Podcasts about civic innovation

Send us a textIn this episode of "What's Happening MoCo," we sit down with Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown to unpack the crucial responsibilities of his office. Brown speaks candidly about his initiatives aimed at reducing the over-incarceration of young Black men, fostering fairness, and leveraging technological advancements like AI to protect vulnerable populations. You'll also gain insights into the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative and a new civil rights division, and learn why networking opportunities at the MACo Conference are so beneficial for public servants.Next, join us at the MAKO Conference in Ocean City, Maryland, for an inspiring conversation with Andrew Friedson, President of the Montgomery County Council. Friedson reflects on his 15-year attendance at the conference and its significance for state and county leaders. He highlights key accomplishments such as the Nonprofit Preservation Fund and an unprecedented $20 million economic development package. Friedson underscores the importance of innovation, particularly in biotech, and the powerful impact of government-private partnerships and community-based organizations in enhancing local services, especially during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.We also talk with Jon Monger, Director of the Department of Environmental Protection, Sarah Kogel-Smucker, Montgomery County's Climate Change Officer, Patrick Sawyer from the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation and Michelle Whittaker, chief of staff for Councilmember Will Jwando. Join us to discover how you can contribute to making Montgomery County a better place to live.

Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence calculates how Black and Brown Communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by gun violence. Rose talks with Dr. Keisha Lindsay Nurse, an epidemic intelligence service officer with the CDC, about how her family was personally affected and what the data doesn't show about gun violence. Plus, the Coalition to Advance Public Safety has announced up to $500,000 in funding for violence intervention programs in Atlanta, including fellows who worked with the Center for Civic Innovation's 2023 cohort. Rohit Malhotra, the executive director of the Center for Civic Innovation, and Jacquel Clemons Moore, a violence intervention expert and CCI board member, discuss Atlanta's current violence intervention "ecosystem" and how this funding could be used to create change. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bem Joiner believes in Atlanta. Born and raised in the city, he has a pure passion for its people and its progress, and he majorly contributes to what makes culture in Atlanta, cool and captivating. As a culture curator and co-founder of the creative consultancy/brand, Atlanta Influences Everything, Bem has managed and consulted a variety of lifestyle brands and designed meaningful programs for clients like Sprite, Mississippi Dept. of Education, truth.com, Jack Daniels, Nissan, the National Black Arts Festival and countless others. He has also booked "early-adopter" shows for Drake, Kendrick Lamar and the Goodie Mob reunion. Bem is also one of the founders of CreativeCall.org which is a community service effort/collaboration between Atlanta and Stockholm creatives and was most recently the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Center for Civic Innovation in South Downtown Atlanta.

Today On the podcast Torrey & Dan react to the mass shooting in Texas & Paul Monteiro from the Department of Service and Civic Innovation joins the show. Listen to The Torrey & Dan Show weekdays 2-6pm on WBAL News Radio 1090, FM 101.5 & the WBAL Radio app.

Back in 2019, the city of Montréal was a successful bidder of the Canadian government Smart Cities Challenge. This allowed Montreal to kick off a multi-year multi-project effort to tackle everything from food security to mobility.Featured government:  Montréal, CanadaEpisode Guests:Aldo Rizzi, Program Director – Smart City Innovation Program chez Ville de MontréalPatrick Lozeau, Advisor in charge of data projects for Montreal in CommonVisit govlaunch.com for more stories and examples of local government innovation.

Ryan, Peyton and Meg are back at it again, this time with a STUDENT! Hear from the AMAZING Amelia Terry, a Psychology and Civic Innovation double-major. She is a Bonner, Civic Leader Scholar, RA and all-around awesome human. Take a listen!

In this episode of The GovLab Collective Intelligence Podcast, Dane Gambrell interviews Ted Smith, former Chief of Civic Innovation for Louisville Metro Government, about the AIR Louisville project.

Jay Nath is the Co-CEO of City Innovate, a govtech company streamlining procurement through enterprise software and innovative frameworks. He talks with Chad about how he focuses on helping governments be more effective, responsive, and zeroed in on helping their constituents whether on a small city or a big state scale. City Innovate (https://www.cityinnovate.com/) Follow City Innovate on Twitter (https://twitter.com/CityInnovate) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/city-innovate/) Follow Jay on Twitter (https://twitter.com/jay_nath) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaynath/). Follow thoughtbot on Twitter (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. I'm your host, Chad Pytel, and with me today is Jay Nath, Co-CEO of City Innovate and former Chief Innovation Officer of San Francisco. Jay, thanks for joining me. JAY: Yeah, Chad, thank you for having me. CHAD: I assume based on the name and the fact that I've done my research...but I assume based on the name of City Innovate and the fact that you're a former Chief Innovation Officer of San Francisco that what City Innovate might be. But why don't you give everybody an overview of what it is? JAY: Thank you, Chad. So City Innovate is focused on helping governments be more effective, responsive, and focused on helping their constituents, whether it's a small city government or a big state. And the way that we've been doing this is really sort of an interesting; I'd say wonky place. We found that there's a pressure point in government around documents and specifically on procurement. And why is that interesting? Because what I've seen is if you want to work with government and collaborate, whether it's even volunteering or you're a startup, and you want to work, procurement is often that channel. And it's not really a channel; it's more of a barrier, a byzantine process. You can think of this from a technical frame, creating an API, a read/write API to make that process much more streamlined on both sides, helping governments be able to find the best partners to solve their big challenges. And on the other side, folks from all walks of life, whether you're a massive company or you're a founder in a garage, how do you actually connect those two? So we're really working at that intersection, and it's something that I find a lot of value in and importance in. And surprisingly and maybe not surprisingly, there's a lot of need for technology to help connect those dots. And ultimately, I think what I can do is make that process more inclusive and lower the barriers of entry so that people from different communities can participate and help make their communities better. CHAD: So your clients at City Innovate are cities and governmental organizations. Are you just delivering a product to them, or are you often helping them work better too? JAY: It's a bit of both. From a product standpoint, we're really in the B2B space and very much enterprise, if you will. And part of that standard enterprise SaaS offering is also support services, and that can be training, that can be professional services to help them in thought leadership in different ways. And that's exactly what we do. So we not only have our product, but we help them through something called agile procurement. So it's really borrowing from the software development methodology and applying the same principles and approaches to developing and finding the right partner and being more agile and iterative through that process. And historically, it's been very waterfall and very stilted and overly structured. So really being more focused on outcomes, really being focused on getting data into the process so that you can actually do, let's say, a bake-off and get more information before we make that decision. And it's surprising, Chad, folks in government are often buying multimillion dollars, tens of millions of dollars technology systems without actually trying it out. And think about your personal life. You test drive a car. You look through a home. You make these big decisions with a lot of data and evidence. And in government historically, they've been using paper documents to make that decision, RFPs responses, and marketing material. And it's hard to sift through and say, "Hey, what's real and what's not?" So we've been really helping them think through a more agile evidence-based approach, and our software supports that. And so yeah, it's really leading a movement about changing how they think about partnering with the vendor community or contractors. CHAD: So one of the things that is probably interesting about this and maybe a little bit meta is that this is what you help them do. And so you have to go through that process with them of being procured. [laughs] JAY: It is meta. You're absolutely right. [laughs] CHAD: In order to become the vendor that they use. JAY: That's right. CHAD: What are the challenges inherent in that, and does it ever get in the way? And how do people, either your clients, come to you, or how do you find them? And how do you work through that challenging process of government procurement? JAY: Well, the thing is, since we know this space really well, we know how to navigate those different channels, the byzantine processes I mentioned before. I think one of the things I worked on when I was in the City of San Francisco was a program that brought startups and governments together, and we had an educational component. We'd help founders better understand that exact question. How do you actually get contracts with government? And there are no books that are out there. There's no real knowledge out there. And so, we help them talk about the ten different pathways to doing that. So it's a bit of a hidden art, if you will. And I think there needs to be more conversation and more resources for founders if they're looking to go into the public sector to be able to navigate that. So we know that really well. And we're trying to really help broaden access to that knowledge. CHAD: I assume that the clients you end up getting are people who are...or are governments who want to be better. Otherwise, they wouldn't choose your solution. [laughs] JAY: That's right. Well, I think their motivations are multifold. Some of the governments want a process that's more efficient. They know that they can be more productive. They have maybe staffing constraints, and they have a lot of work, so we can help them on the productivity side. There are other governments that are really focused on hey; we need to get better partners out there. We've been working with the same folks over and over again. How do we work with those innovators in our community? So there's that crowd. And then there's, I think, another group of folks who are saying, "Hey, we wanted to make sure that this process is more inclusive. We want to work with folks who are from different backgrounds who may be underrepresented. How do we make this process more streamlined, more efficient so that they're able to participate more effectively?" So I think the motivations can be different, but it's really at the end of the day centered around this idea of digital transformation and service design that allows these two different worlds to be able to communicate and work together more effectively. CHAD: How long is the typical sales cycle for a client? JAY: Man, yeah, [laughs] it can range from weeks, I would say to months and going over 12 months. It can be 12 to 18 months, trying to get in, doing a trial maybe, giving them that certainty, and then securing budget and that annual process of waiting for that budget approval to happen. So it is not for the faint of heart, especially enterprise software within government is really something that requires a lot of different approaches. So partnerships with bigger companies that have the distribution channel, that might have those relationships, that might have those contracts, how do you actually work with them to shortcut the long procurement process? How do you leverage folks like AWS and other cloud providers that may already have a relationship so that you can, again, piggyback off of that? So I think there are a number of different ways to try to compress that timeframe. But it's not a walk in the park, Chad. CHAD: So, in that environment, how did you get started with City Innovate? How long was it until you were able to get your first real customer? And how did you bridge the gap between founding and being in the market? JAY: That's a great question. So being in the public sector, I knew that procurement is a huge challenge and also a pressure point and a leverage point to unlocking a lot of value. And so the work that we had done with startups and government the first experience that we had was amazing. We had a startup that came in and helped blind people navigate through the airport here in San Francisco SFO in four months and truly a collaboration with the startup and the airport staff. And unfortunately, when it came to procurement, it took two years for them to actually get into contract. CHAD: Wow. JAY: For a startup, that's like dog years. That's like an eternity. And so we really knew that we had to tackle that. So we introduced a methodology called challenge-based procurement that, as I spoke to earlier, is more agile, evidence-based, and outcomes-based. And that really leveled the playing field for these young companies to show that hey, we can actually go in here and help you solve that problem. You don't have to work with a big publicly-traded company to do this work and spend a lot of money. We can be more nimble and agile. And so that's really where I started to dig in deeper into procurement. And that work got federally funded because it created a lot of jobs. And we've had hundreds of startups all across the U.S. It's an international program called STIR, Startup In Residence, and really proud of that work. Our mayor, unfortunately, died unexpectedly. So we looked at hey, where do we move this program? And it did make sense for a city to manage a multi-city program, and so City Innovate came to mind. At the time, they were a non-profit. I'd been working with my co-CEO co-executive director at the time. It was a nice, beautiful transition into that. And at that time, I said for myself personally, where do I see impact, and what can I do? And for me, the idea of entrepreneurship, the idea of products making impact in government, I saw how much impact was being made. And so City Innovate has really become that vehicle for myself and the organization to really scale that idea out. CHAD: You mentioned you have a co-CEO. How did that come about? And how do you split the responsibilities between the two of you? JAY: Well, the good thing is we're really great complements. So his focus is really on go-to-market and focusing on how do we get this in the hands of our customers or prospective customers? And I've always been very interested on the product side. I was formerly a VP of product at a startup before my time in government, and so that scenario I find keen interest. And I deeply understand the personas and the use cases of government, having spent a lot of time there. And so that empathy and understanding and building a product around that and having somebody who can help get that product in the hands of government navigating through those difficult processes. It really does take that. You can have a great product, but without that ability to get it in the hands of your customers, especially with governments, it's really challenging. CHAD: Is there any in particular...like, why Co-CEO and not two other C-level roles, one of you CEO, one of you CIO? JAY: I don't think we've spent too much time debating that. And that might change, I think to your point to better describe our focus areas. Maybe my role changes to chief product officer and his to a different role title. I think if you're starting a company, you've got a lot of things to worry about. And it just seemed like a...yeah, I don't think there was much thought in it. CHAD: Yeah. That's interesting, though. You alluded to what you were doing before the City of San Francisco. Well, let's dive into that a little bit more. And specifically, what were you doing, and then why did you join the public sector? JAY: So I was VP of Product at a company called SquareTrade. It was a wonderful journey. We were working with, again, something kind of wonky and a space that was anti-consumer. It was around warranties, specifically electronic warranties. And we were in the eBay marketplace and expanded way beyond that in later years. But when I was there, we really took a contrarian perspective and being inspired by Zappos and many companies that are really focused on the consumer. We changed that value proposition to say, hey, can we build a product that people love, a warranty that actually works? And so we did crazy things like we would actually give you the money before you returned the product. We would have the shipping label. And we wouldn't ask any questions. We did amazing things. But that wasn't just because we were focused on the user experience. We also had data to back it up. We knew that, hey, there are a certain percentage of people who are going to return rocks. And there's a certain percentage of people who are going to do certain things. So we had a lot of information going in. The other thing we knew is that we could own the whole stack, the underwriting, the retailing. And we also knew the business. So that was a great experience. But I really was missing this connection to the public good and doing something that was having impact in a really tangible way. That's when I saw why don't I work for a city I love deeply and care about? And that really drove me into thinking about public service. I had some friends who were in it, and they convinced me that I should take a look at that. And I definitely have found the work that I had been doing in public service to be extremely rewarding and just a unique opportunity. Especially if you're a technologist or a product mindset or an engineering mindset, that is such a rare perspective in government, and being able to bring that in, you can do amazing things. We all know the healthcare.gov and how that was imploding and exploding. It almost brought down a presidency and administration, and it was saved. I think many people know the story, especially in your audience. That was really folks in Silicon Valley saying, "Hey, I'm going to raise my hand and volunteer my time. I might be working at a big company and making a lot of money, but I will take my time out and try to help." And they did. They turned it around. And I think that ethos and that mindset of giving back is something that's animated my interests in public sector and the fact that there's so much need, especially from the tech community, in helping the government out. CHAD: Now, you didn't get started as the City Innovation Officer. [chuckles] So you got started as the Manager of Enterprise CRM for the City of San Francisco. JAY: That's right. Yeah, it was interesting. Yeah, definitely. CHAD: I think that public sector work is maybe a little bit of a black box for people. I know it is for me. You mentioned you knew some people, but I assume that was not a political appointment job. JAY: It was not. CHAD: So, how does one get into that, find it, and get that job and that kind of thing? JAY: I think I took a very rare and uncommon path. So as you noted, I came in helping stand up a call center. So a 311 one call center which is, for the folks who don't know, 311 is for non-emergencies, potholes, et cetera, starting a business, how do I do that? So yeah, set up a CRM system 24/7. It was a great experience and actually much harder than I thought. I was working harder there than I had at the startup, so breaking some stereotypes or at least some ideas that I had in my mind. But I quickly found myself saturating that opportunity and saying, hey, what do I want to do? And this was at the time that Obama had just come into office, and he had a call to action. His first memo in office was around openness and collaboration and that I felt was really compelling to me. I had the opportunity to say, "Hey, let me reach out to folks in White House. I don't have any relationships there, but I have this badge of San Francisco." And that started me on a journey of innovation, civic innovation. And I did some really interesting things with great startups like Twitter at the time. We created a read/write API, the first of its kind in local government. Almost got fired by the [inaudible 16:45] [laughter] and trying to explain just like, why are you opening a channel into government to let people do horrible things? And so it was an interesting conversation. But Gavin Newsom was the mayor at the time then, so you can see it's going back in time. CHAD: [laughs] JAY: But my journey then sort of said, hey, let's continue building data standards and doing good work. And I was recognized by the mayoral campaigns that were running. And so they wanted to sort of say, "Hey, we need somebody in innovation in the mayor's office." So I got recruited into that role, the first of its kind in San Francisco and in the U.S. So it was just a great opportunity to really help define and set a foundation for what does civic innovation mean? What does that look like? And we had a small office, and we did some really interesting work at the nexus of collaboration. That's really what I think is what we tried to do is make government more permeable, more accessible for people who are driving innovation in their communities to be able to participate in government. Mid-roll Ad I wanted to tell you all about something I've been working on quietly for the past year or so, and that's AgencyU. AgencyU is a membership-based program where I work one-on-one with a small group of agency founders and leaders toward their business goals. We do one-on-one coaching sessions and also monthly group meetings. We start with goal setting, advice, and problem-solving based on my experiences over the last 18 years of running thoughtbot. As we progress as a group, we all get to know each other more. And many of the AgencyU members are now working on client projects together and even referring work to each other. Whether you're struggling to grow an agency, taking it to the next level and having growing pains, or a solo founder who just needs someone to talk to, in my 18 years of leading and growing thoughtbot, I've seen and learned from a lot of different situations, and I'd be happy to work with you. Learn more and sign up today at thoughtbot.com/agencyu. That's A-G-E-N-C-Y, the letter U. CHAD: If someone's interested, how might they get involved in contributing to the public sector? JAY: I think there's a couple of different ways. So one way, Chad, is that governments are often putting a lot of data out there. There has been an open data movement that we had led, and it's now a national global movement. So you can find data, and you can create a data product around that and giving more insight into visibility and into issues. You can volunteer with a specific department. They're looking for those skill sets, so you can do that. You can also look for digital services offices. So those are becoming much more commonplace in governments if that's your thing. There are definitely ways to raise your hand and try to contribute. Folks are always looking for it. And if you don't see that opportunity, make that opportunity happen. Reach out to your council member. Reach out to a department head and say, "Hey, I've got this great superpower. I want to help you do better." And I guarantee they will listen because they're often strapped for resources. CHAD: How do you know when you should pursue a more general product that might be useful to governments versus like, oh, if I could get in there and contribute? How do you make that distinction in your mind? JAY: Well, I don't think there needs to be. So you can come in and have maybe a frame of hey, let me help my local government. And you might find opportunities while you're working there. They're using Microsoft Word and Excel to do something that really should be productized so you can think about it from that frame. Or you might have built a product for an adjacent market or for another need and say, "Hey, is there an opportunity to actually reframe this product that I have in the government context?" It might be a content management system. It might be a lot of different products can be reframed in that context. So the way that we actually became a product company from a non-profit was just doing that. We got invited to bring our methodology of agile procurement. And so we had in the back of our mind this idea that I bet if we go there, it's going to be kind of dusty. There's going to be a lot of broken tools, and that was the case. They were using 40-year old technology to manage sometimes billions of dollars of purchasing. And so we saw something that you normally wouldn't have that vantage point by really collaborating and working with them. And that led to product ideas, and that we were able to co-design and co-develop that with our partner governments. And then something that I think is also unique is that they're often eager to work with you because they don't get that opportunity often to work with vendors and folks who can conjure magic in their minds, that they have a vision or idea. And you can come back in a week or a month, and you might have a working product, not just wireframes. And for them, that ability to move so quickly they haven't seen that before. And I saw that firsthand in bringing startups and governments together, the velocity and speed that startups can work with is so different. We all know that. But when they see that, they get excited. They want to work with them. They want to lean into it and figure out, hey, can I give you data? Can I give you other ways to better understand the space? Because no one's cared about this space before. So there's often a willingness to grab a hold of anyone who can actually help them solve their problems. But you have to listen, and you have to come in humble. And I'll share a story here. I created a program called Civic Bridge that brought in pro bono services from big companies like Google and McKinsey, and many others. And some folks from Google came in, and they were sharing how they have to serve everybody. Their product is really ubiquitous and has to serve everybody. They quickly got reminded that government has to serve everybody, people who don't have technology, people who aren't online, people who don't have English as their first language, and people with different disabilities. All of them are constituents. And so technology is one way to reach people. But you have to think broadly about how do you make that service or what you're offering accessible to everybody? And I think that was a humbling experience for the folks there at the table. But what I loved about that program is really this cross-pollination and also breaking down stereotypes in both directions that people sometimes have in the public sector of private sector folks because they often don't hop back and forth. If you're a public sector person, you're often in the public sector. And so being able to actually see that they're not just a bunch of capitalists, [laughs] that they're your neighbor, that these are people who do care about the community, and they're making an impact in a different way. And vice versa, that there are so many talented people in government. And the problems seem simple or seem simple to solve on the outside, but they're often wicked problems or just have a lot of complexity to try to solve. So it's great to be able to have that empathy on both sides. CHAD: Yeah, that's maybe one thing. Are there other things that you would point out that are different when creating and shaping products for the public sector versus the private products? JAY: Yeah, I think that idea of being inclusive is really important. The other one is around...and this is, I think, true even in the private sector but more so in the public sector because of the demographics that you're working with. The demographics are folks who are closer to retirement. They are not digital natives. So when you're building products, you really need to leverage mental models and use that as a way to bring them into a new experience or a new tool. And as an example, there are obviously a lot of government forms that you see, right? CHAD: Mm-hmm. JAY: And I think as a technologist or a product person, you might say, hey, let's move away from Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF or whatever you're using. We have this thing called HTML, and we can bring this online and have all these beautiful affordances. Well, that's really hard for those folks to wrap their heads around and move from something they may have been using for 20, 30 years. And so maybe that first step is not that; maybe it's online fillable PDFs that you can actually store the data in a database and shift that back. And maybe that allows them to actually move more quickly because there's less resistance both internally and for the public as well. And so we've seen that time and time again, is that hey, is there a way to make that shift into a new paradigm but do it in such a way that there's a clear connection point? And then maybe the next step after that is, yeah, we need to make sure this is mobile-ready. Let's actually make that into a responsive design and move away from that PDF. And that's something that we've learned in our own product that, hey, we need to understand deeply the products and tools that they're using today. And how do we draw those parallels and bring them into the current modern set of technologies that we're offering? So it's not always easy, but it's something that we found a lot of success leveraging those mental models. CHAD: Are there other things that you might call out as things you got to keep in mind? JAY: Well, security is often, you know, we see that everywhere with SolarWinds, et cetera. I think there's just a deeper concern of supply chain attacks, ransomware, et cetera. So you're seeing, I think across the board in enterprise as well but in government even more so really focusing on that. And I think the challenge for folks who are building products is how do you find that balance when you have to make sure that you're NIST-certified and all of the SOC 2, et cetera? How do you build a great product that is accessible that doesn't make you go through a bunch of hoops to try to get access to it? And it's not easy. So that adds a layer of complexity trying to build that out. And, Chad, I'm sure you've worked with a lot of folks who have thought about government or may have had some success with it. So it might be interesting to hear from you if there are certain patterns or product sensibilities that you've seen that have been successfully applied in the public sector realm. CHAD: Well, I think you're right about that inherent complexity or that the bar is pretty high in order to have a product which is accessible and secure. If you're building a product for consumers, you can do some of that stuff iteratively. It can be difficult to work in an agile, iterative way in a highly regulated space. And so there's maybe not even one set way that you do that. It might be different for the space that you operate in. But it is important to take a step back and say, what can we do iteratively, or what can we leave off right now because we have to do this other thing? And those will be different for every product. And I see the real mistake being not taking that step back and not really being thoughtful about how you're going to do that in the complex, highly regulated space. And this is true for healthcare and finance as well. There are certain things you've got to do. And really, you have to approach it pretty thoughtfully in order to make sure you can still work and not just default to doing everything agile. We have this concept of like the 80-20 rule, and that is sometimes really difficult to do in the public space, right? JAY: I think you're absolutely right. And I think people recognize that highly regulated markets or industries are tough to crack. And I think you're absolutely right, Chad, that you have to find that entry point where maybe you can come in and the regulations are lower for that problem that you're solving initially. And use that as a place to land and then better understand where you fit into the overall workflow. And you're able to go upstream and downstream from there. And that's a lot of what we've seen success with these young startups, and the work we're doing will come in where there's maybe not so much regulations and provide value there, build trust, and then look at the broader ecosystem or processes to say, "Hey, where can we add more value?" Yes, it might be highly regulated. But we now have a better understanding, more resources, and customers to help us educate climbing that mountain together. But yeah, I want to make sure that...the flip side of all this...so if I were listening, I'd say, "Well, it sounds like the public sector is really tough," [laughter] and it is, but it's also truly rewarding. I think being able to know that you're able to help at the scale that the government does its work is really, really rewarding. One of the founders that we helped get her first product was to help foster kids, and that foster process that we've probably all heard is really, really tough. And they brought that online, and they went from one city...they're in so many different states now serving so many people across the U.S., and they're doing really well. They're, I think, Series B or C. And it's amazing. But it took that one government to take a chance and to be able to bring all this value. So that's something that excites me is the level of impact is so significant. CHAD: On that note, you started the conversation saying that procurement was the area where you felt like you could have an impact. Do you see expanding beyond that in the future, or is that not on your roadmap? JAY: I think we have a lot to chew on. But like a lot of product folks, we've got ideas that are further out. What I'm seeing in the government space when we talk about digital transformation...in the government context, you're often talking about PDFs and Microsoft Word documents, et cetera. So I think for us, we're really excited about is there a new way to think about documents in a way that works for governments? They're used to Microsoft Word. But is there more that can be done there to create more affordances, to create more powers that they just don't have today? And they're using Post-it Notes or whatever it might be to try to address those shortcomings. CHAD: Everything is going to be marked down in GitHub eventually. [laughter] JAY: Yes, we do need to introduce Markdown or just plain text, maybe. Why are these contracts locked up in Microsoft Word? Yeah, that's something that's a pet peeve of mine as well. I spend a lot of time in open data. And let's not use proprietary formats. Let's use something that folks understand. But the world is changing, which is great. We're seeing more governments using JSON. And one of the things that I'll share is that when you're building a product for government, you do have to think about the data component because that data doesn't belong to you; you're really stewards. That data belongs to the government and its constituents. So that's a different way of thinking because often, private companies are trying to monetize the data that they're having. So you have to have a much more sort of a frame that you're a custodian. CHAD: I think that's one of the things that can get a little lost, whether it be bureaucracy or politics or whatever but this idea that there is a community here. It is the community in which you live. You said that what inspired you to get involved was wanting to contribute back to a city that you love. It's easy for that to get lost in everything. JAY: Yeah. And that's my call to action to your audiences. Sort of touching upon our earlier points in our conversation, find a way if you have that means, and ability, and interest to make your community better. It might be something just for your city, or it might be something bigger. And I've seen so many people have good ideas. But to your point, how do you actually convert that good idea into something that's valuable and used by the community? And hopefully, this conversation is helping people and inspiring them to raise their hands and knock on the door. I think you'll see folks on the other side giving you a warm reception. They're very hungry and eager for people who have the capabilities of product and engineering and that type of talent to come to the table and help them. CHAD: That's great. If folks want to get in touch with you or find out more about City Innovate or STIR, too, where are the places where they can do that? JAY: They can go to our website cityinnovate.com. They can also go...I've got my own personal website, jaynath.com. And I'm very open. I have been since my days in public service. I'm still very accessible, maybe not as responsive as I used to be, just with all that work of being a founder. But if you're interested in this space, I always want to give back because we need great people with great talent working in the public sector, whether it's for government or within government or building a product for government. CHAD: Awesome. Jay, thanks very much for stopping by and sharing with us. JAY: Thank you so much, Chad, for the opportunity to share the work that we're doing. CHAD: You can subscribe to the show and find notes and a transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. And you can find me on Twitter @cpytel. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks for listening and see you next time ANNOUNCER: This podcast was brought to you by thoughtbot. thoughtbot is your expert design and development partner. Let's make your product and team a success. Special Guest: Jay Nath.

We are joined by [Ariana Soto](https://twitter.com/arianaosoto) to talk about the [Civic Innovation Corps](https://www.codingitforward.com/corps), a program that connects recent graduates of two or four year institutions, bootcamps, and certificate programs to government service through a 10 week paid internship. ### Resources and Shoutouts: - [Coding It Forward Website](https://www.codingitforward.com) - [Previous episode about their Federal fellowship](https://civictech.chat/2018/08/coding-it-forward-civic-technology-fellowship) - [Coding It Forward Twitter](https://twitter.com/CodingItForward) ##### Music Credit: [Tumbleweeds by Monkey Warhol](http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monkey_Warhol/Lonely_Hearts_Challenge/Monkey_Warhol_-_Tumbleweeds)

Dr. Anthony C. Hood serves as the Executive Vice President and the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for First Horizon Bank. In this role, he leads the development and execution of a firm-wide strategy for embedding DEI into the DNA of the organization. He previously served as the Director of Civic Innovation in the Office of the President at UAB as well as a tenured Associate Professor of Management in the Collat School of Business at UAB. Dr. Hood is a board member of a number of organizations, including the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, Birmingham Education Foundation, Urban Impact, and the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District. In our conversation, Dr. Hood discusses the importance of using data as a powerful tool for driving better outcomes in DEI work. He shares that DEI within an organization must be integrated into the DNA, beyond just HR practices and policies, and in order to build and implement the best strategies data must be ground zero. We also discuss ways to approach DEI work when facing opposition. To connect with Dr. Anthony C. Hood, you can find him on social media or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonychood Topics In This Episode Driving creativity and innovation within teams Ensuring involvement in DEI implementation at every level of an organization Systems to look at to apply a DEI lens Tracking data on qualitative aspects of an organization and of DEI work The importance of keeping data well-organized and understanding the “why” behind it Data alone doesn't drive results and momentum Creative allyship within your organization Other Conversations We've Enjoyed Use Your Privilege to Uplift Others Bringing the Human Back to Human Resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Rudd is an activist, educator, and design leader. Built on his commitment to community organizing, social equity work, systems change, and youth development, Chris founded ChiByDesign, a Black-owned and people-of-color-led design firm in Chicago. In addition to leading ChiByDesign, Chris is also an Instructor and Lead of Community-led Design for the Chicago Design Lab at the Illinois Institute of Technology Institute of Design, where his work focuses on developing the co-design practice and the anti-racist design field. Chris is a former Stanford Institute of Design (d.school) Civic Innovation fellow and a current Chicago Urban League IMPACT fellow. Chris is dad to three daughters: ages 15, 6 and 3. In this episode, Chris talks about how his strong socio-political views were forged in an interacial household with activist parents and the countless ways this world view manifests in his children's lives and his own anti-racism work. Chris shares some larger-than-life stories about his father and the working class wisdom he imparted when Chris became a dad at 22. Chris discusses his time at Standford's d.school, the limits of human-centered design, and why he ignored the allure of startup culture and Silicon Valley to remain committed to place-based social innovation in Chicago. Finally, we talk about the connections and similarities between leading (and serving) community projects, a creative consultancy, and one's own family. Keep up with Chris → Instagram Medium

In today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out: As we head into summer and the weather heats up, your local energy nonprofit, LEAP, wants you and yours to keep cool. LEAP offers FREE home weatherization to income- and age-qualifying residents. If you’re age 60 or older, or have an annual household income of less than $75,100, you may qualify for a free energy assessment and home energy improvements such as insulation and air sealing. Sign up today to lower your energy bills, increase comfort, and reduce energy waste at home!On today’s show: City Manager Chip Boyles and city staff discuss infrastructure implementation in a growing cityThe Virginia Department of Environmental Quality releases the solid waste report for 2020An update on openings of Charlottesville’s polls and spray grounds  Area transportation official makes move to Northern Virginia permanent The top official in the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Culpeper District has been hired as the District Engineer for the agency’s Northern Virginia District. John Lynch has held that role in the Culpeper District since 2013 and helped oversee construction of several major improvement projects including the Route 29 Solutions projects. Those included the construction of a grade-separated interchange at Rio Road and U.S. 29 and the Berkmar Drive extension. Melissa Shropshire is the acting district engineer.John LynchThe amount of solid waste sent to landfills and other processing facilities in Virginia slightly decreased in 2020, according to a report from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. A total of just over 22 million tons of waste was received, including 5.67 million tons sent from other states. The 2020 figure was 0.11 percent lower than 2019.  (read the full report)The report states that nearly three-quarters of the solid waste were landfilled, nearly 12 percent of materials were incinerated, and the rest was disposed of by other means. Another statistic is that 1.63 million tons of waste was diverted from landfills through recycling, mulching, or composting. The report is made up of 201 individual submissions. The report also lists capacity remaining in existing landfills. The Amherst County Landfill has 44.5 years left and the Louisa County Sanitary Landfill has another nine.Read the full report for more details  The Morse Brothers Farm in Nelson County is one of 22 properties in the Commonwealth that has been awarded a land conservation grant. Last week, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) announced more than $4.8 million from the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation for projects that will conserve up to 6,100 acres in the state. The award for the Morse Brothers Farm will place 106 acres of land under a conservation easement owned by third-generation African-American farmers, according to a press release from DCR. The project was made possible by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. Grant application for the Morse Brothers FarmThis week, the University of Virginia resumed in-person college tours for the first time in 15 months. These groups used to have up to 100 participants at a time, but it’s been reduced to 10 at a time for now. The tours take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. For more, read Jane Kelly’s article on UVA Today.The Charlottesville Parks and Recreation Department continues to ramp up operations slowly as the pandemic continues to recede. Deputy Director Vic Garber provided some updates last week to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. “Onesty Family Aquatic and Fitness Center remains closed and will remain closed unless there is an eruption of about 55 to 60 lifeguards,” Garber said. “Due to insufficient staff we are closed for the season.”As of last week, there were 53 guards employed by the city. In order for the pool at the indoor Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center to open in August, he said he needs at least 17 more or hours at other facilities will need to be reduced. Garber said the contractors fixing air quality issues at Smith Aquatic Center will wrap up their work at the end of the month and the city will be performing tests throughout July. Garber said one reason it’s been hard to get lifeguards is that many have moved on to other places.“We’ve been closed for so long,” Garber said. “ACAC and the YMCA probably have collected quite a few of the guards and everyone across the board… I don’t want to say our competitors but within reason, everyone has gone to at least $15 an hour.”Garber has paid $15 an hour for a couple of years, and the amount will increase by two percent to $15.30 an hour on July 1.  Garber said during the pandemic, city lifeguards were terminated.“And once you do that it’s hard to get people back,” Garber said.  The spray grounds at Tonsler, Belmont, and Greenleaf parks are open but the one at Forest Hills Park has been delayed and will open sometime this month. Garber said planning is underway to build a fieldhouse at Tonsler Park for indoor sports, a walking path, and space for camps. This was called for in a 2013 master plan for the park. There’s $1.8 million in the budget for this purpose and a request for proposals for a design will be published soon. Meanwhile, beaches at Albemarle’s lake parks will open tomorrow at 11 a.m. and will be open Thursdays through Sundays through August 22. Their lifeguards are also being $15 an hour, according to Emily Kilroy, Albemarle’s director of communications and public engagement. You’re reading Charlottesville Community Engagement. Time now for another subscriber-supported public service announcement. The Center for Civic Innovation is seeking applicants for its Civic Innovation Fellowship, a leadership development program that aims to build up an organization with a focus on: growth mindset, design process, business education, technology and data literacy skills, government and community relations, and other topics to build problem solving skills." Applications are due on Sunday, June 20.  (apply)It has now been four months since Chip Boyles took over as Charlottesville’s City Manager, a position he will hold for at least a year before a public search is conducted for a permanent replacement for Dr. Tarron Richardson, who held the position for not quite a year and a half. The Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association invited Boyles to attend their June meeting to answer questions and talk about the Cville Plans Together initiative. Boyles has been bringing people into his management team after the last slate of deputy city managers all left.  The city is currently advertising for a Deputy City Manager who will serve as the Chief Operating Officer. This position will oversee Finance, Budgeting, Human Resources, Economic Development, Information Technology, and Strategic Planning. The position closes on July 2. Ten days later, Sam Sanders will start work as the Deputy City Manager for Operations. Ashley Marshall has been Deputy City Manager for Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity since March 10. Boyles said one of the biggest issues in Charlottesville is housing and Virginia’s separation of cities and counties into distinct entities provides a challenge.“To try to tackle some of the issues that we have for housing when you cannot expand your boundaries and you are very close to being built out, it makes it even more challenging,” Boyles said.  “If you’re Houston, Texas, you just go annex more land, build more houses. Charlotte, North Carolina, you just annex more land and build to your needs. Virginia? Not so lucky.”Boyles last worked as director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District, and under his tenure began working on regional housing and regional transit issues. The Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership will release its regional affordable housing plan in the near future.“Even though Charlottesville is the hub for our community and our region, how we can work with our surrounding localities to help shoulder some of this need we have, even if it’s to help with people moving in,” Boyles said. “So many people are wanting to move to our region. Working our neighbors to do that.” Watch the FSNA meeting on their websiteOne of the topics that came up at the Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association’s City Council forum in March was the subject of how projects get into the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), a multiyear budget of all the various infrastructure projects. Many in the neighborhood want sidewalk and other improvements on Stribling Avenue to mitigate the impacts of more housing. Jason Halbert is the co-president of the Fry’s Spring Neighborhood Association.“It seems to be a black box mystery for everyone,” Halbert said. “I know you’re dealing with a lot and you’re juggling chainsaws it seems like. Are you going to task this to your incoming deputy city manager to try to tackle with your public works director any indications of where this is heading in terms of the city residents understanding, regardless of how the staff turns over at the city, where we are with a plan on the CIP?”Boyles said this will be one of the first things that Deputy City Manager Sanders works on after joining the city government. He said multiple departments need to learn how to work together to implement projects for the good of city residents. “The one thing I do have to kind of question and one of the things I’m going to mention first to look at, is I don’t see how we can ask the neighborhoods to come up with the cost estimating for what it is you’re asking for,” Boyles said. “I know that I would have no idea how much it would cost to run X linear feet of sidewalk.” Boyles also suggested more neighborhoods could their own develop small area plans. The Fifeville neighborhood did so with the Cherry Avenue Small Area Plan for which the city hired the TJPDC to complete. That could better inform a new CIP process. “Council has in the past also participated in what is called participatory budgeting,” Boyles said. “It never got off of the ground because of some changing of staffing but I think that’s another thing that we can look at where there’s the possibility of X amount of dollars being assigned to a neighborhood.”Southern Development has submitted an application at 240 Stribling, and last year, the Planning Commission asked for additional residential density and the developer complied and is offering 170 units as well as some funding for the infrastructure improvements. Halbert said one concern is the non-urban quality of the roadway.“An annexed county road originally that dead-ends into a gravel road and goes back into the county,” Halbert said. Halbert said the neighborhood association will support the project, but only if there’s a guarantee the infrastructure will be in place when and if the development comes in. “Without infrastructure improvements, the street cannot take that development,” Halbert said. “From our standpoint, to head off the typical NIMBY or reactionary reactions of saying ‘don’t put it here in my backyard’ I think the neighborhood, a bunch of us have tried to work with the city and the developer to try to achieve the goals of affordable housing, of more permanent affordable housing, and greater density in the city while improving the infrastructure everyone wants.”Boyles said he needed to do more research of this proposal but described this as a classic chicken and egg scenario. He did say he would like the city and other localities across the Commonwealth to be able to charge developers impact fees to pay for infrastructure. That’s currently not allowed by Virginia law. Boyles did warn that money for capital improvements will be tight in the coming years.“There are some major expenditures that have to occur,” Boyles said. “I’m sure you’ve all seen the discussions with the schools and the work that needs to be done there, that has me very concerned with how that’s going to impact some of our bread and butter roads, mostly roads and sidewalks.”The conversation then turned to the Cville Plans Together initiative, which just had a comment period close with thousands of comments. The next step is for the Planning Commission to hold a work session with the consultants on June 29. A group of 11 neighborhood associations sent a letter to the city requesting a further six month delay, but the director of the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development Services said there is plenty of time before the new Comprehensive Plan and its Future Land Use Map. “The process is not over yet,” Ikefuna said. “It still has to go through the Planning Commission with the City Council for a joint public hearing. After that, it goes back to the City Council for final consideration. And then once its adopted, we still have another phase in the process which is the zoning rewrite. We have to rewrite the zoning ordinance which will implement the Comprehensive Plan.” A new timeline will be developed in the coming weeks. *Before you go, thank you to the three people who have contributed since yesterday through Patreon. That’s a great way to provide a monthly contribution, allowing me to plan my budget for each month. I’m approaching the end of Year 1 of this experiment, and preparing to begin Year 2 in mid-July. Thank you for reading or listening! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

We spend our time today talking with Dr. Anthony C. Hood, a Social entrepreneur and philanthropist. We explore the importance of believing in our communities and the role that middle class black families play in the building up of those communities. We dive into how Exposure and application can open our minds to innovation and leadership, and how your personal brand Is your resume. Dr. Anthony C. Hood Dr. Hood serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for First Horizon Bank. In this role, he leads the development and execution of firm-wide strategy for embedding DEI into the DNA of the organization. He previously served as the Director of Civic Innovation in the Office of the President at UAB as well as an Associate Professor of Management in the Collat School of Business at UAB. An electrical engineer by training, Dr. Hood enjoyed a 10 year career with BellSouth and AT&T supporting startup telecom companies in the firm's wholesale division. He was honored with the Pinnacle Award, the company's highest honor for productivity and leadership. He left AT&T to pursue his PhD full time at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!). Since completing his PhD in only 3 years, he has completed studies at the Harvard Business School, Stanford and the Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Hood received his undergrad and MBA from UAB (Go Blazers!). In 2019, Dr. Hood was honored by the UAB Alumni Association with the prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Hood is a board member of a number of organizations including the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, Birmingham Education Foundation, Urban Impact, the Woodlawn Foundation and the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District. A social entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr. Hood has received a number of awards for his community-based efforts including the Power of Leadership Award from Alabama Power Company, the Community Game Changer award from the Vulcans Community Awards, and the Dr. A.G. Gaston Award from the A.G. Gaston Business Institute.

In this audiojournal entry, I update you all on my new contract at Futurus, applying for the Center for Civic Innovation in Atlanta, and participating in the OKR workshop for the Open Metaverse Interoperability community. I then get on my soapbox to talk about why banning 'politics' and similar things from work is not really possible. If anything, it actually standardizes the current political viewpoint of the organization and ostracizes people who come from very different backgrounds. I think we should instead be trying to figure out ways to have more meaningful discussions and instill psychological safety (ie how to have a more inclusive culture that encourages everyone to bring their 'whole self' and be the most productive/effective people they can be at work).

In today's episode of The Real State, we explore the intersection of Real Estate and Urban Innovation. Our guest, Simon Sylvester-Chaudhuri, is the Founder and Executive Director of CIV:LAB, a nonprofit based in New York, Detroit, and London.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is an excerpt from our new Policy Talks YouTube series. On Policy Talks, Assistant Professor of Public Management & Policy Garima Sharma speaks to public policy leaders from Metro-Atlanta about some of the biggest issues in the field today. She also asks questions submitted by students in her Policy Issues courses. In this episode, Garima Sharma speaks to Veronica Berry, Founder & CEO of TruDiary, and Sagdrina Jalal, Senior Director of Community Innovation at the Center for Civic Innovation, about how to reach the most vulnerable in order to provide food and maternity care in underserved areas. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to follow the full Policy Talks Series.

Hello, my fellow humans helping humans! Today we are going to be talking about the ATL. Why the ATL? What does that have to do with anything? It has to do with EVERYTHING because haven't you heard? ATL INFLUENCES EVERYTHING. Today we are speaking with BEM JOINER. Bem Joiner is a cultural curator, civic leader, 2021 Fellowship Selection Advisory Committee and co-founder of the lifestyle brand, Atlanta Influences Everything. His brand not only highlights Atlanta but uses its influence to help Atlanta through civic work on Thursdays giving the people food to feed their families and neighbors, with essential items like protein, veggies, fruits, milk, etc. His brand is huge you may have seen a couple of celebrities and politicians wear this brand with pride as well as some popups or collaborations. This podcast is pretty long but in this particular episode, it will feel as though you and I and Bem are just sitting on the porch having a conversation about what's happening in our backyard.  We are going to walk down memory lane of what Atlanta once was and what it is now. We start with Bem's family history and his neighborhood and how that informs his actions today. He talks about his original love: music, How he booked the early shows of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and the Goodie Mob reunion. He speaks about the stark contrast of paths with being an entrepreneur vs a doctor. We discuss how Rohit Malhotra from the Center for Civic Innovation reminded him to be himself for his Ted Talk. And one of the coolest things we talk about is how Nike told him that Atlanta was NOT a top-tier market, and Bem showed them just how wrong they are and the birth of his brand journey began. Please LIKE, SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, and have a LISTEN.⁣⁠Available on Apple Podcast⁠Comment below and let me know what you think!⁣⁠Edit + Production :@thesoundbyle

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

This episode has been published and can be heard everywhere your podcast is available. It's the Center for Civic Innovation's Weekly Policy Update for March 23, 2021. The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be. Links mentioned during this episode: http://citycouncil.atlantaga.gov – The Atlanta City Council's website for details on meetings and legislation https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/2021ClusterConversations – Atlanta Public Schools Cluster Conversations http://surveymonkey.com/r/ATLPoliceReform – community survey on public safety and law enforcement http://npu.civicatlanta.org – find out more about Atlanta's Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) http://bit.ly/marchsocialstudies – CCI's webinar on race, housing, and class in Atlanta on Friday, March 26th at noon Visit our Weekly Policy Update blog post for more info about everything mentioned in this episode, and a lot more!

  In this episode, we feature the voices of cofounder of CivicMakers Judi Brown, Assistant Director of Human Resources at the City of San Jose Kelli Parmley and former Director of Digital Services and Open Government for the City of San Rafael, Rebecca WoodburyIn today’s show we wanted to focus on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and economic meltdown have and are continuing to have on our local governments. We asked our friend of the show Judi Brown and her team at CivicMakers to help us put together and co-host a panel discussion with local government thought leaders to share with us how they are responding to the economic and health crisis along with their experience’s insights and recommendations.To find out more about Civic Innovation, please listen to our 2016 show titled What is Civic Innovation which features Judi Brown, from CivicMakers, Krista Canellaskis from the City of San Francisco’s Office of Innovation and Susan Stuart Clark from Common Knowledge. 

It's the Center for Civic Innovation's Weekly Policy Update for March 16, 2021. The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be. Links mentioned during this episode: http://citycouncil.atlantaga.gov – The Atlanta City Council's website for details on meetings and legislation https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/2021ClusterConversations – Atlanta Public Schools Cluster Conversations http://surveymonkey.com/r/ATLPoliceReform – community survey on public safety and law enforcement http://npu.civicatlanta.org – find out more about Atlanta's Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) Visit our Weekly Policy Update blog post for more info about everything mentioned in this episode, and a lot more!

Surrounded by Silicon Valley, San Francisco leaders saw a golden opportunity to improve the lives of residents by bringing private sector talent to bear on pressing City problems. Civic Bridge -- a 16-week program teaming up city staff and private sector experts to design better City services -- enables San Francisco to do just that. Guest: Amardeep ‘Dee' Prasad, Interim Director, Office of Civic Innovation, San Francisco

It's the Center for Civic Innovation's Weekly Policy Update for March 8, 2021. The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be. Links mentioned during this episode: http://citycouncil.atlantaga.gov – The Atlanta City Council's website for details on meetings and legislation https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/2021ClusterConversations – Atlanta Public Schools Cluster Conversations https://www.atlantahousing.org/notices/ – Atlanta Housing's public hearing and draft Move-to-Work Annual Plan https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/city-planning/office-of-design/urban-design-commission/design-awards – Atlanta Urban Design Commission Awards http://npu.civicatlanta.org – find out more about Atlanta's Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) Visit our Weekly Policy Update blog post for more info about everything mentioned in this episode, and a lot more!

It's the Center for Civic Innovation's Weekly Policy Update for March 1, 2021. The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be. Links mentioned during this episode: http://citycouncil.atlantaga.gov – The Atlanta City Council's website for details on meetings and legislation https://www.atlantahousing.org/notices/ – Atlanta Housing's public hearing and draft Move-to-Work Annual Plan https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/city-planning/office-of-design/urban-design-commission/design-awards – Atlanta Urban Design Commission Awards http://npu.civicatlanta.org – find out more about Atlanta's Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) Visit our Weekly Policy Update blog post for more info about everything mentioned in this episode, and a lot more!

It's the Center for Civic Innovation's Weekly Policy Update for February 19, 2021. The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be. Links mentioned during this episode: http://citycouncil.atlantaga.gov – The Atlanta City Council's website for details on meetings and legislation https://www.atlantahousing.org/notices/ – Atlanta Housing's public hearing and draft Move-to-Work Annual Plan http://npu.civicatlanta.org – find out more about Atlanta's Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) Visit our Weekly Policy Update blog post for more info about everything mentioned in this episode, and a lot more!

New from the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the Data-Smart City Pod brings on top innovators and leading industry, academic, and government officials to discuss data, innovation, and government. This podcast serves as a central resource for cities and individuals interested in the intersection of government and innovations, the adoption of data projects on the local government level, and how to become data smart. Hosted by Stephen Goldsmith, former Deputy Mayor of New York,  Mayor of Indianapolis, and current Professor at Harvard Kennedy School.Subscribe to the Ash Center wherever you get your podcasts for future Data-Smart City Pod episodes. Music credit: Summer-Man by KetsaAbout Data-Smart City SolutionsData-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Ash Center at Harvard Kennedy School, is working to catalyze adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on Twitter. About the Ash Center The Ash Center is a research center and think tank at Harvard Kennedy School focused on democracy, government innovation, and Asia public policy. AshCast, the Center's podcast series, is a collection of conversations, including events and experts Q&As, from around the Center on pressing issues, forward-looking solutions, and more. Visit the Ash Center online, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. For updates on the latest research, events, and activities, please signup for our newsletter.

It's the Center for Civic Innovation's Weekly Policy Update for February 12, 2021. The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be. Visit our Weekly Policy Update blog post for links mentioned during this episode.

It's the Center for Civic Innovation's Weekly Policy Update for February 5, 2021. The Center for Civic Innovation's mission is to increase civic participation and elevate more effective solutions in Atlanta by inspiring people to take action, investing in the work of local community leaders, and advocating for policy change. We believe that informed and civically-engaged residents are the key to making Atlanta the city we all know it can be. Visit our Weekly Policy Update blog post for links mentioned during this episode.

Neighborhood Planning Units are a system of citizen-led councils created by Mayor Maynard Jackson along with the Atlanta City Council 46 years ago. Today, there are plans to re-imagine the system. Asile Patin, community engagement manager at the Center For Civic Innovation and Kyle Kessler, director of policy at the Center for Civic Innovation and community engagement manager at the Center For Civic Innovation, discuss their efforts to figure out what’s working with the current system, and what isn’t.

In this episode, SmartTab’s Founder and CEO, Robert Niichel welcomes Kent Thiry, Former chairman and CEO of DaVita. In 2018, Kent founded a CEO group, called Colorado Thrives, focused on advancing the quality of life of all Coloradans. Kent is here to highlight Colorado Thrives’ goals of advancing Colorado as an inspiring and inclusive community known globally for innovation, collaboration, and overall well-being. He shares the inspiration that drives Colorado Thrives and their vision to take Denver and Colorado to the next level of innovation and wellbeing. Kent touches on the Economic Mobility focus of the organization and the specific initiatives they’re working on and will be working on in the coming years.There are many early stage companies, digital technology and healthcare startups in Colorado working on innovative solutions to tackle many of the world’s problems. What steps can these companies take to grow and evolve in the next 5-10 years? What does that mean for the expansion of Colorado’s future as an innovation hub? How do we leverage the talents of the bright young people in Colorado to accomplish those goals? Tune in to learn more!More Information on Colorado Thrives:https://www.coloradothrives.org/Connect with Kent Thiry on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-thiry-0a996298/SmartTab is driving the future of digital medicine by developing a superior patient-centered personalized drug delivery platform in the form of a wireless ingestible capsule. The patient experience fuels SmartTab's commitment to create novel, effective therapies that improve patient outcomes and compliance. For more information visit: https://www.smarttab.co/

Margo chats with the beautiful, colorful, and wildly creative Dayle Bennett. Dayle hails from Baltimore Maryland and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She has Bachelor of Arts in fiber/textiles and color theory from Towson University and attended post grad studies at the Portfolio Center where she studied design and art direction and has left her mark on companies such as Hallmark, West Elm, and Center for Civic Innovation before more recently stepping out on her own to help others problem solve and inspire people to make, inspire, and share.  Margo & Dayle go back to the beginning discussing:  Dayle’s start as a creative How she learned how to embrace her strong energy How large corporations can build better relationships with their employees The more challenging times in her life including her attendance at the Portfolio Center Alt Summit Embracing her own story The significance of having a mentor And so much more! Dayle is a consultant, speaker, and glitter sprinkler that provides a fresh perspective to help teams and individuals find joy in their daily lives. She is a creative innovator that uses design thinking with her experience, expertise, and creative energy to solve problems and believes that we are all creative and need a little nudge to unleash our inner creativity. She has been designing wonderful things all her life and loves teaching creative workshops, speaking about design and how to unleash your spark. Connect with Dayle:  https://number4designstudio.com/ linkedin.com/in/dayle-bennett-77239b8 https://www.instagram.com/designstudio.no4/ https://www.facebook.com/number4designstudio

The eleventh day of the eleventh month has arrived, and we remember our veterans today, especially those who may not have made it through this difficult year. This November 11, 2020 edition of the program is dedicated to their memory. Today's Patreon-fueled shout-out is from a supporter who wants you to consider a donation for Monica Johnson, a Pro Strongwoman who will be competing in a charity powerlifting event on November 21 called Make Every Rep Count. Gregory Carey-Medlock is donating 30 cents for every pound Monica squats to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. You can choose between three other charities.  Learn more at Shenandoah Power. Sponsors accepted through November 14. *There are another 1,594 new cases of COVID-19 reported by the Virginia Department of Health this morning. That brings the seven-day average for new daily cases to 1,524. The seven-day average for positive test results remains at 6.2 percent statewide today.There are another 18 cases in the Blue Ridge Health District reported today, bringing the seven-day average to 26. The percent positivity for the district for PCR tests has increased to 2 percent, up from 1.8 percent yesterday. Governor Ralph Northam is asking Virginians to continue to follow health guidelines to stop the spread of COVID-19 but said yesterday he is not likely to impose restrictions.“We’re seeing a rise in cases and in percent positivity which is now 6.2 percent and we’re also seeing a ride in our hospitalizations,” Northam said. “This is very concerning, especially because it is getting colder. The holidays are approaching and the temptation to gather with other people is high.” Northam said the VDH continues to be concerned about Southwest Virginia where a high number of cases were reported late last week. In Wise County, the seven-day average for new daily cases per 100,000 population is 65.8. That figure is 52 for Washington County, 57.7 for Scott County, and 59.3 for Russell County. For comparison, those numbers are 7.8 for Albemarle and 19 for Charlottesville. “Our team has been in communication with health directors in Southwest Virginia about the spread in that region,” Northam said. “We’re focusing on a communications campaign to emphasize the importance of doing the things that we know work. Avoiding indoor gatherings. Washing our hands. And wearing face coverings.” Northam reminded the public that Virginia has a mask mandate in place for indoor spaces. “While we are concerned about southwest Virginia I want to remind Virginians that we are seeing rising cases in other regions and around our nation as well,” Northam said. “The central region of Virginia for example is seeing a steady increase in case counts.” Thanksgiving is 15 days away, and Northam urged people to remember that the virus spreads more easily indoors. “I’m not saying don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but if you’re planning to gather with people outside of your household, think about ways to do it more safely,” Northam said. “Consider how the space is ventilated. Or think about ways to have gatherings outdoors.”I’ll have more from this press conference in the next installment of the Charlottesville Quarantine Report. *A petition created to demand changes to the physical character of 5th Street in  Charlottesville now has over 1,300 signatures. Binta Rose’s son Rahmean Rose died following a motorcycle crash on August 30. Fifth street is a four-lane divided highway between Ridge Street and Interstate 64, but more residential streets have been added in recent years. “When exiting from Bailey Road, Brookwood, Cleveland Avenue or 5th Street Station, oncoming traffic is going entirely too fast,” reads the petition. “Too many families in the last year have lost loved ones to [crashes] on 5th Street.”The petition calls for the speed limit to be lowered, mandatory high fines for speeding and traffic calming measures in the corridor. There are several ongoing and recent projects in the area, including a Smart Scale funded improvement for the intersection of 5th, Ridge Street, Cherry Avenue and Elliott Avenue. However, that $6.1 million project is not expected to begin design until January 2024, according to an email from Jeanette Janiczek with the city. In 2018, the city completed work on a corridor study for the 5th Street-Ridge-McIntire area. A task force that reviews the city’s Community Development Block Grant process is currently investigating potential projects that could be paid for through that funding. Planning Commissioner Taneia Dowell is on that task force. She said she is hopeful for coordination between all of these studies and more. “A couple of things that we want to take into place before we move forward is how the Elliot Avenue Streetscape Plan, the [Strategic Investment Area], the old Ridge Street plan and the Smart Scale 5th plan will be able to tied together with our recommendations of the task force so that we are not duplicating efforts,” Dowell said. The city completed a study of the 5th Street area in November 2018. You can download it here. *Last night, the Charlottesville City Council and the Charlottesville Planning Commission met in a joint session to discuss an affordable housing plan that’s been crafted as part of the Cville Plans Together initiative. Today at 6 p.m the consultants working on the project will hold the first of several webinars intended to get public input (register).“We’ve all been working on this for quite a while and this is the draft that is out there,” said Missy Creasy, the assistant director of Neighborhood Development Services. “We’re looking forward to hearing what the community has to say about this. We hired the consultant team who does this day in and day out and they are providing recommendations that they feel would be helpful for the community.” Among those recommendations is a commitment to spend $10 million in city funds on affordable housing over ten years. Another is to collaborate with communities throughout the area. That concept has the support of Planning Commission Chair Hosea Mitchell.“The urban ring is where we’re going to most effectively address this problem,” Mitchell said. “We cannot do it just inside Charlottesville so collaboration is going to be very important.”Tomorrow, the Central Virginia Regional Housing Partnership will unveil an online search tool for affordable housing at a meeting that begins at noon. More on that tomorrow. I will be writing up a full account of the Cville Plans Together discussion in a stand-alone story.  Comments will be taken through December 2. *At the end of the meeting, Commissioner Rory Stolzenberg made a pitch to his colleagues to push for a rezoning for the land on which a future municipal parking garage will be built. In January 2017, a previous Council paid $2.85 million to buy land that currently houses a Lucky 7 convenience store and a Guadalajara restaurant. The plan is to build as a parking garage to serve a joint General District court with Albemarle County.“My primary ask would be for Council to initiate a rezoning to Downtown Extended,”  Stolzenberg said. Doing so would allow for additional floors to allow for the structure to be more than just a parking garage. A request for proposals to design and build the garage has not yet been and Stolzenberg said he did not want the possibility to go away. Council will hold a work session Thursday on the capital budget for next year, and interim city attorney Lisa Robertson said the elected officials will have to weigh in. The current year’s capital improvement program allocated $2 million to the project and anticipates an additional $8 million will be allocated next year. “It’s going to be a financial decision and I have not talked to staff about whether it’s possible,” Robertson said. “It sounds like there is a good consensus that people would like to see more done with this property and I think you need to make Council aware again of your strong feelings.”   The Commission made a motion to request the rezoning. Councilors were present for the discussion. You can hear the whole 40 minutes discussion on my SoundCloud page. The land in question is within the blue box. D means Downtown Zoning. DN is Downtown North. *No meetings today, but let’s preview something happening on Friday. The newest school at the University of Virginia is the School of Data Science, which was created after a gift of $120 million to UVA from the Quantitative Foundation, associated with Jaffray Woodriff. The school will eventually be located on Ivy Road in the new Emmet / Ivy corridor.On Friday, the school will hold a half-day conference called Datapalooza which includes two keynote speakers and panel discussions on the role data science can play in solving community problems. Danielle D’Andrea is the communications manager for the School of Data Science. “Data science still is happening not only at the school but everywhere across UVA and the conference started just to highlight all the work that everyone was doing,” D’Andrea said. “Data science happens across discipline, and it lives in all of the schools so the conference started as a way to highlight all the great work students, faculties and staff were completing.”D’Andrea said the free conference will be virtual which will allow for an unlimited number of viewers as opposed to being limited to who can show up in person. The first keynote speech is on the “Positive Impact of Data Science on Emerging and Reemerging Disease - COVID-19.” The speaker is John J. McGowan.“He’s the deputy director for science management at the National Institute for Health, specifically for the National Institute for Allergy and Infection Disease,” D’Andrea said. A panel discussion called “Data Science that Works With and For Our Communities” will include presentations on the Charlottesville Housing Hub (not to be confused with the regional affordable housing locator being produced by the TJPDC), improving open data, and the Center for Civic Innovation. “Essentially from a high level perspective what that panel will be talking about is just how we can use data to better inform community and community work and how we can partner as data activists to make things more open, more accessible and what we can do to really move community work forward,” D’Andrea said.Visit the Datapalooza website to learn more, and we’ll have more of a preview in tomorrow’s program.Would you like to support this program? You can help me by making a contribution:Support my research by making a donation through PatreonSign for a subscription to Charlottesville Community Engagement, free or paidPay me through Venmo This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

Atlanta's Center for Civic Innovation once earned the imprimatur of “good trouble” from the late Representative John Lewis. Founder and Executive Director Rohit Malhotra shares the story of the Center and their mission to improve equality and build trust between communities and government.

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

Conoce a Saiph, MIT Top Innovators Under 35. Cofundadora del Laboratorio de Innovación Cívica de la UNAM. Sus bots movilizan a las personas para que colaboren en actividades de impacto positivo.

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

Today’s assemblage of pertinent information is brought to you by the College Inn, a place that is ready to bring you a variety of food and beverages throughout Charlottesville via delivery. That includes ice cream! Place your order online at thecollegeinn.com or phone 977-2710. *Virginia’s COVID-19 death toll is now 2,007 based on new information released this morning. The Virginia Department of Health reports another 904 new cases today, and reported 1,084 new cases on Wednesday. That brings the total number of cases to 74,431. The statewide 7-day positive percentage for all testing encounters has increased to 7.1 percent. Updated figures from the Thomas Jefferson Health District were unavailable at recording time. *The Albemarle Board of Supervisors is considering sending a letter to Governor Ralph Northam asking for permission for the county to move back to Phase 2 of the Forward Virginia plan, which would reduce the size of allowed public gatherings from 200 people to 50. It would also close indoor dining. Supervisor Ann Mallek is concerned there will be a spike in cases.“I would encourage everybody to think about whether we really want to be in phase 3,” said Ann Mallek. Supervisor Diantha McKeel shared that concern and suggested sending a letter to Governor Northam especially with the University of Virginia possibly returning in weeks.  “I am very concerned about 20,000 students coming back,” McKeel said. “We now have our school division that’s saying they’re struggling to even get enough teachers. County staff said they would need to review whether they could enforce local rules if Governor Northam did not move back to phase two. Supervisors may hold a special meeting to further discuss the letter and next steps for the pandemic response.  County Executive Jeffrey Richardson said that county office buildings will remain closed to the public and meetings will continue to be held virtually. *Do you or someone you know need assistance paying your rent or your mortgage due to the pandemic? A local organization has begun coordination of Virginia’s Rent and Mortgage Relief Program. The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission has a central website for information on how to apply for relief funding in Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson Counties, as well as the city of Charlottesville. Details on eligibility are on the website, which can be seen in the show notes and the newsletter version of this newscast. (more info)*The Dean of the Students at the University of Virginia has written a letter to undergraduates warning them that continued public gatherings in violation of COVID-19 restrictions could end plans to return to on Grounds instruction about a month from now. Dean Allen Groves responded to photographs and accounts of students crowding into Corner bars and fraternity houses, with people not wearing masks or staying six feet apart. Groves called such activities “selfish and ignorant” and chided them to follow the rules. He stated – “If such behavior continues, we will not make it long into the fall semester before a significant outbreak occurs and we then need to send students home.” (NBC29 story) *There will be another COVID-19 testing event this evening at Booker T. Washington Park in Charlottesville from 5 to 7 p.m. Sentara Martha Jefferson does not require preregistration for the event, which is being offered at no cost with a focus on “communities of color.” People can either drive through or walk up. There will be another event at the same time and place on Thursday, July 23. The University of Virginia Health System will have a COVID-19 test at Buford Middle School on Saturday from July 18 from 2 to 5 p.m. This event is also offered for free. More details on events in Nelson County and Greene County coming in the days to come, or on the Thomas Jefferson Health District website. (testing information)*In recent years, many people across the world have opened their doors to paying guests who seek short-term rentals. The AirBnB phenomenon has led some to question the impact this may have on the availability of affordable places for people who live here. Phil d’Oronzio is the chair of the Charlottesville Housing Advisory Committee, or HAC.“There had been some queries to the HAC about the impact of short-term rentals, AirBnB and their analogues, and its impact on housing stock,” d’Oronzio said.The HAC reached out to the Center for Civic Innovation at SmartCville to take a look at the underlying data. Nathan Day is one of the fellows who took a look at property records and zoning for an initial report to share with the many members of the HAC. (Smart Cville blog entry)“This is a data gathering from my standpoint,” said Day. “I’m good at getting data and visualizing it but I rely on experts like you for the interpretation and what the policy changes will make going forward.” The data was collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and has not been collected since. The study found that about one percent of the city’s total housing stock is being used for transient use, or about 200 units. “It’s a small fraction of the total number of houses out there and we haven’t begun to dive into what that trend looks like over time because I think that’s the next question,” Day said.  Joy Johnson represents the Public Housing Association of Residents.“I’m just wondering how many of those AirBnB is actually in the low-income neighborhoods or around the low-income neighborhoods because we know that a lot of houses are being bought up in our neighborhoods,” Johnson said.Work will continue on the details of the study. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

In the 100th episode of TAP, guests Bem Joyner & Tory Edwards of Atlanta Influences Everything drop in to talk about AIE, it's beginning, MapMakers, the Atlanta Community Give Back Tour, what Atlanta is REALLY like, and how companies can REALLY invest in the city. Also speaking into existence the AIE Gift Shop in the airport. #ATLSalute Goes To:  Hosea Williams, Keithann Powell, Twanna Harris, Daniel Blackman, Jasmine Crow of Goodr, Ash Nash of Powerhaus, Fahamu Pecou, Jewel Burks Solomon, Tyree Smith of Artlanta, and the Center for Civic Innovation. What's On TAP?:  Down Right Hazy IPA - Down Home Brewing 5.7%ABV / IPA Saporous - Three Taverns Brewing 5.0%ABV / Fruited Sour Sol Crusher - Pontoon Brewing 4.8%ABV / Mexican Lager Peach City - Pontoon Brewing 13.1%ABV / NEIPA

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

In 1793, a Yellow Fever outbreak in Philadelphia led to the creation of the city’s first garbage collection service.  In 1853, the New York City Board of Health authorized the creation of a reservoir system, and New York’s Central Park, in response to a cholera epidemic.  And here in Wisconsin, a 1909 typhoid surge led […] The post Pandemics Spur Civic Innovation appeared first on WORT 89.9 FM.

For more information about the Community Design Collaborative, visit cdesignc.org.Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

TribalScale Co-Founder & CEO Sheetal Jaitly is joined by Rakesh Tiku, President of inField Solutions Inc., and Paula Kwan, Former Founding Director Civic Innovation Officer at City of Toronto. Side Walk Labs? Smart Cities? Connected lamp posts? Yes, they cover it all. Get a front row seat to the innovation happening in our city and across oceans, the future we're moving to, the barriers, and the processes that all culminate into Smart Cities. 

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

Rose Scott hosts a roundtable conversation on the challenges and solutions to addressing food security during COVID-19. Guests include: Jasmine Crowe, founder and CEO of Goodr Inc.Sagdrina Jalal, Senior Director of Programs and Partnerships at the Center for Civic Innovation and former founding Executive Director and current board member at the Georgia Farmer’s Market Association Lauren Cox, Georgia Organics’ Organic Procurement Coordinator Will Sellers, executive director of Wholesome Wave GeorgiaPlus, how the advocacy group MARTA Army is providing meals for transit operators.

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

Music for this podcast is produced by Kilamanzego.

In honor of Black History Month we sat down with Gregory Johnson, Program Director of Code for Miami and Advocate for Civic Innovation at Microsoft TechSpark Miami, to discuss the impact that Civic Innovation can have in our community. Gregory’s passion is centered around Public Interest Technology which he considers to be work that helps solve government issues and build better cities. 

Originally posted on: https://www.myasbn.com/small-business/entrepreneurship/how-atlantas-center-for-civic-innovation-is-improving-the-community-through-social-entrepreneurship-rohit-malhotra-founder/ Bringing positive change to local communities requires room for innovative ideas to be voiced, the manpower to bring those ideas to life, and a mutual sense of trust between all parties involved. Here to shine a light on social entrepreneurship and community resolution is Founder and Executive Director of Atlanta’s Center for Civic Innovation, Rohit Malhotra. --------------------- Atlanta Small Business Network is your local source for business news, information, resources, best practices and event coverage. From start-up to success, we are your go-to resource for small businesses in Atlanta, Georgia. https://www.myasbn.com/ CONNECT WITH US! Contact us: Info@myasbn.com Subscribe: https://www.myasbn.com/subscribe/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyASBN Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myasbn/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyASBN Category People & Blogs

In this episode of UAB Green & Told, we welcome Dr. Anthony Hood, Director of Civic Innovation at UAB and an Assistant Professor in the Collat School of Business. As Anthony will share, things in high school came really easy for him, but in college it was a different story. However, at UAB, Anthony would finally discover success in the collegiate classroom.

Dr. Catherine PearlDr. Catherine Pearl teaches in the Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation at Mount Royal University. She spent nearly twenty years in industry and ran a registered charity that operated as a social enterprise. She holds a PhD in Social Work from the University of Calgary. Professor Pearl designs teaching and learning experiences that are interactive and experiential. Over the past two years Professor Pearl has designed and piloted 3 of the 9 courses that comprise MRU’s minor in Social Innovation: Facilitating Social Innovation, Social Enterprising, and Civic Innovation. Her recent research explores social entrepreneurship among millennials, case studies on social enterprise, and inter-professional practice and perceptions between social work and business students.

Tackling complex challenges affecting Toronto residents. Paula Kwan the Director of the Civic Innovation Office for the City of Toronto joined the podcast to talk about leading an Innovation Team and driving culture change in an organization. Paula discussed her career path, which started in Toronto's technology sector, and working on issues like translation for residents that speak many languages.  Host: Ben Kittelson

http://www.iftf.org/ilanalipsett/ Senior Program Manager, Equitable Futures Lab Ilana Lipsett is a community design strategist, and works at the intersection of policy, community engagement, and development. Ilana works with cities, real estate developers, international aid organizations, and creative communities around the globe to harness our collective capacity to address the world's biggest challenges. She creates and activates spaces to catalyze community development through art, culture, dialog, public input, and economic opportunity. Using culture as a means for bridging divides, and human-centered design as a guiding principle for economic development and urban planning, she was recognized by the Obama White House as a “Champion of Change in Civic Innovation" for her work co-founding freespace, an initiative to temporarily transform vacant spaces into community, cultural and arts hubs. Ilana served as the Political Director of a labor union, and spent years as a community organizer for workers' rights in Washington DC, leading successful legislative campaigns to secure and protect workers' rights. She has also worked with international NGO's to create gathering spaces and opportunities for refugees, and has led numerous advocacy and political campaigns for social and environmental justice. Ilana is committed to creating social and economic equity; she sits on the board of Code Tenderloin, a innovative nonprofit dedicated to providing job training and placement for individuals with the highest barriers to employment, and she has partnered with local police departments to provide "opportunity not punishment" through the creation of police-sponsored jobs fairs. She is also a board member of ReAllocate, an open-source platform that connects world class talent to social impact projects to create real world solutions. She holds an MBA in sustainable management from the Presidio Graduate School, and is an active member of the Urban Land Institute, where she works with developers and cities to improve their public processes and public engagement campaigns. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/possibilityhours/support

Host John Thomas Flynn spoke to Shireen Santosham, chief innovation officer for the Mayor of San Jose’s Office of Technology and Innovation, and Dolan Beckel, director of the Office of Civic Innovation and Digital Strategy for San Jose, about how the city found itself on the forefront of 5G deployment in the country and what the future holds.

Hosts Shelli Nelson and Patrick Emmons are joined today by Adam Hecktman, long time civic technology executive at Microsoft. Adam shares how the role of technology in communities has evolved throughout the years. We discuss the social impact of technology, efficient government and the challenge of keeping talent in Chicago. [03:00] - 27 years and 10,000 great days at Microsoft[03:50] - The challenge of keeping talent in Chicago[05:35] - Chicago driving the transportation logistics industry forward[08:30] - Hiring for skills not diplomas[09:45] - Mentoring upcoming entrepreneurs in the social impact space[11:50] - Experiences with demands for efficient government [13:30] - Chicago mayoral campaigns with someone not named Daley[15:45] - 1871, Governor Pritzker and Illinois economic development[20:00] - The State of Illinois opportunity to provide equity in education[25:56] - The opportunity to live, work and grow in Chicago[29:00] - The call to action for business owners in Chicago when hiring candidates [34:15] - Lesson in encouraging lifelong learning & Microsoft Partner Program[38:30] - Creating a culture of learning starts at the top of an organization[40:00] - The gig economy, micro-internships and new models of employment[42:00] - Adam's one word  Adam J. Hecktman is Microsoft’s Director of Technology and Civic Innovation for Chicago. In this capacity, Adam helps the cities' civic leaders – and the communities they serve – use cutting-edge ideas around technology to solve the city’s biggest social challenges. He provides guidance on the key issues and opportunities facing neighborhoods and communities today and in the future. Prior to this role, Adam was the Director of the Microsoft Technology Center – Chicago, helping organizations ensure long-term success when facing their toughest business challenges and opportunities. He has been with Microsoft in Chicago since 1991. Prior to Microsoft, Adam was a consultant at Accenture. Adam received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is pursuing his Master of Data Science with a concentration on Computational Methods at DePaul University. Adam has served his community in various capacities and appointments at non-profit, civic, and professional organizations including: Founder of the Chicago City Data Users Group, Advisory Board of IT Knowledge Abilities Network, Leadership Council of THRIVE Chicago, along with many others. Adam can be found on Twitter and at the Microsoft Chicago homepage. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show Episode produced by Dante32.

University of Wisconsin professors Satish and Priya Nambisan, says that a trifecta of austerity, complexity, and digital technology has created this new opportunity for everyday citizens to help “co-create” new solutions for solving civic problems in their communities.http://brook.gs/MsUtPUThis episode is focused on Civic Innovation and its impact on our economy, community, and democracy. In this episode, we feature the voices of:Krista Canellakis the Deputy Innovation Officer from the City of San Francisco’s Office of Civic Innovation http://innovatesf.com/ andJudi Brown co-founder of Civic Makers http://civicmakers.org/ andSusan Stuart Clark a Director at Common Knowledge http://ckgroup.org/Please rate us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and share this story with your friends. Follow me on Twitter @georgekoster and please email george@georgekoster.com with questions, comments and show ideas

This show on Economic Development and Civic Innovation features fellow community members and organizations that are working to provide support and solutions to the Mom and Pop businesses that make up a large portion of our local economy, workforce and the fabric of our community. In this episode, we feature the voices of: Cathy Hickey, Founder of Hickey Consulting http://bit.ly/2YfgxqM Carla Mays, Founder of Mays Civic Innovation http://bit.ly/2OpR2i5 Andrea Baker, Founder of Andrea Baker Consulting http://bit.ly/2YaWude Please rate us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts and share this story with your friends. Follow me on Twitter @georgekoster and please email george@georgekoster.com with questions, comments and show ideas.

We check in with Global STL's Donn Rubin, who's looking for new medical technology start-ups to recruit from Israel to St. Louis. Yield Lab Principal Matt Plummer tells us about the fund's latest investments in agriculture technology. CityLab's Laura Bliss tells us what she discovered about how Las Vegas is fostering civic innovation. (Photo ID 44626545 © Somchaij | Dreamstime.com)

In this episode we talk with Santiago Garces and Brian Donoghue, South Bend’s Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Civic Innovation, respectively. Santi comes to us from Bogota, Colombia while Brian comes from Youngstown, a city that, similar to ours, experienced painful industrial decline and decay. Our conversation centers around the founding of enFocus and the City’s Department of Innovation, our local culture of getting shit done, and stories explaining why South Bend’s name is increasingly being spoken around the world.

Learn about initiatives in Maryland and Georgia as well as innovations by non-profits to educate, develop, recruit and retain the smart city workforce of the future. Find out how you can create a ready workforce and provide job opportunities for difficult-to-employ populations. This Episode features: Shlomy Kattan, Executive Director, Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE Kelly Schulz, Secretary of Labor, State of Maryland Anthony Amato, Vice President of Business Services, Workforce Opportunity Services Anthony Hood, Director of Civic Innovation, Office of the President, University of Alabama at Birmingham

The winners of the 2018 Smart Cities Council Readiness Challenge Grant shared their experiences orienting their city leaders, community stakeholders and businesses around their smart city programs. Hear from officials from Birmingham, Cary, Las Vegas, Louisville, Virginia and Puerto Rico as they address their plans for advancing their cities as well as their major challenges to date. This episode features: Jennifer James, Global Readiness Program Director, Smart Cities Council Carlos Mercader, Executive Director, Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration David Ihrie, CTO, Center for Innovative Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia Terry Yates, Smart Cities Program Manager, City of Cary, NC Josh Carpenter, Director, Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity, City of Birmingham Grace Simrall, Chief of Civic Innovation and Technology, Louisville Metro Government Don Jacobson, Business Partner for Innovation in the Information Technologies Department, City of Las Vegas

Microsoft – You can’t go many places in Chicago without hearing Adam Hecktman’s name mentioned. As Director of Technology and […]

The post Civic Innovation and Technology: Bettering the City appeared first on SHOCKOE.

Imagine a centralized database replete with your personal information that links together your and your family’s vital health, education, and social welfare records. Now imagine the database includes an entire country’s population. Fifty years ago this year, Denmark launched the world's first nationalized big data project. The country's Civil Personal Registration (CPR) system assigns every resident a "digital ID" that directly connects them with the Danish state to facilitate government-citizen interactions from birth to death and everywhere in between. Originally created to render tax collection  and the distribution of social benefits more efficient, the system has become a popular and benevolent instrument in Denmark built on the values of trust in government and sense of community. Now similar data infrastructures—often built by private sector platforms—are being applied across the globe, but in a climate in which data breaches are growing more frequent and more severe, their implications must adapt to the opportunities—and account for the challenges—of twenty-first century technology. How can citizens ensure their personal data isn't vulnerable to hacking and that their privacy rights are being upheld? What safeguards must government and the private sector take on to guarantee data is used and stored securely? What do CPR-modeled platforms mean for the future of digital democracy? Join New America NYC, in partnership with the Consulate General of Denmark in New York and Columbia University's European Institute, for a set of conversations on the past, present, and future of digital identity—and the measures we need in place to ensure its use for good. WELCOMING REMARKS Elana Broitman @elanabroitman Director, New America NYC   Tom FrestonBoard Member and Chair, New America NYC Advisory Council OPENING REMARKS Ambassador Jonas Bering-LiisbergState Secretary for Foreign Policy, Kingdom of Denmark   SESSION 1 Mikkel Hagen Hess @mikkelhess Director, Invest in Denmark, North America   Don Thibeau @4thibeau Executive Director, OpenID Foundation Zia Khan @ZiaKhanNYC Vice President, Initiatives and Strategy, The Rockefeller Foundation Michael IbachChief Analytics Officer, United Nations Tara Nathan @Thetaranation Executive Vice President, Public-Private Partnerships, MasterCard Louise Matsakis @lmatsakisStaff writer, WIRED  SESSION 2 Rebecca MacKinnon @rmack Director, Ranking Digital Rights, New America   Jacob Mchangama @JMchangama Founder and CEO, Justitia   John Paul Farmer @johnpaulfarmer Director, Technology and Civic Innovation, Microsoft Amanda Graham @BCCBlockchainCo-founder and Chief Services Officer, Blockchain for Change David K. Park @davidchungpark Dean of Strategic Initiatives, Arts & Sciences, and Faculty Member, Data Science Institute, Columbia University Natasha Singer @natashanytTechnology reporter, The New York Times    This event is presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Denmark in New York with additional support from the European Institute at Columbia University.  

Black Kids in Outer Space interviews Nedra Deadwyler. Deadwyler is the Founder and Principal Tour Curator of Civil Bikes, an active transportation tour company, based in Atlanta, Georgia. She received a Master of Social Work from New York University and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Georgia. She is currently a Fellow at the Center for Civic Innovation, a social entrepreneur incubator. She has a published chapter, Civil Bikes: embracing Atlanta’s racialized history through bicycle tours. (Routledge, 2016, Bicycle Justice and Urban Transformation: Biking for All? Edited by A. Golub, M.L. Hoffmann, A. E. Lugo, and G. F. Sandoval). She presented conferences hosted by Active Living Research and League of American Bicyclists. Moderated and participated in a panel/ conversation at the national Complete Streets conference, entitled, "Holistic Community-Centered Advocacy".

The procurement process often frustrates local governments and vendors alike, but it seems like a process that will never change. Mariel Reed the Founder and CEO of CoProcure wants to rethink that. CoProcure is a startup that helps local governments improve procurement to promote economic development. She came on GovLove to discuss her work, the potential for a 'Common App' for procurement and the work she did at the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation.  Topics: Lightning round (2:00), Mariel's career path (9:00), Her work at the San Francisco Mayor's Office (13:10), the Civic Bridge and Startup in Residence programs in San Francisco (16:25), the work of CoProcure (28:25), the case for the 'Common App' for government procurement (32:50), and what's next for CoProcure (43:50). 

Frank and Andy chat with Adam Hecktman, Director of Technology & Civic Innovation Chicago, about his work with data for the public good.  It was Adam who inspired Frank to get into data science.

Improving collaboration and innovation in local government. Ellory Monks from The Atlas and Kip Harkness, the Deputy City Manager of San Jose, CA, join GovLove to talk about their work. The Atlas is a marketplace for local governments to work together and learn from each other on infrastructure projects. Kip leads the Office of Civic Innovation in San Jose. They discuss everything from juggling fire and celebrity look-a-likes to improving procurement and email management. Topics Include: Lightning round (3:40), background from Ellory on The Atlas and how it was formed (12:25), what Kip learned working for PayPal (16:00), what Kip thinks innovation is (17:20), creating a place to fail forward (21:00), how Atlas and San Jose worked together (23:55), the office of innovation in San Jose (33:10), and what Kip and Ellory look for when they're hiring (43:20).

The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well, even in communities that have been hit hard by financial recessions and divestment. Our innate drive to fight and remain entrepreneurial doesn’t ever go away. But, finding access to community resources and early-stage funding is not always equally or readily available for every entrepreneur with a dream of success. Take a city like Atlanta, as an example, which by all media accounts is thriving economically and is often touted as the next city for economic growth. Its skyline is graced with a number of Fortune-500 companies. However, Atlanta consistently has one of the highest income inequality gaps in the United States. Upward mobility in Atlanta is 4 percent, meaning there’s a 96-percent chance if you're born poor in Atlanta, you’ll die poor in Atlanta. This is a dichotomy that has to change―not only in Atlanta but across the globe. This week in In Process (Trusted Counsel's bi-weekly podcast show), Rohit Malhotra, founder and executive director of the Center for Civic Innovation, discusses: Definition of social entrepreneurship The Center for Civic Innovation’s mission, goals and future plans Challenges and opportunities for social entrepreneurship in Atlanta as well as other metropolitan areas How to shift the conversation in terms of distributing capital and investing in true “economic value” that produces social change Real-world social entrepreneur success stories Stream the conversation with Rohit in the player below to learn how you, your company or any association you belong to can invest in Atlanta and/or contribute to social entrepreneurship in your city. You can also subscribe to In Process Podcast on iTunes to receive this episode as well as future updates from the show on your smartphone. Did you enjoy this episode? Please give us a review and share this with one to two people.

Cultural Change Makers : Carte blanche à Civic Innovation Network Avec : Antoine Dutrieu, Communa, BE Simon Ott, Fruitopia, BE Timthée Brès, Civic Innovation Network, BE Pierre-Alexandre Klein, Civic Innovation Network, BE Modération : Vincent Cavaroc, FR European Lab invite le laboratoire Civic Innovation Network à présenter trois projets investis dans les champs de l’innovation sociale. De l’éducation à la mobilité en passant par la transition urbaine ou environnementale, ces projets mettent en lumière la vitalité des initiatives collaboratives et citoyennes sur le territoire. Crédit photo : Brice Robert

GovLove International returns! Jonathan Veale from the City of Calgary, Alberta talked about how he works to inspire innovation and solve civic challenges. This includes a unique idea platform where residents submit ideas to improve their community and others vote to support them. This crowd sourcing platform, known as Civic Innovation YYC, has lead to over 600 ideas to improve efficiency and effectiveness of city government.

In this episode, hosts Veanne Smith and Sarah Lodato sit down with Creative Director Dayle Bennett, and Executive Director and Founder, Rohit Malhotra of the Center for Civic Innovation to talk about their work and how it's shaping the landscape of Atlanta for the better.

In our last episode, community architect Sandra Kulli talked to us about fostering human connection through the design of extraordinary places. Today we are excited to share this very special episode of Results May Vary. We’re featuring this year’s Stanford d.school Civic Innovation Fellows, which this year was sponsored by Knight Foundation. This event was recently recorded live as the fellows wrapped up their program and reflected back on their journey of learning design thinking. Fellows are “restless experts” in their field, accomplished professionals who are focused on accelerating large-scale impact. Over the course of the year, they learn human-centered design and use it to explore, experiment and advance ambitious projects in their sector. You’ve already met one of the fellows. In Episode 16, Dr. Mick Smyer, talked about his organization Graying Green which is focused on tapping older adults as a resource for climate action. Today you’ll also be introduced to Angie McKee, the Director of Innovation and Strategy for San Francisco Unified School District's Future Dining Experience. Her project uses student input to reimagine and redesign the school dining experience in order to make it more equitable and enjoyable for all students. You will also meet Mark Brand, one of Canada’s most recognized social entrepreneurs. Having successfully created eleven businesses in Vancouver, Mark and his teams are determined to breathe new life into marginalized and isolated communities through food, training and meaningful employment. Mario Lugay is a one-time community organizer turned philanthropy entrepreneur with his initiative, Giving Side. Mario explores bringing the best of technology to the best side of ourselves, testing initiatives that will catalyze and support our society's single largest, shared civic act: giving. And finally, a fifth fellow, Sydney Smith-Heimbrock was unable to join the conversation. But her work is no less than helping make our government a workplace that unlocks creativity to solve the complex problems facing our Nation. Within the Federal government, she leads the Innovation Lab@OPM, where they teach human-centered design through workshops and immersion projects with Federal leaders and professionals. Tracy had the honor of working with these fellows over the past year and we are pleased to introduce them to you today in partnership with the Stanford d.school.

Recorded before a live audience at Laserfiche's Empower 2017 in Long Beach, CA, NSFG cohost Dustin Haisler talks with leading innovators from state and local government on how process improvements are leading to new ways to deliver service and help the community. Major themes from this episode:  • How to undertake civic innovation with limited resources  • What is on the horizon for new government service models  • Success stories and lessons learned in innovating citizen-centric processes Guests: Bryan Sastokas – CIO and Head of Innovation, Long Beach, California Tim Nolan, Senior Applications Manager, Collin County, Texas Ed Yonker, Application Software Manager, County of Franklin, Pennsylvania

John Paul Farmer, Microsoft's Director of Technology and Civic Innovation, stops by to discuss the last day of the Obama administration, and his mission to cement the Presidential Innovation Fellows via the Talent Act.

Mayor McNally and Dr. Beck chat with Dominic C. Marchionda's 'Civic Innovation' Honors course at Youngstown State University.

Danny Catullo, Dr. Ricchiuti, Tim Petrey chat with Dominic C. Marchionda's 'Civic Innovation' Honors course at Youngstown State University.

Jim Kinnick, Executive Director of Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Sara Wenger, Economic Development Program Manager at Eastgate, and AJ Summell, economics professor at YSU sits down with Dominic C. Marchionda's 'Civic Innovation' Honors course at Youngstown State University.

Jim Cossler sits down with Dominic C. Marchionda's 'Civic Innovation' Honors course at Youngstown State University.

There is a huge movement afoot which is empowering everyday Americans to make decisions about the way our government performs - and not just on Election Day! Adam Hecktman, Director of Technology and Civic Innovation at Microsoft Chicago, talks about how anyone can use civic tech to influence our democracy. We talk about how the use of data can improve transparency, accountability and efficiency (how the government spends YOUR MONEY). Join us at Microsoft Headquarters in Chicago for a commonsense conversation about civic tech!

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneering Ideas Podcast explores cutting edge ideas and emerging trends with the potential to improve health and health care for all Americans. In this episode RWJF senior program officer Paul Tarini connects with grantee Ted Smith, PhD, Chief of Civic Innovation in Louisville, Kentucky, to explore his work with Air Louisville. This program is using city-wide collaboration to gather real-time data as part of their mission to understand what contributes to health inequities in the city and how the data can be used to create policies and partnerships that will make the city of Louisville—and all cities—a healthier place to live.

Social and Civic Innovation Specialist Tamaya Dennard spends her time sparking civic engagement at Design Impact, a nonprofit design firm focused on social justice and social change issues. It’s no wonder she went from being voted “most likely to change the world” in high school to working as an agent of change, but just how did she make the leap from real estate to politics? We talk about how she went from stuffing envelopes for a friend to managing PG Sittenfeld's political campaign, why quitting a "good job" to work at City Hall for a MUCH lower salary (thank goodness she had an understanding landlord!) was a pivotal moment, how she leverages the relationships she’s built to make a difference in the community, and why it’s important to create opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to come together. Follow Tamaya on Facebook at Tamaya Dennard, @tdennard on Twitter, and @tedennard on Instagram Head to www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for links and previous episodes, and sign up for the Curated Creatives newsletter to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of makers. Music by The Passion HiFi

Rohit Malhotra is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Civic Innovation in Atlanta, his hometown city. His background is in social entrepreneurship, digital communications, open data and community organizing. He worked in leadership positions at Malaria NO MORE, Bono's ONE Campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the World Cup's 1GOAL Education for… Read More » The post Rohit Malhotra: Empowering Social Entrepreneurship appeared first on Gareth J Young.

Participatory budgeting is perhaps the greatest experiment in democracy that could redefine how public budgets are decided in the United States. A “revolutionary civics in action” that came to the U.S. in 2009, this global phenomenon bridges a citizen-government divide in not only what public projects get funded, but who decides. But for participatory budgeting to work, the health of American democracy is a must. According to Hollie Russon-Gilman's new book, Democracy Reinvented, current citizen disaffection and mistrust of government have stalled the best impacts of participatory budgeting and many other advances in civic innovation. The political and institutional restraints we work under now need to be opened up, and with the help of digital tools and other technological innovations, more inclusive governance is possible.Join us at Civic Hall for a conversation with New America fellow Hollie Russon-Gilman, along with John Paul Farmer and Story Bellows, on the state of civic innovation today and the digital tools that can foster a better democracy tomorrow.

Engaging/Progressive Dialogue is the name of the game. Digital Good Times returns with A Special Live Recording of #ChangeTheTone A Cross Cultural Conversation held at the Center for Civic Innovation. What you’ll hear in this episode is just a snapshot of a longer conversation had between Bem Joiner, DGT’s (Jack and Small Eyez), Martin and Cheryl of Connecting Stars (South Africa), Rasadon and Headliner of Creative Royalty (formerly Arrested Development) and several other attendees discuss The Arts, Race, Tech, and Cross Cultural Collaboration. #FromATLtoDurbanSouthAfrica #ChangeTheTone @DigiGoodTimes www.digigoodtimes.com

Listen to Rohit Molhotra, executive director and founder of Center for Civic Innovation, describe how partnerships are the keys to social entrepreneurship in our communities.

Hear how technology plays a vital role in civic engagement and local participation. Interviewees: -Paul Wright: co-founder of Open Access Philadelphia -Dawn McDougall: executive director of Code for Philly Song Credit Artist: Chronicles of Sound Song: Soo Station Album: Landscape Year: 2012 www.chroniclesofsound.com facebook.com/chroniclesofsound @chronicles-of-sound

Nashville's serendipity practice creates space for listening well, harvesting new (even seemingly random) ideas, nurture and incubate them, and then provides a structure to reflect and improve.

The New Citizenship project wants to challenge the idea of an individual as a consumer - and replace it with the individual as a citizen, using the techniques of marketing and public relations(usually associated with consumerism) to do so. in this latest podcast from Civic Radio, Jo Barratt talks to  Jon Alexander and Irenie Wilson, the Directors of the New Citizenship Project. Has the world of commerce encroached irrevocably on our civic spaces, and how much do we care? How much is civic exclusion growing because of what participation demands or expects of us? Civic Radio is on the road, seeking out the people and organisations that are exploring these topics in different ways. The New Citizenship Project is interested in how you create a shift in the dominant story of the individual in society from the Consumer to the Citizen. Subscribe on iTunes to Citizen Radio.. Produced by Jo Barratt. This is the latest podcast in the Civic Radio series. Other podcasts in this series can be found here: Launch of Civic Radio with writer and urbanist Adam Greenfield Social inequality and civic participation featuring Simon Willis, CEO of the Young Foundation At the service of the citizen:redefining civic tech conversation with tech activist Laurenellen McCann Re-imagining local government  with Anna Randle of Lambeth Borough Council, London Aral Balkan on being a citizen Can public servants change the face of local government? with Dave Seliger, a New York civil servant. Civic Innovation and the Interconnected City with Bryan Boyer

"Citizenship is about participating in a thing that is bigger than yourself and in which everyone has an equal stake.”  says architect Bryan Boyer.   In this latest podcast from Civic Radio, Bryan Boyer a US architect who spent some time in the Finnish Innovation Fund in Helsinki, talks to Jo Barratt about re-imagining the libraries in New York and the importance of reconceptualising the civic.   With a bill for repairs that would top $1bn dollars (more than a universal childcare pledge), a grand library building programme was unlikely to be championed by New York politicians, so Boyer and his team had to find another approach, one that would leverage alternative forms of capital – time, expertise and also the institutional weight of individuals, communities, museums,  and non-profit organisations  - which could effectively  de-risk investment in civic assets.  It is, he says, crucial to demonstrate that innovation can bring good results, and at the same time de-risk the innovation (innovation can be scary for politicians), so that local politicians can buy in. So what role does he see for public institutions?  For Boyer they provide ‘continuity and scale’.  Pubic institutions are important because, he says, they deal with large numbers of people in equal, fair and consistent ways.  However, because of their sheer scale they have often abstracted the detail – it is statiscitcal analysis rather than the experiences and needs of individuals, that drives policy. The big issue is making public instituions more responsive. A lot of people in the UK are talking about a ‘digital public space’,could this be the answer?  According to Boyer it is important (and he commends gov.uk for its friendly interface), but ‘we still need to coexist on the street.’  We have to rethink how the core of an institution works. So,  do civil servants really understand the potential of open data portals?  Boyer is clear that top civil servants know that a different approach is needed(but feel constrained by the system), and certainly front line staff at the bottom of the food chain know what is at stake and have the best ideas of what is needed.  But there are two problems.  Firstly, the tech community is not coming up with the killer apps that will seize the initiative, and secondly the huge number of civil servants in what he calls the ‘Fat Middle’ (a term he used in Helsinki) is so disconnected from the everyday concerns of citizens that they cannot see the need for a new way of working. How can  ‘civic spaces’ (such as schools, parks, post offices and libraries) retain their importance at the heart of the community when they are increasingly facing competition from private providers?  The so-called ‘white flight’ from US cities in the 1980s meant a lower tax base for public services, which led to a vicious cycle of decline – the services deteriorated, so few people were then prepared to fight for them, they became sink services. In part, says Boyes, this is a failure of the conceptualisation of the civic.  We need to develop services that people really want to use, and persuade them to participate in those services as citizens but, importantly, it is also about initiating a healthy conversation about funding the civic parts of our lives. A key recognition is that civic institutions are linked – the swimming pool and the library and the park together give us an understanding of the connectedness of the city as a whole – and of utmost importance is affordable, efficient public transport that enables us to move around the city, and the safety and cleanliness of our streets.  Here there is also a role for civic tech – to connect us to what is going on (though as Boyes points out, he doesn’t know of one single place where information on  all the events and activities being run by the public authorities can be viewed.) ====================== Photo of Tampa, Florida by John T Howard 

Allow us to usher you into a world where technology does more than just distract us from our daily lives. In our talk with Rohit Malhotra, one of the leaders of the Center for Civic Innovation, we delve into how we can use open data and civic hackers to solve Atlanta’s social inequality issues. Also, we explore one of the potentially largest IPO’s in U.S. stock exchange history.” Airs on #TECHTUESDAYS 1pm & Thursday Live On ABLRadio.com

Doug is joined by E.J. McMahon, Director of the Empire Center for New York State Policy and Senior Fellow of the Center for Civic Innovation at The Manhattan Institute, and James Parrot, Deputy Director and Chief Economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute.