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| Emergency Management |
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By January of next year, 200,000 federal, state, and local first responders in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area will receive biometric smart ID cards that will immediately identify their qualifications at the scene of an incident, allowing them to rapidly move in and out of secure areas and gain access to local digital networks. Officials believe that the initiative, funded by a $3.9 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security, will serve as a model for other regions to enhance cooperation and efficiency between state and local first responders and their federal counterparts.
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| Alternative Schools |
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Responding to the growing population of students new to the U.S., Clark County, Nevada, has established the Global Community High School. The school will assist new arrivals with academic and cultural transition issues, such as getting a library card or using public transportation, as well as immerse them in intensive English language preparation courses. Currently, the school can serve only 300 freshmen, but plans to add a grade each year.
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| Sanitation |
After five years of testing and construction, Minneapolis is launching a $65-million synthetic filtration system, which will remove microorganisms (including parasites and harmful bacteria) and industrial and residential chemicals from the city's water. The resulting water will be far cleaner than required by federal clean water standards. The new plant is also equipped to respond more efficiently to a terrorist attack with an early warning system and an advanced two-day supply of treated water. The system is the only one of its kind in the Western hemisphere.
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| Agriculture and Food Supply |
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Wayne County farmers will see their fruits and vegetables move to market faster thanks to the Farm-to-Fork Fulfillment Center, a partnership designed to help small growers gain access to far-reaching distribution networks in order to sell their produce. Using their fleets of trucks to pick up produce on their return trips from delivering goods to non-profits in 10 counties, Foodlink, the regional food bank, will help facilitate upstate agricultural commerce and allow participating farmers to take advantage of its USDA-certified repackaging facility and computerized inventory system.
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| Energy Resources |
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Hoping that the limited production run of plug-in hybrids in 2006 will gather into a nationwide groundswell for these vehicles, public officials and community leaders in Austin, Texas, have launched "Plug-in Austin." This initiative is designed to increase clean air and decrease an owner's annual fuel consumption by as much as 70 percent by promoting the use of plug-in hybrids. The campaign includes a national petition drive to spur the auto industry into action, and $1 million in seed money to increase plug-in adoption by local governments and businesses, as well as the public.
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| Communications Networks and Services |
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To support the future computer networking needs of scientists involved in cutting-edge research, the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, in collaboration with the California Institute of Technology, has successfully tested a data transfer connection that sends 20 gigabits of information per second. Thousands of times faster than regular high-speed Internet connections, UltraScience Net will eventually allow the scientific community to rapidly exchange complicated data sets in fields such as high-energy physics, climate modeling, nanotechnology, and genomics.
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| Natural Resources |
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School officials in Rockbridge County, Virginia, have found a pollution- and fossil fuel-free way to beat the high costs of heating and cooling their schools. The new systems use geothermal technology to take advantage of the consistent (52 to 56 degrees F.) temperature that exists naturally beneath the Earth's frost line. One hundred water filled pipes conduct the Earth's warmth to the surface in the winter and take away the surface heat in the summer. Officials expect to recoup their initial investment, about $100,000 more than a traditional heating system, in fuel savings during the next three years.
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| Public Communications |
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In an effort to give private citizens access to previously classified documents, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration has opened the Interagency Referral Center. Based in College Park, Maryland, the Center will accommodate specialists from the military services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the CIA, the State Department, and other executive branch offices who will use the Office to collaborate in reviewing and releasing sensitive documents. Officials emphasize that documents pertaining to current national security concerns will remain protected.
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| Public Transit |
New technologies have radically changed the way Americans use public transportation. Developments in smart card technology, fare collection, and schedule and passenger update systems are giving passengers more convenience and flexibility. In addition, software-enhanced surveillance systems that can detect suspicious activities on public transportation and communicate that information to operations control centers and on-board Wi-Fi surveillance that allows real-time images to be transmitted to police in the event of an emergency are increasing passengers safety.
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Mobilizing the Private Sector for Public Education, Oct. 5 - 6, 2005, Cambridge, MA
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Held at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, MA, Mobilizing the Private Sector for Public Education brings together an international group of economists, political scientists, policymakers and practitioners, who will present original research on the public-private partnerships in education in the context of both developing and developed countries and the efficacy of such initiatives. Specifically, conference papers will analyze vouchers in Colombia and Chile, charter schools in the United States, concession schools in Colombia, and education contracting and teacher absenteeism in public and private schools in developing countries. Presenters will also discuss the role of the World Bank, IFC, and other development partners in fostering a public-private partnership in education and the theoretical arguments behind mobilizing the private sector. |
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7th National Conference on Preventing Crime, Oct. 8 - 11, 2005, Washington, DC
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| The 7th National Conference on Preventing Crime will highlight successes in crime prevention and outline future challenges. Some 70 workshops will feature a broad array of topics - emerging trends in crime prevention, bullying, Internet safety, community preparedness, comprehensive crime prevention planning, public safety, gang prevention, fraud prevention, technology for law enforcement, gun violence prevention strategies, involving and protecting diverse populations, and more. |
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Welcome Our New Partner: Smart City Radio
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Smart City™ is a weekly, hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life, the people, places, ideas and trends shaping cities. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, elected officials, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others for a penetrating discussion of urban issues.
Newsletter produced by: Joe Morgan, Vanessa Ruget, and Brendan St. Amant (researchers and writers); Joellen Secondo (editor). |
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