Why build your own? There are several free web applications out there that help cities interface with their citizens. Christian Madera picks the best.
Madera talks about well-known tools like Google Maps and Twitter, but also many lesser-known ones like WuFoo and BatchGeo.
He writes, "Tools like Todaysmeet make it easy to set up a feed that can be displayed on a projector, and offer the ability to save a transcript of all tweets over a period of time with a specific hashtag included. This transcript could then be analyzed for key ideas that came out of the meeting. (This could be as easy as running it through a word cloud tool such Wordle). Also during a meeting, web tools like PollEverywhere and TextTheMob let audience members respond to poll questions by simply sending a SMS message or Tweet from their cellphone, and provide instant results."
FULL STORY: Free Web 2.0 Apps For Cities

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
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Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

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Opinion: Transit Agencies Must View Service Cuts as Last Resort
Reducing service could cripple transit systems by pushing more riders to consider car ownership, making future recovery even less certain.
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