Public and private groups often work in parallel, duplicating efforts even when the groups operate side by side. Instead, they should leverage their combined networks as part of a long-term strategy. “We need to maintain, kind of, a whole map of the community,” explained Matt Leighninger, Director, Center for Democracy Innovation, at the National Civic League.
It’s about maximizing the community’s civic capital — the formal and informal relationships, networks and capacities that encourage collaboration and problem solving. Online neighborhood groups can be helpful, he noted. They often practice their own kind of self-governance — for instance, by informally agreeing to avoid certain topics — and become organic forums to share ideas, post announcements and build relationships. “It’s about making a [shared] space for engagement that everyone can help make good,” Leighninger said.
Consider:
Individuals have all kinds of basic community needs, such as seeking help finding a lost dog, learning when school lets out and identifying a local carpenter. Those community dialogues can be an entry point to request input on the city budget or other projects because residents already are participating and invested in local issues. And if people from different backgrounds and institutions “agree up front about how they’re going to act toward each other, they’re much more likely to [succeed],” said Leighninger.
Case Study: New York City
It is difficult to engage historically underrepresented groups in a municipality as large and diverse as New York City. But through NYCx Co-Labs — a partnership of the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer and the city’s economic development agency — community members in low-income and other areas share their concerns via workshops, town halls, individual conversations and other forums. Then, a Community Tech Board of city officials, community advocates, tech gurus and other stakeholders launches a challenge — that is, a call for an innovative IT approach — to address a neighborhood concern that’s ripe for a tech solution.
One Co-Labs project focused on improving mental health services in Spanish-language communities that often lack access to counselors and the insurance to pay for them. “You put all of those things together, and you realize that the systems that allow you to have excellent access to mental health services are fundamentally broken,” said Oscar Romero, CIO at the NYC Civic Engagement Commission and former NYCx Co-Labs Director. “And then here is the opportunity that technology can offer in terms of education, skills and understanding.”
This article appeared in slightly different form in our guide, “State and Local: Better Public Service Through Innovation.” To learn more about how state and local governments are enhancing both outreach and efficiency, download it here: