ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of October 26, 2020

Nora's Note

Small business recovery stories. Get inspired.


The stories she wants to see. Kim Haas, owner of W/MBE Haas Media, is a longtime ASC collaborator, but we didn't know she'd been brewing a big idea for a decade—the suspension of projects during the pandemic became her launchpad. In past travels through Latin America and the Caribbean, Haas became interested in the Middle Passage, in which millions of Africans were forced to the West Indies, and how African culture influenced the countries she visited. She also knew that although 25% of Latin Americans have an African heritage, they are missing—almost entirely—from television. That all changed this past September, when “Afro-Latino Travels with Kim Haas” premiered on PBS as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month, supported by the Costa Rican Tourism Board and a grant from the Ford Foundation. Haas is now seeking funding for episodes in Brazil and Colombia, among others, while Haas Media continues to bring clarity on communicating with diverse communities to every project.


Join Us This Friday

This Friday, join CEOs Nora Madonick (ASC) and Rebecca Karp (Karp Strategies) in “How to Maximize Your Virtual Engagement,” the launch of their collaborative Virtual Toolkit for Public Engagement. In this free webinar, they’ll share best practices for how, when and if to use tools in seven categories to build your powerhouse of outreach communications. October 30, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. 

You can download the new toolkit at ascRemote—a new resource to help you meet your audiences where they are to advance civic planning projects and initiatives that can speed recovery.


Transportation

MTA launches real-time, first-of-its-kind 'Live Subway Map.' MTA passengers now have a new tool to make travel across New York City more seamless than ever before. Through the Transit Innovation Partnership, the new Live Subway Map, now in beta, digitally displays the real-time location of trains and reflects service changes. The MTA calls the map the first of its kind in North America. Read on to learn how new technology will support the return to mass transit.

  • CNBC: Small U.S. cities hit with airline service cuts in pandemic

  • Bloomberg CityLab: The Pandemic Kick-Started an Urban Motorcycle Boom. Are Cities Ready?

  • Tampa Bay Times: Florida hopes to offer smartphone-based driver’s license by 2021

  • Axios: Misperceptions may be holding consumers back from buying electric vehicles

  • Clean Technica: US DOE & DOT Work On Improving Public Transportation Projects Using Data & Technology

  • Government Technology: Slow Streets Were A Success. Should Cities Keep Them?

  • NY Times: Amtrak Warns of Layoffs and Project Delays Without Billions in Assistance

  • ABC7 Buffalo: Western New York to receive nearly $43 million in new pavement renewal projects


Energy/Environment

Big Cities Are Cutting Serious Carbon, but Could Do Much More. New York has set ambitious goals: the State is targeting net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040, and New York City has set its sights on 2050. Only 45 of the 100 largest cities in the United States have a climate plan that includes a GHG emission reduction target to a baseline, like that of NYC, according to a new study from the Brookings Institution. The study also finds that if those cities meet their goals, the GHG emissions saved will equate to the removal of 79 million cars from the nation's roads. Read on to learn what cities have taken on the challenge.

  • Washington Post: The town that built back green

  • NorthJersey.com: Environmentalists make headway with NJ Transit in fight for clean Transitgrid project

  • Planetizen: Proposed Citywide Rezoning Would Layer Resilience in New York City

  • City Monitor: Houston’s bid for park equity

  • The Conversation: Designing batteries for easier recycling could avert a looming e-waste crisis

  • Fast Company: Here’s how much it would cost to move every home in the U.S. to zero-carbon energy

  • AP: Pavement technology could cool cities from the ground up

  • Energy News Network: Michigan officials look to state forests as an offset for carbon emissions


Economic Development

Coronavirus is reshaping America's job market. Even as COVID-19 continues, employers and employees are navigating the longer-term impacts of the pandemic on jobs and the economy. Economic inequality in communities of color and the threat of permanent job losses top the list of current challenges to economic recovery. Experts are recommending that the United States prioritize efforts to retrain workers with the skills they need to transition into new jobs. Read on to learn more about recommendations for industries including retail, hospitality, manufacturing and more.

  • NextCity: Converted Mansion to Offer Affordable Live-Work Space for Newark Makers

  • Route Fifty: Local and State Governments Spent $9 Billion on Small Business Aid

  • NPR: Oil Jobs Are Big Risk, Big Pay. Green Energy Offers Stability And Passion

  • Dallas Morning News: Stacy’s Rise Project funds $150,000 in grants to Black women business owners

  • Bklyner: The Fountains Opens To Provide Hundreds Of Truly Affordable And Supportive Homes

  • CNBC: As stimulus talks drag on in Washington, millions of small businesses await guidance on PPP loan forgiveness

  • Grist: FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps helped repair the country. Is it time to revive it?

  • Streetsblog USA: Can This App Tell You If You Live in a ’15 Minute Neighborhood’?


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ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of November 2, 2020

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ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of October 19, 2020