The Lab’s partnership with Ten Across
What is 10X?
The Ten Across initiative frames the U.S. Interstate 10 corridor, stretching from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, as the premier observatory for our collective capacity to imagine a more resilient future and inclusive society.
The partnership between APM Research Lab and the Ten Across initiative, housed at Arizona State University, pairs the strengths and interests of two organizations—one dedicated to purposeful, research-driven journalism, and the other to the intersection of issue and place.
Through this collaboration and the work of our Ten Across + APM Research Lab Fellows, we inform the public on the uniquely critical challenges facing communities in this region and what they reveal about the future of the country.
Check out the stories produced by our fellows below.
Waiting in line to vote: Effective administration is key to short wait times, election trust
In every presidential election, a significant minority of voters wait for over half an hour. In the last several election cycles, many researchers and officials have turned their focus to studying these excessive waits. But poll worker shortages, as well as rapidly changing election laws, threaten progress toward more efficient voting.
Managing groundwater on the US-Mexico border is challenging—but vital
At least 28 viable aquifers straddle the border between the United States and Mexico. As surface water supplies in Western North America face increasing strain, protecting and managing this groundwater becomes increasingly important. However, the amount of water in these aquifers is unknown, and both countries face regulatory and structural obstacles to management.
Points of Reference: Robotaxi Safety
In Phoenix and San Francisco, customers can hail driverless taxis. Advocates emphasize the potential of autonomous vehicles to decrease traffic accidents. However, the public remains concerned about the safety of self-driving cars.
Artificial intelligence’s emergence as a tool for city planners
In 2023, artificial intelligence took the world by storm. As the technology becomes even more ubiquitous, so will its presence in various spaces– including city and government planning. One planner mentioned that implementing AI as one tool among many, instead of using it as a replacement for all other tools and taking its outputs as “gospel,” lowers risk in planning.
Reflecting on my Data Journalism Fellowship
As our 2023 - 2024 data journalism fellow Rithwik Kalale wraps up his time with us, he decided to look back on his year with the lab, lessons learned, highlights, and what’s to come.
Highway removal: Reconnecting neighborhoods and the natural environment
The U.S. has been the pinnacle of road connectivity since the 1950s. But as the country continues funneling billions of dollars into expanding highway infrastructure, removal projects are becoming more common, aiming to deal with the environmental and societal consequences of these vast highways.
The federal government is spending millions on carbon capture. What is it?
Carbon capture, a major mitigation strategy highlighted in the most recent National Climate Assessment, is being funded via federal tax credits and other investments. Private companies are also throwing their hats in the ring, amid criticism that these entities are prioritizing CCS over adopting clean energy practices.
A majority support federal involvement in dealing with water shortages and flooding
Nearly half of Americans think the federal government should play a major role in determining water allocations in parts of the country that are experiencing water scarcity. On flooding, Strong majorities support federal government involvement including federal flood insurance — either subsidized or unsubsidized — and federal relocation of flooded homeowners. (Poll conducted Jan. 11-17, 2024.)
Storms, heat, drought, floods and wildfires all common experiences in 2023
Two-thirds of American adults indicate that they experienced at least one of five major weather events in 2023. Even more Democrats than Republicans report experiencing severe weather events. (Poll conducted Jan. 11-17, 2024.)
Lithium mining for EVs: How sustainable is it?
Mining for lithium, a key component of batteries used in electric vehicles, has significant environmental impacts. However, both consumer demand and a desire to reduce dependence on imports are leading the U.S. toward expansion of lithium mining.
The climate is changing. What can we do about it?
In November of 2023, the USGC released the fifth National Climate Assessment, detailing various information about the state of the world’s climate and the United States’ role in helping it. The APM Research Lab breaks down what important adaptation and mitigation strategies you need to know.
How is L.A. doing on its quest toward 100% renewable energy?
In 2021, Los Angeles collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy to produce the LA100 study, a plan to achieve a 100% renewable and carbon-free power grid for the city by 2045. To find out about the city’s progress, we talked with Denis Obiang, director of power systems planning for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Where does L.A. get its water from?
Aqueducts have been constructed throughout the decades to provide the city of Los Angeles with water from various sources, including the Colorado River and Sierra Nevada mountains. Now, the city is looking at sustainable options for the future to ensure a consistent and quality water supply for all Angelenos.
Climate disasters spark insurance woes
There are two sides to the homeowners insurance crisis: consumer advocates say homeowner intervention creates a fairer market, but insurers say this only puts them more at a risk for loss, forcing them to either pull out of states altogether. Is it market factors or the dangers of climate disasters or both that are causing these premiums to skyrocket?
“Offices and parking spaces are being used really inefficiently right now”
Many companies mandated work-from-home during the height of the pandemic. While several companies, such as videoconferencing company Zoom, have more recently required a return to physical offices, many have adopted a flexible or hybrid approach, alllowing workers to clock-in from home some days, while reserving office space for days when workers are in the office. As this work model becomes more popular, what are its environmental implications?
Tree equity: How are some of America’s hottest cities using it to protect vulnerable communities?
Earlier this year, the Biden-Harris administration announced $1 billion in grants to increase access to trees and green spaces in urban communities as part of the president’s Inflation Reduction Act. To combat rising temperatures across the country, how exactly are cities and nonprofits looking at tree planting projects through an equity lens? And how effective are these projects if the resources are not consistent enough to maintain the greenery?
Following the demand: The ins and outs of warehouse automation
Last month, Amazon announced a major milestone in warehouse automation – the introduction of a robotic system that can recognize and handle distinct objects. With recent strides in automation like those made by Amazon, will warehouse automation have a role in the growing supply chain? Like any technology, warehouse automation has its critics, who question its efficiency, safety and impact on workers.
Autonomous trucking: Is it steering technology in the right direction?
Autonomous trucks are quickly beginning to infiltrate America's roadways. The technology has made most gains in light trucking and has been more slowly implemented in heavy trucks, with many companies using Interstate Highway 10 to test it. But just how feasible and safe is autonomous trucking technology? And how will automation impact the industry’s inability to recruit and retain truck drivers?
Why does the U.S. lag other nations so badly in the automations of its ports? (And is that good or bad?)
Supporters of automation praise its eco-friendly efficiency. However, according to the 2021 Container Port Performance Index, three of four American ports that incorporate automated technologies rank low for overall efficiency compared to both automated and unautomated ports in other countries. So, why is that the case?
Points of reference: Anti-boycott legislation and Texas’ ESG Blacklist
In August, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar released a “blacklist” of financial firms with plans to divest state pension funds from those companies based on the state’s 2021 anti-boycott law. This legislation, which now may be serving as a model for similar legislation in other states, prohibits state investment with firms that boycott energy companies.
Back to school: Expansive Arizona program puts universal school choice under the microscope
With notable growth in state- and tax-funded financial aid just in the last year, school choice has become increasingly political. Questions regarding its accountability and effectiveness have been studied for years, but Arizona’s new legislation, set to take effect Sept. 24, has produced additional scrutiny. There is already a mounting effort to repeal this law.
Insurance aflame: Coverage inequities rage as population grows in wildfire regions
A 2015 study confirmed that fire seasons have lengthened by more than a month in parts of the western U.S. compared to 35 years ago. But just as wildfires have increased, so have the number of people moving to high-risk fire areas along the West Coast. Meanwhile, adequate insurance for wildfire damage appears to be harder to come by in recent years.
Inundating the gulf: Fewer Americans covered by federal flood insurance even as population grows in flood-prone areas
Across the U.S., heavy summer storms have brought increased rainfall and subsequent flooding to cities both prepared and ill-prepared to deal with the catastrophic effects. Regardless of preparedness, these cities will have to rely on flood insurance — insurance with a controversial past and future.
How the U.S. is filling in the potholes in transportation infrastructure funding amid worsening climate change
Over 40% of all U.S. roads are in poor condition, and 42% of bridges are at least 50 years old, according to the 2021 Infrastructure Report Card. These numbers pose a concern to experts as extreme weather events become more frequent, which puts additional stress on transportation infrastructure.
Required reading: How textbook adoption in 3 states influences the nation’s K-12 population
In April, the Florida Department of Education initially rejected 41% of all K-12 mathematics textbooks submitted for state adoption approval — the most in Florida’s history. Experts suggest that decisions like these, often made by those overseeing public school curricula in a small number of highly populated states, have an outsized influence on what children are learning throughout the country.
Feeling the heat: Energy insecurity in the nation’s hottest states
Energy insecurity is a growing issue in millions of households across the U.S. The struggles to pay high energy bills, including but not limited to electricity, are felt deeply in every geographic region, regardless of a hot, cold, dry or wet climate. According to the 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, more than one-fourth of all American households reported experiencing any energy insecurity.
COVID-19 along the nation’s southern corridor: What we’ve learned two+ years into the pandemic
Thirty-four percent of the nation’s population lives in the eight southern states connected by Interstate 10 — California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. And, this region has already surpassed the forecasted transition of America to a “majority minority” population by 2045. On the heels of the pandemic's second year, we thought it worthwhile to again review how the pandemic has played out across this southern tier.
Reading the numbers: 130 million American adults have low literacy skills, but funding differs drastically by state
About 130 million adults in the U.S. have low literacy skills according to a Gallup analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Education. This means more than half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 (54%) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level. Low literacy skills can profoundly affect the day-to-day success of adults in the real world, and these impacts extend to their families, too.
Designing for the future: Power grids must adapt to climate change
The country’s stressed and aging electrical infrastructure was built for the climate of the past, experts say. To catch up with the rapid pace of the changing climate, power grids and the way we think about them need an upgrade, not just to prepare for the disasters of today but in preparation for those in the decades to come.
By the Census: Increasingly metropolitan and diverse population foreshadows United States’ future
After being delayed for months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of the 2020 census are finally here. The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 results confirm its earlier projections: The nation is growing, though slower than it used to, and getting older and more diverse. And as redistricting efforts get underway, the new numbers stand to influence voting and political power for the decade to come.
The U.S. is facing a water crisis: Could desalination be a solution?
Water in the Colorado River is running low. Lake Mead recently reached record low levels. Groundwater in Arizona and California is in jeopardy. In the face of pressing water scarcity, some places in the U.S. in recent decades have looked to a specific type of technology to supply their drinking water: desalination.
Water in crisis: Despite conservation efforts, Arizona’s groundwater supply still at risk
According to a new report out of Arizona State University, water conservation in the state hasn’t gone far enough in protecting groundwater. Considering this warning and the on-going droughts and wildfires currently threatening much of the nation’s Southwest, APM Research Lab thought it worthwhile to look at the backstory of groundwater use in one of the nation’s driest and most rapidly growing states.
Southern U.S. includes some of the nation’s best and worst COVID-19 vaccination rates: here’s why
The states in the Ten Across region have reported some of the highest and lowest vaccination rates in the country. The discrepancies between states have broad implications for the health of their residents now and for future health disasters. Why do states in the Ten Across region have such drastically different vaccination rates? And what could be learned from their public health responses for future disasters?
COVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity in the Ten Across region
How is COVID-19 impacting the states tied together by the Interstate 10? At first glance, this diverse region has fared no better or worse than the rest of the nation in terms of COVID-19 impacts. Besides the region's Indigenous populations, other populations of color recorded marginally lower death rates than the rest of the country.
