TOPIC: CITIES (31)

Beacon Food Forest

http://www.beaconfoodforest.org

A Food Forest is a gardening technique or land management system that mimics a woodland ecosystem but substitutes in edible trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals.  Fruit and nut trees are the upper level, while below are berry shrubs, edible perennials and annuals.  Companions or beneficial plants are included to attract insects for natural pest management while some plants are soil amenders providing nitrogen and mulch.  Together they create relationships to form a forest garden ecosystem able to produce high yields of food with less maintenance.

Block Avenue

http://www.blockavenue.com

BlockAvenue is a platform to help people better understand location by leveraging existing geo-data and social networks to create trust.

Chicago Trees Initiative

http://www.chicagotrees.net

The Chicago Trees Initiative is a city-wide, public-private effort to plant, care for and advocate for trees. This means many more trees will be planted in our great city, which is already known for its green urban spaces. And more important, existing trees will have better care – the best strategy for meeting our urban forest canopy goal. Every Chicago resident – and indeed, anyone who cares about trees has an important role to play. The goal invites all of us to be involved in planting and caring for trees on public and private land throughout the city.

Cities Alliance

http://www.citiesalliance.org/ca/about-cities-alliance

The Cities Alliance is a global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development.

Citizinvestor

http://www.citizinvestor.com

Citizinvestor allows citizens to invest in the local government projects they care about most. 
Local governments submit pre-approved projects to citizinvestor.com. The cost of the project has already been set and department approved, the only thing lacking is the funding. Citizens then find the projects they care about most and invest financially in those projects. Once a project is 100% pledged, the project is built! Citizens don’t pay a dime unless the project is funded in full. This ensures that there’s little risk to the local government entity and little risk to the citizen.

City Form Lab

http://cityform.mit.edu/en.html

The City Form Lab at the Singapore University of Technology & Design in collaboration with the School of Architecture & Planning at MIT focuses on empirical studies of urban form. We develop new software tools for researching city form; use cutting-edge spatial analysis and statistics to investigate how the physical pattern of urban infrastructure affects the social, environmental and economic quality of urban environments; and develop creative design and policy solutions for contemporary urban challenges. By bringing together multi-diciplinary urban research expertise  and excellence in design, we develop context sensitive and timely insight about the role of urban form in affecting the quality of life in 21st century cities.

CNU

http://www.cnu.org/

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) is the leading organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhood development, sustainable communities and healthier living conditions.

Creative Mornings

http://www.creativemornings.com/

CreativeMornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series for creative types held in major cities internationally. Each event is free of charge, and includes a 20 minute talk, plus coffee!

Dear City

http://dearcity.org

Dear City is a simple concept allowing a citizen to leave (anonymous) messages to the city he or she lives in. This web-based framework creates a social cluster of opinions that express the thoughts of the man on the street. Dear City becomes a documentation of contemporary life and its ups and downs. We believe change is achieved through all levels of communication.

Farming the City

http://farmingthecity.net

CITIES' Farming the City pilot project has been running in Amsterdam since November 2010, bringing city dwellers to explore inspirational ways of producing, storing, cooking, preserving, distributing and sharing food. 

Gidsy

http://gidsy.com

Gidsy is a marketplace for authentic experiences. Besides booking fun stuff to do, the site allows anyone host activities. Think unique walking tours guided by locals, nature hikes with wild cavemen and exclusive pop-up restaurants hosted by top chefs.

GOOD Ideas for Cities

http://www.good.is/ideas/posts

GOOD Ideas for Cities taps creative problem solvers to tackle real urban challenges and present the solutions at live events across the country.

Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC)

http://www.icic.org

The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City is a nonprofit research and strategy organization and the leading authority on U.S. inner city economies and the businesses that thrive there. Founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, ICIC strengthens inner city economies by providing businesses, governments and investors with the most comprehensive and actionable information in the field about urban market opportunities.

MESH Cities

http://www.meshcities.com

MESH Cities explores the wireless systems empowered, 21st Century city through the eyes of its super-users. These are the people who are embracing the new communications and infrastructure tools that will determine the ultimate livability of the modern city. The growing ubiquity of high-speed wireless connections allows people to experience the city in ways never before possible. More than that, they can contribute their ideas about how to make our cities more accommodating and responsive .

Neighborland

https://neighborland.com

On Neighborland you can share your ideas and insights for your city, support your neighbors’ ideas, and connect with people who share your interests. We are providing residents, neighborhood organizations, economic development groups, and municipalities with a powerfully simple platform to connect and make good things happen.