New York, May 4, 2021 —The winners of Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring the businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving health and climate crises, social injustice, or economic inequality.
coUrbanize is recognized as a finalist in the Spaces, Places and Cities category for the company’s power to neutralize NIMBYism and build support for new housing development in communities across the U.S. coUrbanize does this by empowering more people to influence what gets built in their neighborhoods, particularly proponents for change who you don’t typically hear from when new housing development is proposed.
“Opposition to new housing development – especially affordable housing – is often rooted in misconceptions about the changes it will bring to a community and bias about the people who will live there, “ explained Karin Brandt, CEO and Founder of coUrbanize. “Our platform lets the teams behind these projects tackle these unfounded fears and rumors head-on, while also inviting in feedback that is representative of the community.”
Showcasing some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling exigent global challenges, Fast Company’s Summer 2021 issue highlights, among others, a lifesaving bassinet; the world’s largest carbon sink, thanks to carbon-eating concrete; 3D-printed schools; an at-home COVID-19 testing kit; a mobile voting app; and the world’s cleanest milk.
“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems,” says Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that have launched since the start of 2020.”
About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
