coming off a $10,000 Kickstarter win they now have funding to bring the machines to even more “grey” areas.

“The hope is that seedbombs can be a fun first step, a gateway drug, in getting folks to better understand and re-evaluate their daily environment,” says Phillips. “And become more active in making it a better place through individual, small scale action.”

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or submit your own idea today.

How To: Turn a Payphone Into a Library

Kyla Fullenwider — Fri, 6 Aug 2010 05:00:00 PDT

Have an old phone booth in your neighborhood sitting empty? Fill it with books! Book booths are an easy way to acquire new books (for free), bring your community together and transform a neighborhood eyesore into a neighborhood gem. We talked to Amy Inouye of the Future Studio about how she started one in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

1) Scout. No old phone booth close by? Don’t worry. A book booth can work just about anywhere. Take over an unused newspaper dispenser or ask a local business for some of their sidewalk space or an old bench. Be sure to find a place where people already linger, meet, or hang out. And keep it tidy. “You wouldn’t really want anyone to leave a box of books on the ground,” says Inouye. ”Then it starts looking messy. It’s like the broken window mindset. You want it to look neat and presentable and inviting so that it maintains a level of usefulness and involvement.”

2) Chat. Circulation is the key to a successful book booth. Talk to your neighbors and encourage them to drop off books in advance of the launch, say Inouye. If you choose a location in front of or near a business, be sure to talk to the business owner first and get their support. “I got permission and spoke to the owners several times before we launched the booth,” says Inouye.

3) Stock. Because most people will contribute books they no longer want, it’s easy for the book booth to become a book dump. Act as a curator for the booth to keep too many old romance novels from stacking up. Inouye checks the Highland Park booth almost every day to keep it neat and “family friendly.” She also manages the content. After receiving a stack of 20 year-old textbooks she slowly put them out one at a time. “Eventually all of them got taken,” she says.

4) Let it go! It’s important to maintain the booth, yes, but stay open to different interpretations of its use. Add a chair for a quick read, a request sheet for specific books or a small night light to highlight the space. You may even set up a book crossing. After all, if you love your books, set them free.

Q&A: A West Point for Community Organizing

Kyla Fullenwider — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:30:00 PDT

Since its first boot camp in 2006 the New Organizing Institute has trained more than 700 organizers across the country in leveraging online tools to generate offline action. It’s the nation’s leading progressive advocacy and campaign training program and it’s quietly and forcefully redefining the way campaigns are run and social change happens. Judith Freeman, one of the organization’s founders, worked on the new media strategy for the Obama campaign and is using those same tactics to train leaders from organizations like the NAACP and the Red Cross. We spoke to Ms. Freeman about what community organizing looks like in the 21st century.

GOOD: How exactly did the NOI get started?

JUDITH FREEMAN: In 2004 there was a handful of us who had started doing this work and I organized this retreat of about 20 to 25 people who had really done a lot of innovation with how you integrate, how you link the online work and the technology with the field. It was this group trying to take things to a new level. So that retreat was really what NOI came out of, it was born out of this community of people who really cared about the work and had a vision for how, if we created an organization (which became NOI), we could train a whole new generation of organizers who understood technology, who care about campaign management and who want to integrate the best of our volunteer and field organizing strategies with how you do things online.

G: That first training—was that one of your boot camps?

JF: Yes, exactly. We have three main program areas: We have data and tech, we do a lot on new media and online organizing and how to use the internet for activism and electoral work, and then we have field organizing and organizing strategy. Some of our boot camps are a combination of all three of those areas.

G: What kind of people do you hope to recruit for the boot camps?

JF: We recruit for graduating college seniors, new graduates, or career change professionals. We get a lot of people in the 21 to 25 range and then we get fewer people who are newly interested. We got a lot of people last year who were newly interested in politics and organizing after the 2008 election. We’re looking for people who are totally committed to doing this work as their career for life, people who want to be organizers doing social change work.

G: Now that we have what many people would call a progressive leader in the White House, does that change the kind of work you are doing?

JF: One of our major goals is to promote engagement organizing and to create leaders. Whether there is a progressive or a Republican or a Democrat in the White House there’s always going to be social change that we need to fight for and so we need to have a cadre of people that are trained and doing the work in a way that’s smart and strategic. I think there are going to be places where the organizing work sort of lines up with the current administration and places where we feel like we need to push. Our job is to support the work that’s going to create real change and make people’s lives better.

G: What are your goals over these next couple of years?

JF: Our biggest goal right now is to promote this idea of engagement organizing. We can help with the strategies and the tools and tactics but we really rely on local leadership and the community that wants to get the work done. There were a lot of people who said after the Obama campaign that it was an anomaly, that you can only do that in a presidential election—there’s no way that you can get that many volunteers engaged in other types of campaigns. It’s been proven wrong.

We’re working with organizations that believe that America is full of great people that care about their country, that want to invest their time in helping make people’s lives better and so it's our job to help create a situation where people are able to do that. If we can create these structures that actually keep people engaged then it’s going to help us win victories for people and create a better society.

LOOK: Report Cards Earn Street Cred on Wheels

Kyla Fullenwider — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:30:00 PDT

scraper bike | scra-per bik | informal?

noun. a customized bicycle featuring oversized wheels, foil-encased spokes and a spray painted frame?

ORIGIN: 21st century; Oakland

How do you get teenage boys from under-served neighborhoods to maintain a healthy GPA and stay out of trouble?

Each year, a big chunk of our federal education budget is earmarked to figure out this very question. Non-profits like Harlem Children's Zone and Green Dot Public Schools have both built brilliant models and boast impressive statistics on retention and closing the achievement gap. But there may be one element as important in reaching that coveted (and notoriously difficult to retain) demographic: the cool factor. "Kids work on scraper bikes because it's something they want to do and they think it's cool," says Tyrone Stevenson, the 21-year-old founder of the budding nonprofit Scraper Bikes.

Scraper bikes are equal parts art project and pragmatic transportation. Far less than the cost of a scraper car—the lowriders from which the bikes borrowed their name—scraper bikes are tricked out using foil from candy wrappers and soda cans, their frames painted with spray cans from the .99 cent store.

"The frames are donated or found around the neighborhood," says Stevenson. The oversized wheels may be the most expensive component, but all told, a scraper bike can be built with a few dollars and some sweat equity. "Kids show up at my house every day of the week to work on their bikes," says Stevenson.

These are not just any kids. In order to join the scraper bike team you must come with your report card and demonstrate at least a 2.0 GPA (Stevenson checks them every week). While academic achievement and sustainability have not exactly defined street cool in the past, the tactic appears to be working: the group began with just eight or nine and now totals almost 40 mostly 13 to 16 year-olds.

Stevenson's car-free movement has moved beyond East Oakland thanks in large part to the group's YouTube video which has received over three million views.

Stevenson plans to leverage the attention the group has received to build an advisory board and raise funds for a community center and bike shop that could serve more neighborhood kids. "Each Saturday, the group grows," he says. "I'm running out of space in my backyard."

How To: Get Your Op-Ed Published

Kyla Fullenwider — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:00:00 PDT

Did you know that over 80 percent of the nation's op-eds are written by men? Open any newspaper from the Wall Street Journal to The New York Times and it's clear who's dominating the national conversation. The nonprofit Op-ed Project wants to change that by getting more women and minorities to weigh in on debates that matter. We teamed up with them to learn more about how to diversify the bylines in our nation's newspapers.

1) Write what you know. Whether you're a teacher espousing edible school gardens or a small business owner debating a new tax, own your expertise. Leverage your experience to offer a unique vantage point on a current event or to raise an overlooked issue.

2) Know what you want to say. The foundation of your argument is your thesis. What are you really trying to say? Your thesis can be explicit or implied, but be sure you are clear from the outset on your fundamental point. Your thesis should be supported by your argument, which should include primary sources and first-hand evidence. Try to have at least three points to support your argument and have evidence and a conclusion for each point. And don't forget the power of a compelling introduction and conclusion, which leads us to our next point.

3) Use ledes and hooks to grab your reader's attention. A lede is what will get your reader's attention and the hook is the timely, "newsworthy" component that makes your argument relevant. Be audacious but be sure you have compelling evidence to support your argument. The Op-ed Projects offers these tips for creating a good lede: use the news, tell a dramatic anecdote, turn conventional wisdom on end, use wit and irony to point out a contradiction, use an anniversary, use a major new study, and don't be afraid to get personal.

4) Pitch it. Pitching an article can be intimidating. Break down the process and it will be less so. First, answer these questions: Why is this story relevant right now? Why should people care in the first place? And why are you the best person to write this piece? Once you're clear on those questions, take the time to map out a brief pitch that outlines your fundamental idea and relevant credentials along with the text of the article in the body of an email. Be sure to follow up. Even if the editor says no, it could be the beginning of a conversation that leads to yes.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user kruemi

HOW TO: Grow an Edible School Garden

Kyla Fullenwider — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 05:00:00 PDT

For a lot of families, growing their own garden is something akin to that big trip abroad: a great idea in theory, but hard to actually make happen in reality. With over a third of the nation's children overweight or obese, healthy eating habits aren't just a private family matter, they're a public health issue. Consider this: the number of overweight or obese school children has nearly doubled in the last decade. Kids who are obese by the age of 12 are 85 percent more likely to remain obese as adults. Kids who are obese in their early teens are twice as likely to die by the age of 50. Sobering news to be sure, but useful information if we are to combat this epidemic and get those kids to eat their vegetables once and for all. "Kids who grow broccoli eat broccoli," says LAUSD Green Policy Director Mud Baron. In other words, want your kids to eat their spinach? Teach them to grow it.

1) Build a team. "School gardens are a team sport," says Baron. Assemble a team that includes at least one teacher, student, and parent. If you can, get the Principal on board early by asking her to join your team. This will help speed up the entire process. Invite parents with special skills to contribute.

2) Come up with a plan. It may sound obvious, but creating a plan early on is essential for ensuring you get enough funding and can build a functional, sustainable garden. You will need two plans: one to build the garden and one to fund it. There are four essentials in building a sustainable garden, says Baron: soil, plants, tools, and irrigation. (You should also consider your local climate and how much sun you receive and at what times—you probably can't grow mangos in Minnesota, sorry). Once you've got an idea of your material needs it's time to build a budget, which brings us to our next step.

3) Get money – more than you think you'll need. This is the part that everyone groans about, but it doesn't have to be so bad. You're building a school garden! Raising funds can be a fun and interactive project that the entire school can get behind. If your bake sales and penny drives aren't cutting it, you can go the more traditional route and go after private foundation and government funds. There are also a number of nonprofit organizations that fund school garden programs, says Baron, including the National Garden Association and Keep America Beautiful.

4) Create a curriculum. We've focused on an edible garden, but that doesn't mean other types of programs can't be incorporated. "It's about learning by doing," says Baron. According to the California Department of Education, students who participate in garden programs see their GPAs rise. Schools have made their gardens outdoor classrooms, after school programs, and edible kitchen gardens as well as science, history, and reading gardens. "It's more about process than product," notes Baron. "The kids learn that just because you want something, doesn't mean that nature says you can have it."

How To: 10 Ideas to Blow Up Your Block Party

Kyla Fullenwider — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 05:00:00 PDT

Summertime is just around the bend and you know what that means? Block party! If you live in Youngstown, Ohio, or the San Fernando Valley, no matter: block parties happen in city and suburb alike. But it'll take more than a bbq and a boom box to make it legendary...

A few of my favorite tips:

1) Share your skills. Ask your neighbors to participate in a skill share throughout the day. Create a schedule and invite people to teach classes like knitting, yoga, and gardening.

2) Make a reading room. When you think of a block party, you probably don't think books, but alas, reading rooms are a nice alternative to the loud festivities of the day. Invite a local author for a reading or host a children's storytelling hour. Trust us, people will love the chance to sit in and listen.

3) Build a photo booth. What's better than having your photo taken? Squeezing into a box to have your photo taken. All you need is a curtain, a stool, and lots of polaroid film, which you can easily find on Ebay. Don't have the time to build one? Try renting one instead.

4) Lift every voice and sing. What's better than the sweet voice of a child singing? A whole bunch of them. Give the kids a chance to get on stage for the first time. Not enough kids around? Bring in a DJ who can take requests and make the music experience more interactive. At the very least, send out a group email for requests and fill up your ipod democratically.

5) Bring in local vendors. Show your neighborhood some love and invite local vendors to display their wares. Classic block party hits: t-shirts with your neighborhood name, girl scout cookies, and homeade lemonade.

6) Invite the pound puppies. Your family needs a cuddly little kitten, right? Well, maybe not, but maybe your neighbors do. Invite a local shelter to set up shop. Many have mobile adoption vans they can bring by. Who knows, maybe you'll end up with a new roommate.

7) Play! You can't go wrong with classics like bobbing for apples, potato sack races, and hopscotch. But get creative—you've got Wii to compete with. Scavenger hunts: a big hit, and chalk, lots of it.

8) Make art. Could be the most labor intensive part of the day but you've got everyone in the same place at the same time. Why not put them to work? Doable projects include: a mural, community garden, and tree plantings.

9) Screen a summer classic. Borrow a projector, spread out some blankets and just as dusk arrives (and people are exhausted) start the film. Some favorite summer classics: Ghostbusters, Raiders of the Lost Arc, Super Fly, Do the Right Thing, and Fame.

10) Don't forget the ice cream truck! If you live in Los Angeles, invite Coolhaus to stop by. If you live somewhere else, just flag down your local truck the next time they're in the neighborhood and provide the date and time. They'll be more than happy to oblige.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user deejayres

How To: Save Your Local Library

Kyla Fullenwider — Wed, 9 Jun 2010 16:00:00 PDT

With recent cuts in city and state funding, libraries are an increasingly endangered species. From Charlotte to Los Angeles (and lots of places in between) libraries are being closed and their hours cut. We talked to librarian Steve Klein about how you can keep the doors of your beloved branch open.

1. Borrow Your Next Read. Circulation is one of the most important ways for the budget keepers to decide what branches are most active. Next time you need a book, go to the library instead of that big retail store.

2. Use it or Lose It. When was the last time you stepped foot in your library? Foot traffic is a key indicator of how many people the branch is serving and how much of an asset it is to the surrounding community. Even if you don’t need a book, try to stop in your local library once or twice a month. Besides books, most libraries now offer DVDs, music, and magazines: all for free!

3. Create Great Programming. Your librarian is probably overworked and underpaid, so don’t ask him (or her) for more programming. Do it yourself. “Staff tends to get stuck in ruts and sometimes have trouble coming up with new ideas, so greater participation in the library by the community is the best possible solution to keeping the library relevant,” says Klein. Programs ranging from genealogy to film screenings can all be hosted and run by volunteers. And it’s not just adults who can contribute. Kids can teach workshops on how to use Facebook, iPhones, and other technology to older library members.

4. Volunteer. Besides programming, volunteers can help beleaguered staff with a number of operational functions. Got some extra time? Help reshelving books, repairing and maintaining the building, or creating displays and exhibits, says Klein. Because building conditions are an important consideration for the powers that be, point out (or help fix) small problems before they become big (read: expensive) problems for the city to handle.

5. Team Up. Does your child’s school need a place for after school tutors? Does the local community center need a computer lab? Connecting the dots and showing how local organizations benefit from the library will demonstrate its value to the surrounding community. And remind teachers, the PTA, and students to speak up. The more diverse the group of voices, the more likely it is your politicians will hear them.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user Stewart

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or submit your own idea today.

LOOK: A Tiny, Tech Savvy Texas Town

Kyla Fullenwider — Tue, 8 Jun 2010 11:00:00 PDT

Manor Texas, population 6,500, is probably not the first place that comes to mind when discussing the future of augmented reality or open source collaboration. But it should be. Manor Labs, the city’s open research and development platform, may be the most comprehensive effort by a government (however small) to leverage technology to engage its citizens.

And even if the entire city could fit in a single neighborhood of nearby Austin, the Manor’s efforts are revelatory about what democracy can and will look like in the 21st century. “If a little community in Texas can do this there’s no reason why your city can’t,” says Manor’s Chief Technology Officer Dustin Haisler. The future of American cities—or at least smart ones—may have arrived.

Manor (pronounced MAY-ner) has a scrappy staff of 35. This is no group of former Google engineers or even engineers, actually. Their Chief Information Officer has a background in banking, not tech. So what led the modern Mayberry to adopt such unorthodox governing practices? “It was about survival,” says Haisler. “We were looking for ways to maintain our documents and we didn’t want to add any debt.”

Necessity is the mother of invention, and certainly that was the case for Manor. Strapped for cash and lacking the budget for the kinds of systems other cities might use, Haisler began researching possible solutions and came across the QR code, “a funky bar code system from Japan” that allows lots of different kinds of data to be stored and accessed through a simple scan.

After some early successes, the city began experimenting with QR in other applications including as a tool for citizens to learn more about historical markers around town. Local residents are able to scan a QR code of a building and instantly see images of its construction from the 19th century or read about the fire that almost destroyed it in the 20th. “We are all beta testers, so to speak,” quips Haisler.

For Manor, innovation is no conference circuit buzzword, it’s a very real economic proposition. Haisler’s IT budget last year, just over $100,000, would pay for one, maybe two city employee salaries. But Manor thinks of all its citizens as collaborators in making the city better. It uses the Manor Labs platform to call on them to help solve the city’s problems and reward them with “inno bucks,” a reward system that allows points to be redeemed for tangible prizes. The result? 6,500 potential human resources working to improve the city, for free.

Residents have proposed scads of ideas to improve Manor- from text messaging bans, to land trusts. “We believe that the crowd, that our citizens, are wise,” says Haisler. “You just have to give them some direction and say here’s what our needs are.”

Educational institutions are taking note of Manor as an important case study. The city partnered with Stanford University’s Persuasive Technology Lab, and starting this fall, Manor will be the first non-educational institution to host classes through the OpenCourseWare Consortium. “The goal is to allow other cities and citizens to see that there are all these powerful tools,” says Haisler. “But [governments] have to have an atmosphere that says it’s ok to experiment.”

A Farm in Every Window

Kyla Fullenwider — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:30:00 PDT

Barely a year old, the Windowfarms project is art come to life. First researched and developed in the South Williamsburg kitchen of co-founder Britta Riley and then later at the Eyebeam Labs, the project is popping up in art galleries and kitchens throughout the world. “It’s really about making it possible for anybody to grow food in an urban place,” says Riley.

With more than half the world’s population now living in urban spaces, it’s a solution that could provide much needed relief to “food deserts”—communities sorely lacking fresh produce. Using an open source methodology to work out kinks and create new releases, an online community of window farmers from Louisville to Stockholm are creating edible gardens in urban kitchens around the world. We talked to Riley about how this is done, exactly.

GOOD: What is a Window Farm? Is it as straightforward as it sounds?

BRITTA RILEY: A window farm allows anybody to grow some of their own food in an urban place even if they don’t have access to dirt using a hydroponic system, which is really just a way of using water to provide all the nutrients to the plants. Someone figured out about a century or so ago that you could basically take all the nutrients out of soil and dissolve them into water. It actually allows the plant to absorb the nutrients more rapidly.

G: How did you build your first model?

BR: I was fascinated by hydroponics and I knew that it was a real problem to grow food in New York City, so I thought why not do hydroponics on a roof—a hydroponic roof top farm. But I didn’t have access to the roof in my building … and so it was more about finding a way to do this inside my own space … and how to not take up a lot of floor space. The windows had all this light coming through and so it just seemed like the most obvious place. And so it was really about starting off with this idea and knowing that it was kind of crazy. The first system was super janky.

G: Were you having a hard time finding fresh food in your neighborhood?

BR: I’m in South Williamsburg and there’s not a lot of great grocery stores. There are mostly bodegas but the guy who stocks the food there doesn’t actually know where the food comes from.

G: So that was part of the inspiration for building the first Windowfarm?

BR: Yeah. I’ve got a really busy schedule and so for me to be able to make it to the farmer’s market was really hard. Even if I did, by the time I got around to cooking, the vegetables wouldn’t really be that fresh.

G: What are your plans now? Do you want to get this into the urban “food deserts” and to people who don’t have experience growing food?

BR: Yes. Right now you can build this yourself. We have free how tos on the internet and we’re about to come out with a new version release, kind of like software, and the new version is much easier than the previous versions, but you do need a drill. We’ve really concentrated on making it possible for just about anybody to build one of the systems and to use our website so you can ask other window farmers, “why am i getting these bugs?” We want to bring this to [low income] neighborhoods … to get these systems installed in peoples’ homes and not just the art galleries.

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or submit your own idea today.

How to Turn Your Streets into Sidewalks

Kyla Fullenwider — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:00:00 PDT

What if streets belonged to people and not cars? In Los Angeles County, sidewalks were often constructed before roads. Sidewalks were intended as places for displaying wares, political protest, and (most importantly) for uninterrupted pedestrian traffic flow. Sidewalks were built for people. Roads, on the other hand, were built for cars.

With the rise of car culture over the last half century, our roads have grown bigger and wider, while our sidewalks have grown smaller and more narrow. The global movement “Ciclovia” wants to reverse that trend, at least for a day. For 30 years the car-clogged streets of Bogota have been transformed into people-filled public spaces hosting games, dance classes, and thousands of cyclists.

The idea has caught on and spread throughout South America and up north to places like Ontario, New York, and El Paso. Now Los Angeles is joining the ranks of Ciclovia cities with their own CicLAvia this September. Miles and miles of asphalt normally occupied by automobiles will be turned over to a parade of pedestrians, cyclists, and walkers. Wondering how you can make this happen in your town? We turned to one of the CicLAvia organizers, Joe Linton, for answers.

1. Visit one. The best way to understand how a Ciclavia works is to experience one. “Visit Bogota, San Francisco, NYC, or if you can’t get there, then watch online stuff at Streetfilms,” says Linton.

2. Organize. Find some like-minded people who care about public space, community health, and making your city awesome. From there, outline a plan of action and a timeline. Things to consider early on: fundraising and budget, potential routes, key allies, and an outreach plan. Remember, it’s critical to build a board from different communities with diverse skills.

3. Brand it. The first place to start is with a name, says Linton. Once you’ve settled on a name, create a logo that people can identity with and a basic website so that volunteers and media can contact you.

4. Get chatty. Stakeholder engagement is key to success. “Talk with local restaurants and business groups like the Chamber of Commerce, Business Improvement Districts, Rotary Clubs,” says Linton. “Talk with local bicyclists. Go to bike shops and talk with bike non-profits.” The more business groups and local residents you can get on board, the easier it will be to get local government support, which leads us to our next step.

5. Talk to the man. You’re going to need the backing of City Hall. Come equipped with a letter of support from residents and businesses. “Take a bike shop owner and others business owners with you,” says Linton. Come armed with statistics showing how successful Ciclovias have improved the local economies and public health in cities like Miami, NYC, Guadalajara, and San Francisco.

6. Map it out. Create a preliminary route first and start walking and biking it. Consider the following: Find local landmarks and pre-existing public spaces. Find medium sized, central streets in good condition. Include neighborhoods with different socioeconomic groups and go for areas with highest density. “Come up with a couple of potential routes, and see which one folks are most excited about,” Linton says.

7. Pass the hat. Once you’ve come up with your budget you’ll need to start fundraising immediately. “Work with the city, businesses and foundations. Some cities do it on their own (Bogota)—some partner with local non-profit (San Francisco) partners,” says Linton.

8. Shout about it. You’ll need to promote for the entire lead up to the event, but the last two weeks are especially important. Partner with local community organizations and media outlets to spread the word. Volunteers are also essential so try posting volunteer opportunities on one of the big sites like Volunteer Match.

9. Have fun. Dance classes, outdoor reading rooms, yoga, bike riding, and health screenings are just a few examples of the things you can do at a Ciclovia, so be creative with the programming. The more fun people have, the more likely they are to return.

10. Make it a routine. “Do it over and over!” says Linton. “Bogota has it every Sunday 80 miles rain or shine.”

For more detailed information see Bogota’s instruction manual here.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user TAPorto

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or submit your own idea today.

How to Turn a Vacant Lot into a Pizza Parlor

Kyla Fullenwider — Fri, 7 May 2010 12:30:00 PDT

How many parties have you walked into only to find the living room empty and a crowded kitchen, everyone huddled near the stove or around the table? Maybe it’s the smell of food. Maybe it’s the warmth of the stove. Maybe it’s our ancestral heritage. Kitchens are the hearts of our homes, so why not for the whole neighborhood? “Community ovens can be the glue that keeps a neighborhood together,” says Ray Werner, a Pittsburgh based community oven builder. Want to build a hearth for your hood? Here’s how to get started.

1. Decide why. So why do you want to build this thing anyway? Is there an unsightly vacant lot? Does your neighborhood need more public space? Are you trying to create a space for an annual event? All of these are great reasons to start a community oven. The clearer your mission, the easier it will be to build a team and get the local government on board, which brings us to our next step.

2. Round up a posse. Part of the process of building a community oven is building the community around the oven. The core of your community will be the team committed to getting it built. This team should include neighbors (both residential and business), a local baker (or chef) and at least one local government official. The most important member of your steering committee is a mason—the person with the fundamental building knowledge. You can do this on your own, but having a committed team will make the process easier. “Make it a gathering place in the building of it,” says Ray Werner.

3. Select a site. Where you choose to build the oven will impact who uses it, how it is used and how long the building process will be. Other important things to consider, says Werner, are water sources (you’ll need one), storage capacity, and how much foot traffic there is in the area. Choosing a location that already has a decent amount of foot traffic will make allow you to have a built-in community. But don’t dismiss a place simply because it’s in disrepair. Sometimes the most neglected spaces are the easiest to convert and the easiest for the community and local government to get behind.

4. Sketch it out. “Brick ovens aren’t brain surgery,” says Werner. But they do require building codes, so you’ll need to have a plan (and ideally drawings) that demonstrate the viability of the structure. Address any and all safety concerns you can imagine in your plan. If there’s an architect in the neighborhood—or even better, on your steering committee—have her add in a few details to make it neighborhood appropriate and you’re good to go.

5. You got a permit for that? Use your local government contact to help with the building permits and this should be fairly straightforward (unless you live in Manhattan). The best way to ensure a speedy permit process is to have a thorough plan that addresses safety issues.

6. Prep your site. “Ordinarily you’ll need about an 8-by-8 foot site for the oven,” says Werner. Other things to consider: the location of the oven (do you want it facing the street or tucked away?), what kind of covering you want over the oven (cooking in snow is apparently quite sublime), where to store supplies like wood and cooking utensils?

7. Brick by brick. If you build it they will come. In this case, it’s actually true. Think of this as your community’s campfire, a giant outdoor kitchen where parties are thrown, potlucks are held and cooking classes are taught. If you’ve enlisted a trusted mason, great, this means your job is a lot easier. If you’re building it yourself then you’ve probably already consulted Oven Crafters and have your plan. Digging a trench and building a chimney may seem like a lot a work, but Werner says you and your neighbors could be enjoying wood fired pizzas in a couple of days.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user .Bala

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or submit your own idea today.

Shop Globally, Bank Locally

Kyla Fullenwider — Wed, 5 May 2010 11:30:00 PDT

For most of us, choosing a bank usually comes down to two things: who has the most ATMs and how close is the nearest branch. We might consider where our spouses or families bank, but we rarely consider much more than that. But where we keep our money may be as important as where we purchase our food. Think the local movement only applies to food? Think again.

Community banks, like farmers markets, are smaller, localized versions of their too-big-to-fail counterparts. They’re equal parts neighborhood community center and full service lending institutions. “We’re really focused on making the communities we serve strong,” says Kibi Anderson of Broadway Federal Bank. “It’s not in either of our interests to put someone in a house they can’t afford. A strong community means they’ll come back and take another loan.”

This community-focused approach to wealth creation isn’t new. Broadway Federal Bank, the oldest and largest minority-owned community bank on the West Coast, started because of rampant red lining, which allowed banks to discriminate against African Americans. As blacks entered the middle class and began buying homes, many were thwarted by white-owned banks that would not lend to them. Broadway Federal Bank was a response to these unfair practices, founded on the premise that people of color deserve the same opportunities for wealth creation as their white neighbors.

Initially a savings and loan institution, the bank has since grown its services and now offers small business loans and commercial real estate loans along with checking and savings among other educational and community programming. “There’s really a lot more hand holding and education than you would get at other institutions,” says Anderson. “We don’t really have a large pool so we need to make the people we work with wealthy.”

That kind of personal investment is, in large part, why community banks’ lending practices are more rigorous and conservative than larger lending institutions. It may also be what helped many of them weather the financial storms of the last few years better than their massive counterparts. But if their lending practices are more rigorous, they are also more nuanced. While they take the three Cs of responsible banking seriously (credit, capital, and character), it’s this last element that community banks consider more closely than others.

“We are more willing to listen to stories—if you’ve had a divorce or an illness in the family we’ll consider that,” says Anderson. “More people are going to community banks because they want to feel like they have more control over their money—a lot of people felt disillusioned (during the economic collapse) because they couldn’t talk to anyone. They didn’t know who was managing their money. Here you can walk in and get a meeting with our president and CEO. You can have a conversation about what your needs are.”

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or submit your own idea today.

Project: City R&D

Kyla Fullenwider — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:30:00 PDT

Back in December, GOOD, The Public Studio, and Sheridan/Hawkes teamed up to launch the first City R&D event in Los Angeles. The goal? To re-imagine the built environment and plan the next iteration of our city. Urban planners, artists, writers, architects, nonprofit leaders, and city staff (among others) spent an afternoon brainstorming creative solutions to some of the city's most pressing challenges like creating quality public space, improving transportation, and providing access to services. LA 2.0 was inspired by Obama's call for fresh ideas. Now it’s your turn. Bring City R&D to your own community and join the conversation about what makes a great American city.

the OBJECTIVE
Find and share actionable, local solutions to improve the built environment of your city, town, or suburb.

the ASSIGNMENT
Gather a group of urban enthusiasts in your neighborhood, suburb, or town to meet and develop creative solutions that respond to the challenges your city faces today then send your solutions to us.

the REQUIREMENTS
Step 1: Apply. Deadline for applications is May 14th. Apply here.

Step 2: Plan. If your application is approved you'll be added to our network of participating cities. Along with a toolkit on how to host a great event, we'll provide your group with a GOOD designed City R&D graphic to use for your event invitation and poster.

Step 3: Host. You can create any type of event you want as long as you use the guidelines we provide in the host toolkit.

Step 4. Submit. Share your solutions with us by July 15. The City R&D team will select the winning solutions.

Step 5. Learn. See what other cities are proposing to improve their urban environments and continue the conversation on GOOD.is/cities

the PRIZE
GOOD will publish the winning solutions online, and the City R&D team will help the winning group present their idea to key decision makers in city, state, and/or federal government. Also: a bag of surprises!

A Community Hub for a Neighborhood Reborn

Kyla Fullenwider — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 07:00:00 PDT

In 1925, a 22-year-old busboy slipped three poems to acclaimed poet Vachel Lindsay while he was dining at the Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. Vachel read the poems aloud to his audience later that night noting the “negro busboy poet” author. Reporters wanting to meet the young poet besieged him the next morning, or so the legend goes. Langston Hughes had been discovered.

It was a hostile time and place for African American artists, writers and intellectuals. In 1925, when Hughes and Lindsay had their encounter, Jim Crow was alive and well in Washington, D.C. and the literary establishment was overwhelmingly white and male.

Ninety years later, with our first African American president a year into his first term, it seems the times are finally changing. In D.C.- a historically black city- a cultural renaissance is decidedly in full swing. Take the U Street neighborhood- pockmarked for decades with the shells of buildings burned during the 1968 riots- galleries are opening, brunch business is brisk and Craigslist is full of high rents promising a hip and historical neighborhood.

On 14th and V street, not far from where Hughes donned his cotton white busboy uniform, and in the epicenter of what was the D.C. civil rights movement, sits Busboys and Poets—part cafe and bookstore, part community center that hosts readings, concerts and the occasional rally.

“I wanted to create a place where Washingtonians felt comfortable coming in,” says Andy Shallal, founder and owner of Busboys and Poets. Shallal, an Iraqi born, D.C. raised muralist, opened the space in 2005 with hopes of creating a place with Washington, D.C. central to its identity.

Doesn’t D.C. have many places of its own? This is a city known for its places, after all. True, says Shallal, but D.C.’s places are everyone’s places. They are the nation’s places. D.C. also has a large population of outsiders- folks who come for a few years and then move on. “We wanted a space that the D.C. community would define,” says Shallal. “There’s a real sense of ownership here.”

Busboys and Poets wears its politics on its sleeve and the location became a hotbed of activity leading up to the Obama election. “We were very much involved in the election … knee deep in it,” says Shallal. It has since returned to its normal rhythm of hosting busy lunch crowds with tables full of wi-fi users and two events a day, mostly in response to requests from local community groups and national organizations. This month both Moby and Alice Walker are on the schedule alongside the regular Monday night open mic.

On a Saturday night in April, there’s a line around the block to get into Ben’s Chili Bowl (the local haunt that recently catapulted onto the world stage after a visit by French President Sarkozy). The streets bustle with noisy partygoers and their impatient cab drivers. Music pours out of floor length windows. The neighborhood is alive. “My role in the community is to educate,” he says. “D.C. is still a very segregated place. You can feel that. It’s palpable, but people still want to feel that change is possible. People still want to feel hopeful.”

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or to submit your own idea today.

How to Swap Oil Changes for Spanish Lessons

Kyla Fullenwider — Thu, 8 Apr 2010 14:00:00 PDT

Timebanks are an easy (and free!) way to increase your community’s wealth. Need someone to walk your dog or fix your sink? Have some extra time to teach French? Timebanking provides a structure for the kind of sharing and exchange that already happens in communities and is a fantastic way to leverage the skills the larger economy doesn’t always value– it closes the gap between unmet needs and unmet resources. “In a time bank, everyone’s time is valued in the same way,” says Autumn Rooney, one of the organizers of the Echo Park Time Bank in Los Angeles.

Ready to start your own? Jen Moore of Timebanking USA guided us through the essentials of making a timebank work…

1. Share the load. Building a core team will not only help lighten the load, it will help foster a sense of ownership and commitment. “TimeBanks that spread out leadership responsibilities among many members live longer and grow more sustainably,” says Moore. And be sure everyone in your group is in it for the long haul, or at least long enough to build the momentum and recruit a core group.

2. Be patient. Timebanks require a special alchemy of people, time, and energy. In some cases this happens in days and in other cases months. If folks are slow to catch on, think about how you to introduce the concept in a fun and easily digestable format.

3. Communicate often. Create a platform for easy communication so that interested parties and stakeholders can stay abreast and observe before joining. A website or blog will provide a home base and give your group an identity. And make sure you know how to throw a party. “You should be a people person,” says Rooney. Offline, in person meetings are essential to building trust, camradery and to introduce new members to the community.

4. Build your community. Schedule meet-ups, service projects, workshops and potlucks to create opportunities for people to get to know each other. “TimeBanking is about building community,” says Moore.

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or submit your own idea today.

The Participation Problem Solver

Kyla Fullenwider — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:30:15 PDT

GOOD talks civic engagement with the White House's Sonal Shah.

The Obama Administration's Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation is charged with finding, amplifying, and scaling innovative solutions to social issues. The office's five full time staff members are innovating where they can and asking others to fill in where they can't. Not quite a year old, the office has written its job description on the fly, figuring out exactly what it can and cannot do legally, and where it can be most effective. The Kennedy Serve America Act, one of its largest efforts to date, passed with bipartisan support in April of 2009. Now the office is working to disburse a $50 million "social innovation fund," a public-private investment vehicle meant to help bring the best ideas and practices from communities and nonprofits to scale.

Sonal Shah, the office's head, is engaging and unflappable. Shah can type fast, talk faster, and still get it. She has an eye for economies of scale, and an entrepreneur's stomach for experimenting. An economist by training, Shah founded a nonprofit, worked with the Clinton Administration, and helped conceive of the office while working on Obama's transition team on leave from Google.org. GOOD talked to Shah about civic engagement after the Obama campaign, driving cross-country and growing up in Texas.

GOOD: For anybody who was around during the Obama campaign it would be hard to argue that civic participation is dying in America-there was this gusto, this momentum. But what's happening now?

SONAL SHAH: The campaign taught us there was a goal: to elect Barack Obama. We've found a real thirst to solve problems. I'm an optimist by nature and my general sense is that when we have asked, people have participated. Our challenge is: How do we create opportunities that can have a real impact in communities?

G: The idea then is to find projects and models around the country that are working?

SS: Exactly.

G: And then scale them?

SS: Amplify them. Scale them. Exactly.

G: So many community initiatives are often just these one-off projects. Do you think there's a way for your office to share lessons learned to scale the efforts?

SS: Absolutely. We need to find a way and that's an aspiration for us– to find and share those solutions across communities so people know if something happened in Sacramento, maybe it could happen in L.A. Or something happened in the Bronx, maybe it could happen in the East Village.

How do we build the next generation of partnerships? It's not a "you do this and I'll do this and you know, we'll call it a contract." It's a real partnership. There are some things that civil society just knows better. Community groups know communities, government knows how to do process, and business knows how to be efficient. How do you combine some of that expertise and bring those together?

G: Where did you grow up? In California?

SS: I grew up in Texas.

G: In Texas.

SS: In Houston.

G: What was one of your favorite neighborhoods in Houston?

SS: You know it's so hard to say. When we were growing up it was a really suburban neighborhood and so basically it was getting up, going to school, playing tennis. Wherever you played sports was the neighborhood you lived in and so our neighborhood was probably our favorite place because we used to play kickball, basketball, baseball, tennis. The best place to be was wherever we could play a sport.

G: So most recently you moved from Northern California to Washington, D.C.?

SS: Yes. I joined in March of last year. I left on a Wednesday from California and drove cross-country and got there on a Sunday.

G: Driving cross-country? Had you done it before?

SS: I had only done Texas to California and Texas to the East Coast but I had never done the country, the whole stretch. So my dad flew out and drove with me. It was great.

G: I made that drive out on my way to California and it really gives you this scope...

SS: This perspective…

G: A total landscape change.

SS: Especially when you're driving and you get from Utah and the next thing you know you're in Kansas. And then you're in Pennsylvania and everything's so different, and you realize how big this country is.

G: With all your traveling in your new role, have you seen any projects you think have particularly stood out?

SS: I was in New Hampshire and saw a program called Families in Transition-somebody found a way for homeless people to come live in a place that's dignified and also gives job training and has a business there, a second hand furniture store that funds the space. The person who started it had been homeless herself and realized, I don't want other people to have to go through what I went through. It's just amazing how people use their experiences. I was in New Mexico and met a young woman in Albuquerque who had started a charter school for her tribe. Different tribes had started different pieces, somebody had started a summer program, somebody started a scholarship program and started bringing them together. And so it's just fascinating watching how these solutions have come from problems they have seen. In essence they're entrepreneurs. Like business entrepreneurs they see a market gap and they fill it. And what they're really getting is social return out of it, not a financial return. But it's still productivity, it's still a gain-all those grand economic terms. But in essence what it's doing is helping a community. Because the government's not doing it and the private sector is not doing it, so they are filling that gap.

G: It's amazing what can be done with what seems like very little.

SS: Right. Scarcity brings invention. And it's just amazing to see the number of inventions there are.

Kyla Fullenwider, the founder of the Public Studio, and Pepsi Refresh Project Neighborhoods Ambassador, looks at people and initiatives creatively engaging sidewalks, streets, and neighborhoods.

Get a Crosswalk for Your Neighborhood In Six-ish Weeks

Kyla Fullenwider — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:30:00 PST

We’ve all been there before: standing on a street trying to cross with no traffic light in sight. Cars speed past and you try in vain to dash across the street, only to return to where you started: a high stakes game of chicken that drivers almost always win. The funny thing is most of us have probably been on the other side, behind the wheel, driving down the street only to see a little blip of a person trying to cross in your rear view mirror. The solution: a crosswalk.

As benign as they may seem, crosswalks can be surprisingly contentious. Politicians and city planners sometimes deny community requests using an antiquated, 1972 survey disputing the safety of crosswalks.

More recent studies—including one out of UNC—show that while crosswalks alone do not necessarily make pedestrians safer, when combined with other traffic abatement, they do make our streets safer. Rather than forcing drivers and pedestrians to play chicken, a smartly designed crosswalk will help them play nicely together. “Installing a crosswalk is one of the easiest and quickest ways to calm traffic in your community,” says Damien Newton of Streetsblog. We teamed up to figure out how this is done, exactly.

WEEK 1: Begin Documenting

You probably already know just from walking around your neighborhood where the most dangerous places are to cross. Pick one, study it, and record it* during one of the busiest times of day. This is also the time to start publicly documenting your progress. Start a blog or Facebook fan page and invite your neighbors. Don’t forget to provide regular updates- this will help build your case.

* Get a few face-to-face interviews to add even more to your story. Talk to people at the proposed site about why it’s needed and how they would benefit from it.

WEEK 2: Talk to Your Neighbors

After you’ve got your documentation and story down it’s time to start building community support. Good old-fashioned community organizing is a must: go door to door to gather names on a petition. Try to get email contacts so your neighbors can receive updates. Be sure to include businesses, Newton says. This will help show you have broad community support.

WEEK 3: Contact Your Local Politicians

Now that you have your neighbors on board it’s time to get your local politicians on board. Write your local council member, county supervisor or whomever can influence decisions at this level (and more importantly, whose constituents are asking for the crosswalk). Be sure to include your signatures and documentation.

WEEK 4: Contact Your Department of Transportation (or Public Works)

Once you’ve got your local politician on board, contact your Department of Transportation or Public Works Department. “Better yet, I would see if the council member would do it,” says Newton.

WEEK 5+: Follow Up

Now that you’ve set everything in motion, the rest of your work is simply following up. Depending on where you live this could mean an answer in a few days or a few months. We’ve settled on a week because, well, shouldn’t that be the norm?

Bonus Tips!

-If there’s been an accident in the area of the proposed crosswalk, gather all related press and clippings and include them in your formal petition. “Don’t be afraid to use them,” says Newton.

-Throw a victory party. Invite everyone involved, and local press and the politicians who helped make it happen. Politicians need all the good press they can get and they’ll be more likely to help you next time ’round.

Damien Newton is the writer/editor of Los Angeles Streetsblog and likes to walk places.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user eflon

This post originally appeared on www.refresheverything.com, as part of GOOD's collaboration with the Pepsi Refresh Project, a catalyst for world-changing ideas. Find out more about the Refresh campaign, or submit your own idea today.