Homelessness is a complex issue and there isn’t one singular piece of data that can effectively tell the entire story of homelessness and the greater need for housing in the United States. However, there are several data sources and tools that can be used at the community level to address the issue and some, like …
Medically underserved areas (MUA) are areas where certain populations — usually rural — are subject to a lack of primary care and have high levels of poverty, infant mortality, and elderly people. As designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), these “shortage areas” can have both a “population” and “geographic” identify. For example, …
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Community gardens are collaborative projects where neighbors come together and grow fruits, vegetables, and other plants in an accessible and open-space environment. As a gathering space, not only do they strengthen and build community pride, but they allow others to visibly see what a healthy, urban environment of stewardship and cooperation really looks like. Traditionally, …
Read more “Want to Start a Community Garden? Check out These Maps First”
As a general rule of thumb, transportation costs are supposed to be less than 15% of your annual income — that means that for a typical household in the U.S., with an income around $53,889, expenses should come out to about $8,083 a year or $674 a month. However, as outlined with the tools below, …
Read more “The Cost of Driving is WAY Higher Than You Think”
Apparently, Christmas light maps are the new craze! All across the country, communities are coming together and mapping out their town’s holiday lights! Some maps, like Nextdoor’s annual holiday Cheer Map, are pretty extensive, while others, like the Quad City Christmas Light Finder, are a little simpler. To make your own Christmas light map, look …
Read more “Christmas Light Maps are Becoming Popular – Here’s How to Make Your Own”
An easement by prescription (or prescriptive easement) is a legal right that allows a person to use another person’s land without their permission. It is similar to an easement by grant and an easement by necessity, but it is different in that it is created by use of the land (rather than by a grant …
Strong Towns, in collaboration with the The Parking Reform Network, has recently released a crowdsourced “Parking Reform Map” that effectively highlights cities and towns with “reformed” parking regulations throughout the U.S. The map, which can be found on both organization’s respective websites (see below), recognizes that parking minimums — local laws that require “x” number …
Equity and Equality are similar concepts, but two very different things. Equality is a means of treating everyone equally despite socioeconomic differences while Equity is a means of treating everyone circumstantially in order to provide marginalized or disadvantaged groups with the tools and resources they NEED to succeed. For comparison, think about socioeconomic issues within …
Read more “Equity vs. Equality: Using Tools to Explain the Difference”
According to a new report released by the Environment America Research and Policy Center and the Frontier Group, solar and wind production have nearly quadrupled between 2011 and 2020. While geothermal energy remained largely unchanged, both wind and solar have seen unprecedented growth, paving the way for a fossil-fuel-free renewable energy grid by 2035 — …
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A few weeks ago I hit a wall. I was flat out exhausted and couldn’t physically bring myself to send another email. Needless to say, I desperately needed a break from work. If I had to guess why, I’d say it’s pretty obvious (and probably true for all of us) — I had worked for …