Elev8

Location: National

Website: www.elev8kids.org

Elev8 brings together schools, families and other community partners in low-income areas — to ensure that students succeed in middle school and beyond. Part of a growing movement of community schools around the country, 

Elev8:

- Extends learning opportunities for students beyond the classroom and traditional school year,

- Provides high-quality school-based health services to children and their families,

- Encourages parents to be actively involved in their children's education, and

- Offers family supports and resources designed to promote economic stability, good health and continuing education.

Individually, these components play a pivotal role in children's lives. Elev8 thoughtfully integrates them because we believe an approach that considers the whole child and their family will have the greatest impact.

We focus on the middle-grade-students because those years are a time of critical transition for young people. Elev8 aims to ensure that by the time students finish 8th grade, they are prepared for high school and go on to graduate.

Elev8 looks different in every participating school, as community members identify local needs and create solutions. Students and families become advocates for improving education and expanding access to critical resources in their community.

Center for Urban Pedagogy

Location:

Website: www.welcometocup.org

The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) is a nonprofit organization that uses design and art to improve civic engagement.

CUP projects demystify the urban policy and planning issues that impact our communities, so that more individuals can better participate in shaping them. We believe that increasing understanding of how these systems work is the first step to better and more diverse community participation. CUP projects are collaborations of art and design professionals, community-based advocates and policymakers, and our staff. Together we take on complex issues—from the juvenile justice system to zoning law to food access—and break them down into simple, accessible, visual explanations.

The tools we create are used by organizers and educators all over New York City and beyond to help their constituents better advocate for their own community needs.

CUP takes two approaches to improving public engagement through civic education:

- youth education programs in which students work with teaching artists to investigate some aspect of how the city works and create final products that educate others about what they learned; and

- community education programs that bring together designers and advocates to produce tools, workshops, and publications that explain complex policies or processes for specific audiences.

Community Education works with advocacy organizations, policy experts, and designers to produce publications, workshops, and other teaching tools that explain important policy issues for the people who most need to know.

CUP publications and teaching tools are made for and with specific groups in specific places, but they reach a national audience of people interested in civics education and graphic and information design.

CUP’s Envisioning Development Toolkits are workshops built around interactive tools that teach people about basic land-use terms and concepts, enabling them to participate meaningfully in neighborhood change.

For example, the Affordable Housing Toolkit teaches participants about income demographics and the technical definitions of affordable housing to help them analyze proposed developments in concrete terms of units, rents, and incomes. The toolkits are developed in close collaboration with community organizations throughout New York, such as Good Old Lower East Side, the Fifth Avenue Committee, the Municipal Arts Society, and Tenants and Neighbors.

Making Policy Public series facilitates close collaborations between policy experts and design professionals to produce foldout posters that make complex policy issues accessible. For example, The Cargo Chain helped 10,000 longshoremen understand their place in the global shipping network, and is also a bestseller at art and design bookstores in New York. Collaborators have included designers like Candy Chang, Alice Chung of Omnivore, and Thumb Design with organizations such as the Brennan Center for Justice, Community Voices Heard, and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Through our Technical Assistance program, community organizations and advocacy groups can hire CUP to create custom outreach and organizing tools. For example, we are working with the Participatory Budgeting Project and Community Voices Heard, along with designer Glen Cummings, to produce outreach and educational materials, as well as maps and ballots for a citywide effort to engage public participation in City Council budget decision making.

Youth Education partners with schools and after school programs to produce experiential, project-based curricula that get students out of the classroom to interact with New York City and the people who make it work. Our education programs vary in length from one day to one semester and reach over 500 students each year – from the Bronx to South Brooklyn and everywhere in between.

Urban Investigations projects ask basic questions about how the city works and answer them over the course of a semester. Where does our garbage go? Where does our water come from? Who built public housing? Students make site visits and conduct interviews while working with artists, designers, and staff to produce award-winning videos, exhibitions, magazines, and other media that communicate what they’ve learned to a wide audience. These products are screened in theaters, exhibited at museums, and used by advocacy organizations to educate others.

For example, the Sewer in a Suitcase, a working model of a city streetscape and combined sewer system developed by CUPwith students from City-as-School, has been featured on the Design Observer website and at the Proteus Gowanus gallery, and is currently being used by educators at organizations like The Harbor School and the Lower East Side Ecology Center to teach people about wastewater management and combined sewer overflow. CUP projects are in-class and after school, project-based curricula for high school students, from semester-long projects to single-session workshops.

For example,CUP recently developed a curriculum with a teacher at the Academy of Urban Planning in Bushwick to help students understand how to use information graphics in their persuasive writing. After conducting an on-the-street survey on a proposed soft drink tax, students created their own figures, charts, and graphs to help them develop arguments for or against the tax.

We also provide Teacher Trainings, professional development workshops for teachers and administrators that help educators connect students to their communities through art and design. We develop custom programs to meet the needs of a particular group, from a two-hour site assessment project to a week-long set of workshops.

TechniCity

Location: International

Website: www.coursera.org/course/technicity

We are part of the 'TechniCity'. The increasing availability of networks, sensors and mobile technologies allows for new approaches to address the challenges that our cities face.
The way we understand cities is undergoing sweeping transformation, right along with the analytical tools we use to design our cities and the communication tools we use to engage people. Absorbing, studying and understanding the role of technology from a critical viewpoint allows us to generate creative ideas for improving our cities.

This course begins by examining how our cities are changing. We then jump into how technology is used to engage with the public to support decision-making.

This course is your salon, a gathering of people under the roof of inspiring hosts (your instructors), held partly to amuse each other and partly to refine our collective taste and increase the knowledge of the course participants through conversation.

We will have lecture videos varying in length of up to 20 minutes. Lecturers will be provided by the instructors.

These lectures contain 1-2 integrated quiz questions per video allowing all participants to gain a foundation of knowledge before diving into conversation.

There will be an active "virtual salon", our discussion forum, to engage participants in this course in conversation. We will also host "live" salons through a mix of google hangouts and onsite salons held at various locations based on where the instructors are located each week. Live tweet events will be held in a number of different languages, using #technicity. We will be using the virtual and live salons to engage in reasoned debate and polite conversation, while offering criticisms of current technology issues facing the world's cities.

We will be using a real-world public engagement platform to build community and sustain engagement. Participants in this course are encouraged to contribute their ideas, give feedback on others ideas and provide support for good ideas. Your hosts (instructors) will provide rewards for the best ideas and most meaningful contributions.

Students will complete assignments that build towards a final peer reviewed project about technology in your own city or region.

Students will be examining tools for analyzing the city. Then we move into exploring the infrastructure that makes the real-time, technologically-enhanced city possible. And rounding out the course is an exploration of entrepreneurial urbanism, looking at how creativity can spawn technological innovation. You'll hear from technological innovators and thought leaders about all of these topics. You can learn more as this course develops on Dr. Evans-Cowley’s blog.

Machine Project

Location: Los Angeles,CA

Website: www.machineproject.com

Machine Project is a storefront space in the echo park neighborhood of Los Angeles that hosts events about all kinds of things we find interesting – scientific talks, poetry readings, musical performances, competitions, group naps, cheese tastings and so forth. We usually do about two events a week, open to the general public and free of charge. Usually at 8pm. Information on upcoming events can be found on our future page.

Machine Project is an informal educational institution located in the the same storefront space as mentioned above. We teach all kinds of things we find interesting – electronics, sewing, pickling, computer programming, car theft and so forth. We usually have one or two class going a week, open to the public for a fee by pre-registration. Information on upcoming classes can be found on our classes page.

Machine Project is a loose group of artist/performer collaborators, who do projects together when invited by other people and institutions, usually museums. Information on special projects can be found on our projects page.

A huge gracias to our generous donors!
Machine Project is a 501c3 non-profit corporation.

More information that you will probably want to read can be found on our FAQ page

Cosanti Foundation

Location: Mayer, AZ

Website: www.arcosanti.org

Welcome to Cosanti in Scottsdale (Paradise Valley), Arizona. The word “Cosanti” comes from two Italian terms: “Cosa” and “Anti,” which together mean, literally, “Before (or Against) Things.” Here at the residence and sculpture studios of Paolo Soleri and his staff, architecture has come before everything else, and indeed, it is the architecture of this place that makes things possible here.

Choosing the idea that Cosanti means “Against Things” leads to an understanding of Soleri’s anti-materialist stance: the ideas generated here have helped to develop a lean and frugal methodology for approaching life on earth and the designs of cities that would support that attitude and that life.

Either way, Soleri, (later joined by his students) began work on the experimental buildings of Cosanti in the mid 1950’s. Designated as an Arizona Historic Site, Cosanti presents a unique bio-climatic architectural environment. Its structures feature many imaginative design elements, reflecting Soleri’s innovative construction techniques.

Cosanti is open from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Sunday, and closed only on major holidays. Visitors are welcome to take a self-guided walking tour and may be able to see bronze Windbells being poured (call ahead for information). Guided group tours are by reservations only.

The Cosanti Foundation, a non-profit educational organization, seeks opportunities to build partnerships that ensure the growth of Arcosanti and the educational opportunities inherent in the project.

Here are some of the existing and future programs and projects that assist in broadening our capacity to fulfil the goals of the participating partners, while developing Arcosanti to its fullest potential.

GOAL 1: PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

A. Focus educational parameters of construction workshops and grow student numbers

B. Engage in critical inquiry/ interdisciplinary dialogue with institutional/educational partners

C. Develop support for publishing/media and public lecture activity

D. Develop support for conference activity at Arcosanti

E. Grow public visitation at Arcosanti and at the galleries at Cosanti

F. Expand on- and off-site exhibitions and the work of the Soleri Archive in general

G. Maximize and cultivate potential of alumni to support ongoing work

H. Collaborate with institutions, communities, and industry

I. Expand opportunities for engagement with/outreach to neighboring communities

J. Develop scholar/artist in residence program

K. Develop support for performance and other cultural events at Arcosanti

GOAL 2: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

A. Improve existing physical facilities and support infrastructure

B. Develop/demonstrate architecture
for food and heat production: greenhouses

C. Program residential and commercial/institutional activity

D. Create and review 5-year financial plan

E. Expand Cosanti Originals (Soleri craft studios) production and sales

F. Expand Board of Trustees for fundraising and planning capability

GOAL 3: DEVELOP CAPACITY FOR GLOBAL URBAN DESIGN INITIATIVES

A. Strengthen and expand Arcosanti’s Planning Internship program and support

B. Accept commercial commissions that further our planning and technical expertise

C. Promote professional partnerships with governments, development entities, and with architects and urban designers globally

County Health Rankings and Roadmaps

Location: Nationwide

Website:
www.countyhealthrankings.org

The County Health Rankings rank the health of nearly every county in the nation and show that much of what affects health occurs outside of the doctor’s office.

The County Health Rankings confirm the critical role that factors such as education, jobs, income, and environment play in how healthy people are and how long they live.

Published by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Rankings help counties understand what influences how healthy residents are and how long they will live.

The Rankings look at a variety of measures that affect health such as the rate of people dying before age 75, high school graduation rates, access to healthier foods, air pollution levels, income, and rates of smoking, obesity and teen births.

The Rankings, based on the latest data publically available for each county, are unique in their ability to measure the overall health of each county in all 50 states on the multiple factors that influence health.

Sprockets St. Paul

Location: St. Paul, MN

Website:
www.sprocketsaintpaul.org

The Center for Democracy and Citizenship collaborates with a variety of partners to promote active citizenship and public work by people of all ages. The center’s work is grounded in the belief that a healthy democracy requires everyone’s participation, and that each of us has something to contribute.

Sprockets:

Sprockets is a partnership between the Center for Democracy and Citizenship and the City of Saint Paul through the Second Shift Initiative with the Saint Paul Public School District, Saint Paul Federation of Teachers union, and many community-based organizations and individuals. Working together, we aim to ensure that young people in Saint Paul grow up in a culture of learning that spans the many learning environments that impact their academic achievement, skill development, and personal growth so that they successfully meet the demands and expectations for the 21st century.

The Center for Democracy and Citizenship uses the lens of public work, in which people from diverse backgrounds work across differences to solve public problems, create public goods, and build thriving, inclusive communities. A public work approach to education–building on rich traditions of formal and informal learning that emphasize young people’s capacities for productive contribution–focuses on how every young person can be successful as an individual and a citizen. Learning in Cities is also shaped by A New Day for Learning, a report by the Time, Learning and Afterschool Taskforce. The report argues that “the nation’s steady progress as an economy and as a society will end unless we…design a comprehensive learning system throughout the day, early to late, and year round so that young people have a seamless learning experience…with multiple ways of learning, anchored to high standards and aligned to educational resources throughout a community.”

Learning in Cities emphasizes the intellectual deepening of education as a kind of public work.

Through this effort, we are developing vital communities of practice that generate learning cultures, and making the lessons of Saint Paul visible to broader audiences. Saint Paul is well poised to become a national and international model of a city-wide effort to create a learning culture infused with productive citizenship and democracy-building work.

A 21st century definition of youth success

From October through January, 2011, the Learning in Cities partnership brought together 300 business people, parents, young people, teachers, and others across the city for listening sessions. These stakeholders contributed their ideas to define youth success in ways that go beyond grades and standardized test scores. This new definition of youth success will be used as the foundation of Learning in Cities work and will be a guide for future policy and decision-making.

Using data to create a holistic picture of learning and achievement

Recognizing that Saint Paul has rich community resources to extend learning beyond the school day, the city’s Second Shift Initiative is exploring the creation of a data management system that would connect community-based youth organizations and allow the city to map trends in out-of-school time programming and provide data for evaluating its impact on academic achievement.

Bringing licensed and community teachers together through professional development

Through the Learning in Cities effort, the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers has agreed to engage youth workers and licensed teachers throughout the city in developing opportunities for relationship building and reciprocal learning and teaching around K-12 education standards. Licensed and community teachers will come together for the first time at the federation’s annual conference on March 6, 2010.

Urban Institute

Location: Nationwide

Website: www.urban.org

The Urban Institute gathers data, conducts research, evaluates programs, offers technical assistance overseas, and educates Americans on social and economic issues — to foster sound public policy and effective government.

The Urban Institute builds knowledge about the nation’s social and fiscal challenges, practicing open-minded, evidence-based research to diagnose problems and figure out which policies and programs work best, for whom, and how.

In the mid-1960s, President Johnson saw the need for independent nonpartisan analysis of the problems facing America's cities and their residents. The President created a blue-ribbon commission of civic leaders who recommended chartering a center to do that work. In 1968, the Urban Institute became that center.

Our Commitments:

- Use rigorous, state-of-the-art methods to analyze public policies and programs,

- Bring sound objective evidence to public policy decisions,

- Deepen public understanding of policy issues,

- Save government and communities time and money through research on effective and efficient programs and

- Work to make our Washington, D.C., metropolitan area a stronger community.

The Urban Institute is a member of theAssociation for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Community Education Coalition

Location: Columbus, IN

Website: www.educationcoalition.com

The Community Education Coalition (CEC) of Columbus, Indiana, is a nationally recognized partnership of education, business, and community leaders focused on aligning and integrating the Columbus, Indiana and region's community learning system with economic growth and a high quality of life. This site is intended to be an informational resource for both the Community Education Coalition and the Columbus Learning Center facility.

As you visit the site, please note the links to our Community Education Coalition partner Web sites and resource information to enrich educational and career opportunities for all in our community.

Community Education Coalition Strategic Goals:

- Promote the value and importance of a seamless learning system that offers accessible, affordable education for students of all ages

- Serve as an advocate for excellence in education

- Foster collaboration to advance student achievement across the entire learning system (Pre-K through grade 16 and beyond)

- Strongly support and encourage partners as they attract, develop, and retain the highest quality faculty

- Serve as a catalyst for establishing Columbus as a regional center for higher education and workforce development

- Foster a stronger linkage between economic development and education initiatives

- Foster efficient and effective use of resources; supporting complementary services

- Evaluate and measure educational system progress against goals and report regularly to the community

Visual Artillery

Location: International

Website: www.visualartillery.org

We're Visual Artillery, an international street art collective, and a certified nonprofit organization.

We function as a network for artists, and as an educational service to developing countries and struggling communities to provide them with art, training, and experience.

We're "against" the destruction of property, and we're "for" the empowerment of society through street art, graffiti art, and urban-inspired art.

Sustainable Cities Collective

Location: Nationwide

Website: www.sustainablecitiescollective.org

Sustainable Cities Collective is an editorially independent, moderated community for leaders of major metropolitan areas, urban planning and sustainability professionals. We look to aggregate content and provide resources for all who work in or are interested in urban planning, sustainable development and urban economics. Looking at issues such as transportation, building practices, community planning & development, education, water, health and infrastructure, we hope to create a community where people can get involved and learn about the advances in how cities are becoming smarter and greener in the 21st century.

There are plenty of ways to get involved: tie your existing blog's RSS feed directly into our site so that your posts are pushed to us automatically; manually submit exclusive content with our easy to use content creation platform; sign up for updates via RSS or email; follow us on Twitter @sustaincities or Like us on Facebook to keep up to date on all of our new content and events.

The Sustainable Cities Collective's mission enjoys the generous support of Siemens AG.