Content about Labor

As more and more urbanites flock to Denver, they are beginning to demand more from their city. More bike lanes, more active public places, more creativity, more spaces designed for people. Rather than waiting for authorities to transform their streets and neighborhoods, they are taking action.  The new website TacticalUrbanismHere.com documents these urban interventions to show how small-scale change can have a big impact on Denver neighborhoods.

At the same time as our cities become more desirable places to live thanks to the draw of cultural facilities, parks, transportation, restaurants, and sporting events, they are also hurtled into the pursuit to find ways to accommodate growth. Since economic development initiatives are at the forefront of city agendas, we now wonder how to promote equitable urban revitalization and foster economic opportunity for all residents.

Most of us grasp the concept by now that social media has the potential to create a powerful a two-way dialog between government and constituents. So, why aren’t more municipalities embracing this form of public outreach? Cutting through the clutter of social media can be quite intimidating for the novice, we agree; however, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Plus and even Pinterest can and should be viewed as a communications asset. Recently, technology and communications experts from three U.S. cities were asked for their recommendations regarding social media strategies for engagement. 

When we think of Michigan, images of auto assembly lines and recording studios spring to mind, and we recall how that one state shaped the world with innovations, institutions and created new ways of modern living. Michigan is now facing drastic job losses and one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, partly due to the collapse and restructuring of the auto industry.

For philanthropists, policymakers, and anyone who thinks deeply about how to make social progress, the challenge of assessing the potential value of new ideas and tools is a familiar one: we are all trying to figure out which new ways of working and living have the most potential to improve the world, so that we can invest our limited resources in them. A skeptical-but-curious person might ask: what is possible—and fundamentally different—because of a new technology that wasn’t before? Why does it matter? 

Local newspapers have always been a relied-upon source for citizens, playing a complex role in the civic life of American communities. According to the 2012 State of the News Media report by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, newspaper circulation is dropping while the number of people reading news on mobile devices is on the rise.

Several weeks ago, the office of Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock launched a two-part community engagement strategy to gather public input on important financial issues facing the City of Denver.  A series of public forums put keypad polling devices in the hands of city employees and Denver residents to test the best   ideas for how to address the City’s financial challenges.  The Mayor also unveiled a new participatory budgeting tool encouraging public feedback on key topics relative to fixing Denver’s budget gap. The new interactive tool, Delivering Denver’s Future, gives residents a unique opportunity to weigh in on how to fix the city’s broken budget.

The 2012 Where Conference begins this week (April 2-4), and EngagingCities is excited to be streaming over 20 sessions to our readers live begining today! So, even if you couldn't attend, you don't need to miss out. Check out the See the full broadcast schedule and view the live broadcasts here. Now in its eighth year, Where Conference: The Art and Business of Location, is where the grassroots and leading-edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. In the O'Reilly conference tradition, Where Conference presents leading trends rather than chasing them.

Join a discussion with the Sustainable Practice Network's panel of experts and thought leaders on the impacts of Environmental, Social and Governance measures on society and the way we conduct business.

As demand for quality environments in our cities continues to increase, more attention is being paid to the opportunity presented by urban revitalisation as a sustainable alternative to broad scale urban renewal. Around the world urban revitalisation is being catalysed by housing, cultural, retail, infrastructure and city centre projects that spur on infill development, adaptive re-use and other local investment.

The city of Eugene, Oregon, has been working its way through the process of planning for future growth over the past 20 months, using various public engagement tools.  Early on, it became evident that we would need new and different media formats to inform and engage people at different points in the process.   For major public conversations such as creating a community vision, we held large workshops with plenty of opportunities for small group discussion.  For feedback on interim staff proposals, we have used surveys, on-line comment forms, and meetings with community groups.  Throughout the process, staff has maintained a Facebook page and comprehensive website with current project videos, maps, and documents posted as they are developed.

A recent Pew Research Center study indicates a significant rise in smartphone use by minorities, reporting that 44 percent of African Americans and Hispanics say they own a smartphone, compared to just 30 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Of the smartphone operating platforms, Android seems to be the most prevalent type used these days, followed by iPhones and Blackberry devices. Demographically, Android phones are especially common among young adults and African-Americans, as opposed to iPhones and Blackberry devices most commonly used among college graduates and the financially well-off.