Community Engagement

Luis Alberto Moreno explores how Facebook and Twitter are improving cities in the developing world, as the governments of many Latin American municipalities take advantage of the explosive growth of social media to engage with citizens.

November 14, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

What does it mean to truly involve the public in planning processes? Neeraj Mehta finds "too much placation, manipulation and tokenism in our engagement efforts," and identifies principles for collective problem-solving and shared decision-making.

November 1, 2012 - Next American City

If you want to know something about Davis, CA, don’t go to the website of the local paper or the city, go to DavisWiki, a repository of all things Davis, written by the public. Thanks to a recent grant, could something similar be coming to your town?

October 26, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

"Since the beginning of 2011, 180 bills restricting voting and voter registration have been introduced in 41 states. Over 70% of the electoral votes needed to win the 2012 Presidential election will come from states with new restrictive voting laws."

October 25, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

Zoning reform is a political campaign. Coder Susan Henderson talks about audience dynamics, with a special focus on how to communicate with property owners and the developer community.

October 2, 2012 - PlaceShakers

A young artist in New Orleans launches a social experiment on the built environment, turning the walls of the city's buildings into a public forum.

June 24, 2012 - Next American City

The Project for Public Spaces has compiled a "how-to" list for re-claiming your community's public spaces.

June 19, 2012 - Project For Public Spaces

Roger Valdez gives his take on the new obstructionism that is dominating public participation and holding up much-needed growth in Seattle and elsewhere.

May 24, 2012 - Crosscut

Ole Amundsen discusses the Central Indiana Land Trust's recent work in proactive land use planning, signaling a broader change in the way land trusts are doing business.

April 27, 2012 - APA - Sustaining Places Blog

The City Council of Vallejo, California, approved the first city-wide Participatory Budgeting process in the US this week. Residents will directly decide how to spend around $3 million from new sales tax revenue.

April 20, 2012 - Times Herald

Irmak Turan discusses agriculture's place in the city, as seen by a handful of Brooklyn activists. From stormwater absorption to community ties, these farms provide more than just fresh food for earthy hipsters.

April 4, 2012 - Urban Omnibus

New technologies are providing participatory platforms that allow individuals to share their ideas, interact with other's ideas, and work towards collaborative solutions to resolve problems or take advantage of opportunities. Kevin C. Desouza, PhD offers five guidelines to ensure that the use of such emerging technologies are maximized by practitioners.

March 5, 2012 - Kevin C. Desouza

Earlier this week, New York City officials announced a new bikeshare system that will be available to New Yorkers in 2012.

September 16, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

Candy Chang is using public art installations to spark community involvement and input on land use.

August 16, 2011 - Grist

At the Ford foundations 75th anniversary, Citiwire’s Neal Peirce reports how “ground urban strategies in inclusion and equity” is the secret to a “Just City.”

July 27, 2011 - Citiwire

Beachside Santa Monica recently launched an ambitious Land Use and Circulation Element, which will balance growth, neighborhoods, and traffic. The plan has received accolades, and the city has become a model for consensus-based planning.

July 15, 2011 - The Planning Report

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NY's "Chief Digital Officer" Rachel Sterne presented plans to use enhance technology that connects citizens with their government.

May 24, 2011 - SeeClickFix Blog

"Intelligent cities" is picking up steam as the new buzzword in planning and a potentially game-changing way of using data to drive decisions. But we need to be sure we don't lose the human intelligence in planning.

February 13, 2011 - Next American City

The Domino Effect is a new documentary film that explores the process of real estate development in New York City to uncover the complex networks of banks, developers, politicians, and non-profit organizations that shape our cities.

January 30, 2011 - L Magazine

A new musical comedy, "In the Footprint: The Battle Over Atlantic Yards," brings song and dance to the conflict over the redevelopment of the Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn. The NY Times reviews it as "fresh, inventive"...and "entertaining."

December 6, 2010 - The New York Times