Here at The Citizen, we do problem-solving journalism, looking for ideas and solutions to move the region forward and make a better city. Here are some other great ideas for solving the world’s problems, from media outlets around the globe:
Just as Philadelphia experienced when the Pope came to visit, Paris had a brief experiment with car-free streets recently. But unlike Philadelphia, they’ve decided to make it a (semi) permanent fixture. Starting this month, nine major roads will be closed to cars on the first Sunday of each month. While this might not do a whole lot towards reducing pollution, it can help make major strides in changing the city’s culture of driving. (via CityLab)
The Philadelphia Police have opened a treasure trove of policing data for public consumption. Last week, they released data on violent crime, police-involved shootings, and stop-and-frisk incidents for the entire city. Opening this data up will go a long way towards allowing community groups to see which areas are affected the most, and therefore the best places to concentrate their efforts. (via Philly Mag)
One major problem with our 24/7 news media cycle is the virtual glorification of mass shooters. After their heinous acts, their names get repeated over and over again on news outlets in print, on television, and online, both local and national, for days on end—sometimes weeks or months. This can lead to copycats who hope to replicate their level of fame. But the Brady Campaign has released a new Chrome plugin that automatically hides the names of such killers, reducing their fame and, hopefully, the chances of copycats. (via FastCo.Exist)
Photo header: CityLab