Increased carpooling and use of public transit reduces the number of drivers on the road, alleviating congestion and cutting down on carbon emissions and smog. Still, many who are open to the idea of carpooling or using public transit prefer to rely on the flexibility of a private car, in the event they have an emergency or need to stay at work late, for example.

Officials in Minneapolis eliminated this concern to encourage alternatives to driving alone by instituting a Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program (also known as emergency ride home). Anyone who commutes to work or school at least three times a week by riding the train, bus, carpool/vanpool, bicycle, or walking is eligible to participate. This innovative city-sponsored commuter insurance covers the cost of a taxi, ride share, or rental car up to $100 a year (or four annual rides) in the event of an emergency or an overtime shift which makes it impossible to use normal transportation. This program carries extra significance for workers and students without driver’s licenses, the elderly, those who cannot afford a car, and those with disabilities that prevent them from driving.

Minneapolis is just one of many cities in the United States to implement this easily replicable policy.

View full policy here.

Learn more:

• Emergency Ride Home Toolkit

Header image by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash

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Biking has become a way of life in Portland and many other cities around the world. Riders enjoy reduced transit costs, health benefits, and social opportunities. In most cities, however, these benefits are only accessible for those who can ride traditional bikes, or the physically disabled who can afford special bikes. In Portland, riders lobbied the city government to think about disabled riders in designing a bike-sharing system.

The city will eventually offer adaptive bikes for the physically disabled as part of the 1,000-bike and 100-station bike sharing system that launched in July 2016. The city first conducted a series of interviews with disabled riders to understand their needs. They found that, in addition to needing a variety of adaptive bikes, disabled riders often required storage options for wheelchairs and assistance at bike share stations. Adaptive bikes are designed to fit the needs of individual riders. Some are designed with three wheels to accommodate riders who have trouble balancing. Others are heavy duty to accommodate larger riders or offer hand pedals for riders with limited or no lower body mobility. During the interviews, officials discovered that disabled riders were looking to ride for exercise and recreation, so it is crucial to offer more adaptive bikes and services near trails, rather than at commuter bike stations.

The adaptive bike program was scheduled to roll out in June, 2017. The city is holding or has held educational events, such as the adaptive bike clinic, and providing scholarships for biking classes, to ensure more people can enjoy the benefits of the forthcoming bike-sharing facilities.

Learn more from:

• Adaptive Bicycle Rental Pilot Project
• News story covering the policy

Header image by the Portland Bureau of Transportation on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The post Bike sharing for all with Adaptive Biketown in Portland appeared first on Shareable.

The Brixton district in South London's Lambeth borough has been a bastion of progressive thought and culture for decades. After the financial crisis of 2008, local businesses were struggling and had trouble securing loans from banks. An area that had once thrived began to stumble.

The Brixton Pound (B£) was launched in 2009 by Transition Town Brixton to support local businesses with a local currency that would "stick to Brixton." The founders of the B£ wanted to create a mutual support system tying residents to local businesses and encouraging business to source locally.

The local borough government, Lambeth Council, was supportive of the B£ from the beginning. It recognized the local currency as a way to develop the community, build local economic resilience, and draw positive attention to the area. According to B£ Communications Manager, Marta Owczarek, "The council's support has greatly helped the B£ start and develop — it would have been very difficult to do what we did without that support. In particular, it acted as a guarantee that the scheme was trustworthy, so local business owners and residents alike felt secure in exchanging their money into and accepting the brand-new local currency."

Within the first six months of the launch of the B£, Lambeth conducted research that estimated the media coverage of the currency generated by the B£ volunteers was worth half a million pounds to the area.

Since 2012, the B£ has "been a live part of the Co-operative Council, working alongside the policy team," according to Owczarek. As a result, the B£ has been able to play an active role in supporting the community while receiving council support. The B£ helped set up community spaces like the Impact Hub in the Town Hall. Lambeth helped the B£ create a mobile electronic payments system, and was also the first council to pay wages in local currency and accept a local currency for taxes. In 2014, the Lambeth Co-Operative Investment Fund gave the B£ funding to start a community lottery program, which was launched in 2015. The lottery increased the circulation of the B£, became an additional revenue source for the B£, and enabled the B£ to fund community projects.

The B£ has also helped Lambeth gain prominence globally and locally. In 2012, thanks to encouragement from the B£, the Council secured funding to join an international project to expand community currencies. On a local level, Lambeth won the Mayor’s High Street Fund to install a local currency cash machine, possibly the first in the world.

Learn more from:

• Website for The Brixton Pound
• Lambeth Council
• Shareable's guide to starting a local currency

Header image by Charlie Waterhouse on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

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Most banking and credit is controlled by private banks that prioritize profit over community needs. Unfortunately, this sometimes leads private banks to fund unethical projects, defraud customers, seek bailouts when risky investments fail, or simply offer unattractive fees and interest rates. Most private banks profits flow out of local communities instead of stimulating the local economy. And, as in the subprime crisis, their mistakes can lead to economy-stifling credit shortages and other negative impacts to cities and their residents.

However, most cities deposit their funds in, and get their financing from, private banks. This exposes cities to their disadvantages. Cities, however, can follow the example of the state of North Dakota and form a government owned and controlled public bank. The Bank of North Dakota (BND) is a public bank that holds all state funds and is chartered to make safe, low-interest loans against this reserve to fund local businesses and projects. In addition, all of BND’s profits go into the state treasury to fund schools, social programs, and other needs of state residents.

In a case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court (Green versus Frazier, 253 U.S. 233) in 1919, the state government of North Dakota won the right to have its own bank. Since that decision, the BND has been guided by its charter to “serve the people of North Dakota.” Following the charter, the BND has focused on low-risk, local lending done primarily through a network of independent community banks. It has only one location and does little retail banking, so complements rather than competes with banks.

In other ways, the BND is run like a typical for-profit bank. BND is staffed with professional bankers and lending decisions are made based on conventional criteria, though it is more likely to fund community-enhancing projects that typical banks. BND has been profitable since at least 1971 (the furthest back records are available) and has grown to $4 billion in assets. The state’s government and economy has benefited substantially from BND’s long-lived and consistent success. BND has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the state treasury over its lifetime ($300 million between 1998 and 2008 alone). BND has helped North Dakota maintain a low unemployment rate, large state government budget surpluses, a robust network of community banks, and high credit availability even during economic crises.

BND is no anomaly. Public banks have a long history of success in other countries such as Costa Rica and Germany. Because of BND and other successful public banks’ track record, a number of U.S. cities and states are pursuing or have pursued public banking legislation, including the city of Oakland in California and the state of Massachusetts. Much of this activity was sparked by the subprime crisis.

Learn more from:

• The Public Banking Institute
• Report on why governments should not use private banks
• Feasibility study for a public bank in Massachusetts with a BND review

Header image by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

The post The Bank of North Dakota: Reliable financing for the common good appeared first on Shareable.

Here's how one organization is working on the problem: In 1989, with a donation from a French organization, members of the local community launched Banco Palmas, a community development bank designed to address local unemployment and stimulate local spending. Community organizers Joaquim Melo and Francisco Bezerra got the bank off the ground by building strong connections with existing local banks. In 2003, Banco Palmas launched a local currency to complement the Brazilian real called "palmas." The currency was designed to foster local pride, designed by local artists complete with security features. Still running today, Banco Palmas aims to keep the money spent in the neighborhood circulating in the neighborhood to ensure local development.

Banco Palmas offers a range of microcredit for individuals who would otherwise not qualify for traditional loans for small businesses, personal consumption in the community (with palmas), and for housing renovations. In 2010, Banco Palmas also began offering a small microinsurance option.

The bank is managed entirely by local people. Palmas Institute, a nonprofit, administers the circulation of Banco Palmas with six full-time staff. It is funded by grants in addition to account fees and transaction fees.

Results:

• Banco Palmas has proven that it is possible to stimulate local economic development regardless of the level of poverty of the community. The bank has supported the local identity and economy while creating 1,800 jobs (including currency and credit services). By 2011, 270 businesses were involved with 46,000 palmas ($22,243) in circulation.
• Palmas are now the exclusive source of currency for some people. Both the Brazilian government and the central bank of Brazil have championed Banco Palmas. Sixty-six communities around the world have used Banco Palmas as a model for their local banks.
• As Banco Palmas revitalized the Conjunto Palmeira economy, crime rates dropped and the general quality of life improved.

Learn more from:

• Banco Palmas (Portuguese)

This case study is adapted from our latest book, "Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons." Get a copy today.

Header image of Headquarters of Banco Palmas and Instituto Palmas, in Fortaleza provided by Palmaslab

The post How a community development bank in Brazil stimulated the local economy appeared first on Shareable.

However, downward financial pressure on taxi drivers has forced them to seek out passengers who are more financially lucrative. This has been a significant challenge to both the taxi drivers who are struggling to make a living and to passengers who are in need of basic transportation services.

Here's how one organization is working on the problem: In response to this challenge, former lawmaker Park Gye Dong, chairperson of COOP Taxi, developed a system to give drivers an alternative to the exploitation of taxi companies. The system brought together 184 cooperative members who together invested 4 billion won ($3.3 million). Each driver invests at least 25 million won ($21,413) to become a part of the cooperative, and then receives a dividend proportionate to the initial investment as well as profits earned. In contrast to the traditional system, there are no daily fees that force drivers to share their daily earnings with the company. The unique value of COOP is that it allows drivers to be owners of the system itself.

Results:

• As of August 2016, there were 76 taxis in the co-op, with a total of 182 cooperative members.
• These drivers now enjoy better working conditions, as they are able to work only five days a week, instead of the industry standard of six.

Learn more from:

• CO OP (Korean)
• Pulse News article
• Korea Times article

This case study is adapted from our latest book, "Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons." Get a copy today.

The post Seoul-based COOP Taxi gives power back to drivers appeared first on Shareable.

1. Gemach

Gemachs are directories, which people in a community can use to search for items to borrow from one another. Gemachs are prevalent throughout the religious Jewish communities in Jerusalem. The word gemach is an acronym for gemilut chasidim (acts of loving kindness). The directories are usually on paper and list everything from wedding dresses to baby clothes. Now, in Israel, the gemach exists for everything. There are even gemachs that offer interest-free loans.

2. Hosh Al-Yasmin

In the town of Beit Jala, Hosh Al-Yasmin is a thriving example of a true, robust sharing economy. Born in a settlement in "Area C," Hosh Al-Yasmin, a Palestinian restaurant and hotel, has become a haven for artists. Located on a beautiful and fertile farm in a valley in the West Bank, Hosh has stunning views of the region and serves some of the best home-cooked Palestinian food in the Middle East. Visitors can choose to pay to stay and eat, or work on the farm, in the restaurant, or create art for the restaurant in exchange for room and board.

3. Muslala

After years of neglect and violence, the Clal Center has become the heartbeat of West Jerusalem's sharing economy and home to Muslala, a public arts nonprofit. The community group Muslala was started by artists, residents, and community activists of the Musrara neighborhood in Jerusalem in 2009. Muslala made the top floor of the Clal home and began using public art as a tool to unite the divided city. The Muslala website explains that "most of the activities take place outdoors in the public realm, with ripples affecting both east and west Jerusalem and beyond… The Muslala Group operates on the premise that the power of art and creativity can alter ways of thinking and the conduct of society and individuals." Thanks to Muslala, the Clal has has become home to those interested in communal activities. It runs a yoga group and features a makerspace and community pantry. 

4. Reading stations

Recently, a couple of Jerusalem residents lobbied local organizations to support a book-sharing system near neighborhood parks. The organizations banded together and successfully convinced the municipality to create and maintain the stations. The stations are run very simply — there are no hard rules. People take books and share books. Reselling of the books is discouraged and largely does not happen. Although the book station usage is not tracked, the municipality estimates that a few hundred people share books each week at the stations.

5. Community gardens

Although Jerusalem is densely urban, community gardens have sprouted in abandoned lots and vacant spaces and become mainstays of many Jerusalem neighborhoods. There now are more than 40 community gardens throughout the city. The community gardens are autonomous of one another and maintained by each neighborhood separately. As a result, each community garden is beautifully unique and maintained according to the desires of that particular community. The groups operating the gardens agree on a regular work day when the neighborhood comes together to garden. Additionally, the community council of each neighborhood organizes events in the gardens to strengthen and build community.

Header image of Jerusalem, Israel, by Rob Bye via unsplash

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