This post is the first in an upcoming series of posts about civic startups. What’s a civic startup? Find out. Code for America recently launched a civic startup accelerator to help promote and “turbo charge” civic startups. We’re accepting applications for the accelerator now through June 1. Apply: codeforamerica.org/accelerator Jonathan Wegener is founder/CEO of Timehop.com,Read… Read more »
Duluth, MN (September 28, 2011): Innovative community safety efforts that have reduced crime, eliminated blight and renewed economic vitality in Duluth neighborhoods are being recognized on Wednesday with a national MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award. The Duluth Police Department and two local organizations were selected for first-place recognition from among 700 applicants for one ofRead… Read more »
LocalGovCamp is returning! It will be held on Saturday, July 14th in Birmingham – venue to be confirmed. Sign up for an early bird ticket here. Thanks to the UKGovCamp fund and Talk About Local who are early sponsors. If you want to throw some cash at a seriously cool bunch of local government innovators,Read… Read more »
Every year the Reason Foundation releases an Annual Privatization Report 2011 which provides a great overview of the privatization and public-private partnerships taking place in local governments across the country. Highlights include: 57 percent of city finance officers report their cities were less able to meet their financial needs in 2011 than in 2010 whileRead… Read more »
I had an enjoyable time on Saturday at the Talk About Local unconference, where lots of people involved in hyperlocal websites get together to share stories and experiences and to figure out answers to tricky questions. There tends to be two angles with hyperlocal – the future of local journalism stuff which I tend toRead… Read more »
So this weekend I’m in Joplin, MO for the Joplin Hackathon put together byCivicPlus and City of Joplin. The goal of the event is to create a new digital townhall for the City in time to release for the 1-year anniversary of the Joplin tornado. Here is their current websitewe are going to improve overRead… Read more »
Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia on Friday unveiled a new, smartphone-age tool designed to enhance the ability of citizens to send tips to law enforcement authorities. Flanked by several members of his command and investigative teams during a press conference at the Harris County Jail, Garcia touted “iWatchHarrisCounty,” a free downloadable application for Blackberries, iPhones,Read… Read more »
Over the past ten years the City of Carrollton Texas has grown in population from 80,000 residents to 120,000 residents. The City of Carrollton has also implemented a culture of managed competition estimated to have saved the city $30 million over the last decade. Despite an increase of over 40,000 residents, the city still operatesRead… Read more »
Once again I’ve been intrigued by the similarities between online and offline communities with the topic this time focusing on the handling of community events. And I wonder how much the “real” and “virtual” communities can learn from each other. If you work for a city, your experience is probably very similar to mine –Read… Read more »
Whether you’re new to a city or a long time resident, you almost certainly have knowledge and perspectives you can share with and learn from your neighbors. If cities had one spot where they could collect and capture the spirit of a thriving area, they might just increase collaboration and knowledge dissemination across an entireRead… Read more »