Happy New Year! The year 2013 promises to be another busy one for the Urban Initiative, with six projects underway and a few more in the pipeline.
One of those projects is SouthCoast Indicators, a website we developed to share data and resources specific to Fall River and New Bedford. After we first shared the site (southcoastindicators.org) with you in November, we've added some new content. To make sure you don't miss these and future changes, we've now added a section to our newsletter that will feature these updates. Be sure to take a look and share this resource with your networks.
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SouthCoast Indicators
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New on southcoastindicators.org this month: traffic accidents. Here are just a few of the data points you'll find when you visit this page:
- 5,454 accidents were recorded across Fall River and New Bedford in 2010
- 164 pedestrians were struck by vehicles across the two cities; 6 such accidents resulted in fatalities in New Bedford
- 45 bicyclists and one skater were hit
Meanwhile, read a review of the site on Boston-based think tank (and Gateway Cities champion) MassINC's blog.
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| From the blog: |
- Jason Hill writes about options for vacant land and abandoned buildings in light of recent conversations about demolition of old housing stock in New Bedford.
- MassINC just released a report calling for "transformative investments" in Gateway Cities like Fall River and New Bedford. What does that mean, and what would that look like? Read our post.
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Upcoming Events
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What: The NB Bicycle Committee hosts safe streets expert Steve Miller.
When: Wednesday, 1/16, 6p
Where: NB City Hall, Room 314
Cost: Free; learn more about the speaker here
When: Thursday, Feb. 7, 6:30p
Where: UMass Dartmouth Star Store, 715 Purchase Street, New Bedford
Cost: Free
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Grants
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Garden Club of Buzzard's Bay - Deadline: 2/8
The Garden Club supports projects related to civic beautification, conservation, and sustainable agriculture. Scholarships are also awarded. Details available here.
Captain Planet Foundation - Deadline: 2/28 Grants are to support youth environmental education and hands-on stewardship projects. Requests of $500 or less are encouraged. Read more here. |
Job opportunities
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Wellness Educator, SouthCoast Healthy Housing Initiative/YMCA
The wellness educator will support a 24-month grant program to increase smoke-free housing in Fall River, New Bedford, and Wareham. The position is based in a local housing authority.
Read job description here.Philanthropy Officer, SouthCoast Health SystemBased out of the Philanthropy/External Affairs Department, qualified candidates for the philanthropy officer position should have a comprehensive knowledge of philanthropy principles, fundraising programs, charitable gift planning, planned giving, research and major gift strategies.
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About the Urban Initiative:
The UI is a division of the Center for Policy Analysis that addresses challenges and opportunities in the region's smaller industrial cities, with a particular emphasis on Fall River and New Bedford. In addition to conducting applied research, evaluating programs and policies, facilitating collaborations, and providing technical assistance to cities and organizations therein, the Urban Initiative serves as a knowledge base for urban policy issues in the region. Perhaps most importantly, our work to support cities supports UMass Dartmouth students. Graduate and undergraduate students enjoy the opportunity to apply their coursework in the field by serving as paid staff and interns. If you are or know of a UMass Dartmouth student who wants to work with the Urban Initiative, get in touch!
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