Home » Articles
Share |

Articles in "Trends"

New Zealand Fast Tracks Citizen Engagement Reforms

“The aim of the funding is to increase the efficiencies of agencies working together to allow more New Zealanders to interact with the Government online...Our target is for 70 per cent of New Zealanders’ most common transactions with government to occur online by 2017.”

Creating a Digital Town Square

From granicus.com:

Saving the world takes more than open public data

If we’re not building relationships, we’re doing it wrong... Hackers + Planners + Citizens

 

From OpenPlans.org

Playful Architecture - LEGO’s Architecture Landmark Series

Chris Haller

What if kids would experience the basics of good architecture and urban design through play? Sim City obviously comes to mind, but now gems of modern architecture, like the Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier, can now be recreated in LEGO form.

Collaborative Cities: Crowd -Sourced Web Documentary Features Inspiring Communities

Chris Haller

Have you ever shared a ladder with a neighbor? Hosted an out of town friend on your couch for the night? Know of someone who works from a co-working space? These examples of sharing resources may come as no surprise to you. Moreover, there are also people out there rebuilding the education, agriculture, transportation, housing, and financial sectors through the concept of sharing. These lesser-known examples may be more common than we think. If more people were aware of this phenomenon would the collaborative economy be booming?

A New Economy in Need of New Tools

Amanda Maher

A couple of weeks ago, ICIC convened 250 corporate, civic and city leaders from across the U.S. to address challenges facing our inner city economies. Practitioners discussed how to align systems – including land use, capital and small business technical assistance – around an inner city’s growth clusters to drive economic and business growth. Throughout the two-day Inner City Economic Summit, important themes emerged.

Digital Communities Report: Solutions For Improving Sustainability of Gov Open Data Apps

Nicole Davis

Many of today’s most significant city initiatives couldn’t be carried out without the help of open data. For instance, one open source software app helps citizens locate and shovel out fire hydrants when they are covered with snow. Hawaii adapted the same app to use for testing tsunami sirens and Seattle will use it to clean leaves out of storm drains. Behind these innovations is open data, a more technical approach to government data with obvious advantages.

Storytelling: A Compelling Outlet for Citizens to Connect With and Reshape Communities

Chris Haller

Over the past few years we’ve looked at how communities have used storytelling to engage their citizens and identify common values as part of their planning processes. We’ve seen how communities have captured residents’ voices and histories in the medium of film, theater, photography, and even mapmaking.

Digital Differences to Consider When Planning Your Public Outreach Strategy

Chris Haller

There are myriad ways to reach citizens in this day and age. Weighing the options of connecting with citizens through mobile apps or web sites, which should we choose in 2012? Has it ever occurred to you that your target audience might not be using the Internet, or may be more prone to access it  in other ways than simply with their PC? Communicating online via your project website is a great first step to broadening your reach and organizing your public outreach efforts. However, it is also important to consider other methods now gaining traction to help you reach out to citizens in alternate ways to engage the citizens of your community in the planning process.