Development & Education
Paris votes to make 500 more streets car free
There’s a showdown unfolding in Paris over who owns the streets. Residents recently voted in favor of banning cars from 500 roadways. The plan is to open them up to pedestrians, cyclists and new green spaces. The city’s mayor wants to transform Paris into the world’s first car-free megacity. But not every Parisian thinks that’s a good idea.
A century-old British tram gets restored to its former glory
In the early 1900s, Brighton, England, was full of electric trams. But at the start of World War II, they were scrapped for the war effort. All of the trams were lost — or so historians thought. Then in 2009, one was discovered on a pig farm, and a team of locals have been working ever since to restore the tram to its original glory. Now, the group behind the restoration is hoping to get it running on tracks again, soon.
USAID freeze could lead to instability in Latin America and encourage migration
A US shutdown of foreign aid is starting to have devastating impacts around the world. Health programs and even military assistance are now paused in many countries. In Latin America, some fear that the aid freeze could hurt economic programs and encourage more people to migrate to the United States.
Some immigrant families fear filing for financial aid
Some undocumented parents and students at schools in California and around the country worry that filling out the federal financial aid form, known as FAFSA, will tip off the government to their immigration status. That information isn’t supposed to be shared with other government agencies. But, some say, the new administration means they’re in uncharted waters.
How Tokyo developed a culture of transit in a world of cars
Despite a population of 37 million, there’s relatively little congestion and pollution here since the majority of its residents rely on public transit rather than cars. But while Tokyo’s mass transportation system may serve as a global success story, it may not be replicable, because its organic growth over the decades has fostered a unique culture of transit.
The Guatemalan health workers funded by ABBA’s ‘Chiquitita’
Fifty years ago, the pop superstars ABBA donated all proceeds from the song “Chiquitita” to UNICEF. The song is still making money, and that money is now being spent exclusively in Guatemala where it’s funding health workers who work in rural areas with children on sexual health issues.