Community Engagement Strategies for Brunswick

Maine

Specific proposals for the town of Brunswick.

Originally submitted 8/25 to town of Brunswick planning department as proposal to submit applications “Community Challenge” grant program

from the EPA/USDOT/HUD Partnership for Livable Communities.

Challenges

Opportunities

Recommendations

Contents

Short Term ChallengesCause

• Real Estate market continues to be sluggish, credit is tight

• Oil and Gas Prices have risen nearly $1/Gallon in one year

• Reduced Revenues have impacted Local, State and Federal Treasuries

Effect

•Less buyers, More renters= low home prices, high rent prices•More rentals+older housing stock= Increased vulnerability to Rising Heating Oil Prices

•Affordable Housing often located far from employment centers=Vulnerability to Gasoline Prices

•Service Industry Jobs are particularly sensitive to effect of recession/energy prices on tourism economy

•Tight Credit limits the ability of the Private sector to grow through traditional means

• cuts have severely limited Local, State and Federal Agencies ability to respond to these challenges

•Competition for donations and grants prevents collaboration within Non-Profit Sector and results in inefficient duplication of efforts

Fuel Prices

Higher Commuting

Costs

Town CenterOuter Communities

Lending$ For Sale

Less Home Owners

For RentMore

Renters

Cause CauseEffectEffectLess

Renovations

Older Housing Stock

Higher Heating Costs

Higher Demand

Higher Rent

Lower Energy Usage

More Affordable Housing

Much Higher Transportation and

Heating Costs

Public Services

Staff Cuts Limits Ability to Address Needs

Less Property

Tax Revenue

?? ??

Supermarket Access Map Brunswick-Bath Topsham-Copy-Copy-CopySupermarkets are one way people have access to healthy food. This map shows where the supermarkets are.Areas that are within a 10 minute drive are depicted, as are areas within a 1 mile walk. At certain scales,populations living in poverty are r...

Sources: Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, TomTom, Intermap, AND, USGS, NRCAN, and the GIS User Community |USDA

http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=153c17de00914039bb28f6f6efe6d322

People in the suburbs drive to supermarkets and load up the car with many bags of food.  People in cities depend much more on walking to the local store, or taking a bus or train. This map came about

after asking a simple question: how many Americans live within a reasonable walk or drive to a supermarket? In this case, "reasonable" was defined as a 10 minute drive, or a 1 mile walk. The green

dots represent populations in poverty who live within one mile of a supermarket.  The red dots represent populations in poverty who live beyond a one mile walk to a supermarket, but may live within a 10

minute drive...assuming they have access to a car.  The grey dots represent the total population in a given area.

Supermarket Access Map Midcoast-Copy-CopySupermarkets are one way people have access to healthy food. This map shows where the supermarkets are.Areas that are within a 10 minute drive are depicted, as are areas within a 1 mile walk. At certain scales,populations living in poverty are r...

Sources: Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, TomTom, Intermap, AND, USGS, NRCAN, and the GIS User Community |USDA

Supermarket Access Midcoast

Region

The major challenge to the region is demographic. Planning Decisions, Inc., projects that the region’s overall population will be stable overall between 2005 and 2015 – going from 99,300 to 99,700 – but that it will change dramatically in composition.

Specifically, the number of young people under the age of 20 will decline by 4,700, or 20%; the number of working-age people (20 to 54) will decline by 3,300, or 7%; while the number of retirement-age people (55 plus) will increase by 8,400, or 30%.

Long Term ChallengesText for Pages 4-6 quoted

directly from Midcoast Economic Development District, Comprehensive Economic Development

Strategy 2009. Some text size has been changed for

emphasis

Growth of Population 65+

0%

15.00%

30.00%

45.00%

60.00%

United States Maine Midcoast Brunswick SagadahocLincoln

United States 11.4%

Maine 12.4%

Midcoast 25.6%

Brunswick 50.6%

Sagadahoc 16.3%

Lincoln 21.6%

In general, growth in income for area businesses, local governments, and the state require a growth in the number of people working and

producing products and services of economic value. Attracting young people to move to the area and start businesses

will be important to the region’s future economic success.

Both Lincoln County and the Brunswick labor market area communities have seen housing prices grow from around $125,000 in 2001 to around $200,000 in 2005. During this same period, median household incomes only grew about

$3,000. Even though housing prices have stabilized in the last

18 months, they are still out of line with historical ratios to

household incomes. This is an obstacle to attracting young people to the area.

It is hard to attract young people when housing is so expensive.

Summary of Challenges

Base Closure/Recession has resulted in low home prices but

high rents

Low-Income residents living in older housing in outlying

communities are the most vulnerable to energy price

increases

The Midcoast Region needs to actively attract young talented

workers or the economy will lack significant growth.

Lack of property tax revenues/Federal, State Austerity have

severely strained public planning agencies’ ability to address these

issues

Opportunities- Community Challenge Grants

In June 2009, HUD, DOT, EPA formed the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and are committed to aligning programs and resources in support of 6 Livability Principles:

• Provide more transportation choices to increase safety, accessibility, and reliability while reducing household transportation costs.

• Promote equitable, affordable housing that expands location- and energy-efficient housing choices

• Improve economic competitiveness of neighborhoods by giving people reliable access to employment centers, educational opportunities, and other basic services.

• Target Federal funding toward existing communities through place-based policies

• Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the effectiveness of existing programs.

• Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities, whether rural, suburban or urban.

D. Develop building codes that balance energy efficient rehabilitation of older structures and the creation affordable and healthy housing;

E Strategies for creating or preserving affordable housing for low-, very low-, and extremely low-income families or individuals in mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhoods along an existing or planned transportation corridor which are based on data and market analysis;

F Strategies to bring additional affordable housing to areas that have few affordable housing opportunities and are close to job clusters;

G. Planning,establishing,and acquiring land for development, redevelopment, and revitalization that reserves property for the development of affordable housing within the context of sustainable development (see Section VI.B.1 for additional requirements for land acquisition);H Development of community-scale energy strategies and implementation plans, and climate adaptation plans; andI! Development of pre- and post-disaster plans in the context of sustainable communities.

A Development of master or comprehensive plans that a. promote affordablehousing co-located and/or well-connected with retail and business development andb. 2)discourage development not aligned with transportation, economic development, or regional sustainability plans;

B. Development and implementation of local,corridor or district plans and strategies that promote livability and sustainability while avoiding displacement;

c. Comprehensive review to develop and prioritize revisions to zoning codes, ordinances, building standards, administrative regulations/actions or other laws to remove barriers and promote sustainable and mixed-use development and to overcome the effects of impediments to fair housing choice, including form-based codes and inclusionary zoning ordinances to promote accessible, long-term affordable housing that reduces racial and poverty housing concentration and expands fair housing choice;

Eligible Activities-

B. Development and implementation of

local,corridor or district plans and strategies that

promote livability and sustainability while

avoiding displacement;

A. Development of master or comprehensive plans that

a. promote affordable housing co-located and/or well-connected

with retail and business development and

b. 2)discourage development not aligned with transportation, economic development, or

regional sustainability plans;

G. Planning,establishing,and acquiring land for development, redevelopment, and revitalization that reserves property for the development of affordable housing within the context of sustainable development (see Section VI.B.1 for additional requirements for land acquisition);

H. Development of community-scale energy strategies and implementation plans, and climate adaptation plans;

F. Strategies to bring additional affordable housing to areas that have few affordable housing opportunities and are close to job clusters;E. Strategies for creating or preserving affordable housing for low-, very low-, and extremely low-income families or individuals in mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhoods along an existing or planned transportation corridor which are based on data and market analysis;

affordable housing close to job clusters;along an existing or planned transportation corridor

community-scale energy strategies andclimate adaptation plans;

What’s new this year?

• Stronger emphasis on public engagement, and alignment with state and federal efforts.

In addition, no less than 5 percent of the budget request must be committed to activities that specifically support the goals of this NOFA to deepen the engagement, participation, and governance of populations underrepresented in planning processes.

Opportunities: Government as Platform

[T]he most successful companies are those that build frameworks that enable a whole ecosystem of participation from other companies large and small. The personal computer was such a platform. So was the World Wide Web.[...]This is the right way to frame the question of "Government 2.0." How does government itself become an open platform that allows people inside and outside government to innovate? How do you design a system in which all of the outcomes aren't specified beforehand, but instead evolve through interactions between the technology provider and its user community?

Rather than licensing government data to a few select "value added" providers, who then license the data downstream, the federal government (and many state and local governments) are beginning to provide an open platform that enables anyone with a good idea to build innovative services that connect government to citizens, give citizens visibility into the actions of government and even to participate directly in policy-making. Tim O’Reilly Government as Platform

http://ofps.oreilly.com/titles/9780596804350/index.html

Civic Participation Tools-

• peakdemocracy.com

• seeclickfix.com

• localocracy.com

• frontporchforum.com

• openblock.org

• Community Almanac

• Civic Commons

• Wikiplanning

Data Commons-Most “data commons” platforms follow the

“OpenGov” model of striving towards transparency but with less emphasis on full

participation.

• Maine.gov DataSharehttp://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/data/index.pl

•metrobostondatacommon.org

•Data.gov (federal OpenGov Initiative)

Civic Engagement Tools-Civic Engagement Tools follow the “Gov 2.0” model by using various networking, bulletin boards, and web conference platforms to

directly engage the citizenry in participatory decision making.

See Appendix A for Examples

Opportunities- Local Government as “Platform” for Entrepreneurs

• To attract creative capital a city must “market its problems not just its assets” (http://www.businessinsider.com/your-city-as-a-platform-for-entrepreneurship-2011-8)

• Larger urban metros may have more resources but they also have more competition. Institutions are less accessible by nature and regulatory barriers can be impossible to change without access to vast resources to begin with.

• An innovative approach to demographic challenges is both a means and an end in of itself.

• Arrival of the Downeaster in 2012, redevelopment of Brunswick Landing, former base housing, Transportation Alternatives, “Big City amenities in small town atmosphere” provide Brunswick/Midcoast with all the ingredients for attracting entreprenurs

Why would local officials be opposed to Civic Engagement Strategies?

helps facilitate urban planning by engaging citizens to volunteer, share news and open lines

of communication.

What it does What they picture

“Public Comment” Forum- Limited audience, oftentimes attended by the angriest

constituencies...

Town Meeting 2.0?[G]overnment is, at bottom, a mechanism for collective action. We band together, make laws, pay taxes, and build the institutions of government to manage problems that are too large for us individually and whose solution is in our common interest.

Government 2.0, then, is the use of technology—especially the collaborative technologies at the heart of Web 2.0—to better solve collective problems at a city, state, national, and international level.The hope is that Internet technologies will allow us to rebuild the kind of participatory government envisioned by our nation’s founders, in which, as Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter to Joseph Cabell, “every man…feels that he is a participator in the government of affairs, not merely at an election one day in the year, but every day.” Open Government Advocate Tim O’Reilly

While Open Government advocates believe technology can facilitate the egalitarian, direct-democracy the country was founded on, small town New

Englanders have quietly practiced direct democracy for over 200 years in the form of the town meeting. Will this tradition continue to thrive as Maine is settled

by people from out-of-state? Even assuming the midcoast region is able to attract young working talent in the future, will they be at all interested in the civic

affairs of their community? Any Government 2.0 application in small-town New England, where face to face

communication still has influence, should be seen as an extension of town meeting and not a replacement.

Summary of Key Concepts

• affordable housing close to job clusters;along an existing or planned transportation corridor

• community-scale energy strategies and climate adaptation plans;

• deepen the engagement, participation, and governance of populations underrepresented in planning processes.

• [Government can provide an]open platform that enables anyone with a good idea to build innovative services that connect government to citizens, give citizens visibility into the actions of government and even to participate directly in policy-making.

Goals and Recommendations The Cut and Paste Method

housing close to job clusters;along an existing or planned transportation corridor

community-scale energy strateg[y] and climate adaptation plan[];

Deepen[ing] the engagement, participation, and governance of populations underrepresented in planning processes.

open platform that enables anyone with a good idea to build innovative services that connect government to citizens, give citizens visibility into the actions of government and even to participate directly in policy-making.

Build a

Planning for

By

Through an

Text

Urban Design Renderings for Brunswick Landing and McKeen

St Housing Developments

Affordable Housing Opportunities

Proposed Redevelopment Alternatives for McKeen St.

Former Base Housing Complex

Urban Design for Main Campus, Brunswick Landing

Affordable Housing + Job ClustersRedevelopment of Naval Air Station Brunswick into Brunswick Landing has

created extraordinary opportunities to reshape the socio-economic make-up of the region. The Midcoast Redevelopment Authority has identified market

segments with the highest growth potential.

•Aviation• General and corporate aviation

• Aircraft manufacturing

• Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)

• Aerospace research and development

• Government agency (e.g. Homeland Security)

•Composite Materials• Composites manufacturing

• Composite materials research and development

•Information Technology• Data centers

• Secured server farms/emergency back-up facilities

• Contact centers

•Education• College campuses

• Applied workforce training

• Distance leaning centers (MLTI)

•Alternative Energy• Renewable energy generation/distribution

• Renewable energy research and development

• Energy product manufacturing

Other Economic Clusters

• The Creative Economy

• Health Care Services

Defined broadly, the Creative Economy can refer to highly educated “Knowledge Workers” including Designers, Scientists, Researchers and Architects in addition to Artists, Musicians and Craftspeople. An

influx of “freelancers” within these creative professions is well underway in nearby Portland, Maine. Partially due to the efforts of the Creative Portland Corporation. With the introduction of frequent rail

service between Boston, Portland and Brunswick in 2012 there will be an opportunity to attract some of this highly skilled talent. See Presentation titled Brunswick Maine-Creative Hub compiled ny the Pioneer

Workshop for a more detailed analysis.

The influx of elderly retirees to the midcoast region also creates some economic opportunities in the form of private health care services. The expansion of Midcoast Hospital to Brunswick Station, the

presence of multiple retirement facilities and the popularity of Nursing and health professional certificate programs offered by SMCC offers opportunities for low-income Americans and Immigrants. Without housing and transportation however, labor costs will be significantly higher should workers be

forced to commute long distances.

Information Technology

Manufacturing (Including Composites)

Health Care Services

College/Higher Education

Green Energy

Aviation

Shopping/Retail

Restaurant

Supermarket

Industry ClustersCreative

Economy/CoWorking/

Startup Incubator

Manufacturing Creative Economy

Information Technology

Health Care Services

Potential Housing Areas by Industry

Income LevelPotential High Growth Employment Clusters

Transportation Corridors

Current Brunswick Explorer RouteThe Brunswick Explorer began service in 2010 and is managed by a unique public-private

partnership known as the Midcoast Collaborative for Access to Transportation. The route is based on studies commisioned in 2005 and 2007 which recommended orienting service towards disabled and elderly adults. However, the rapid transformations resulting from the global recession, NASB Redevelopment and the planned resumption of passenger rail service in 2012 have resulted in a

different landscape than the region studied in 2007. Routes and services which may have seemed unfeasible in 2005 may be possible in 2012.

• Brunswick and Topsham municipal governments• Coastal Trans• Bowdoin College• Mid-Coast Hospital• Brunswick Housing Authority • Tedford Housing (formerly: Tedford Shelter) • Sweetser • Independence Association Inc.• Sexual Assault Support Services of Mid-Coast

Maine• People Plus (formerly: 55 Plus)• United Way of Mid-Coast Maine • Maine Department of Behavioral and

Developmental Services• Maine Department of Transportation

The Midcoast Collaborative for Access to Transportation is a unique partnership of non-profits, volunteer organizations, government entities,

hospitals, universities and is thoroughly representative of the largest stakeholder organizations as of 2005 when the initial plans were

underway.

Original Collaborative Members

Historically, and as an ongoing trend, the poor and elderly are concentrated in the more densely populated areas of Brunswick, as the younger and more affluent move out of the urban center to the new “suburbs”. (emphasis added)

As innovative as the Brunswick Explorer service is, the limitations of the current service can be explained by this excerpt from the 2007 feasibility report

Whether this observation was true in 2007 is debatable, but recent evidence overwhelmingly proves that ongoing trends are in the exact opposite direction... That is younger and more affluent people overwhelmingly prefer more densely populated areas!

Since the final feasibility analysis for the Collaborative was completed in 2007 extraordinary changes have taken place on both a global and local scale. Given the unique circumstances, these developments will

undoubtedly effect the regional makeup for years to come. The current state of open-source technology, coupled with the

Community Challenge Grants present the opportunity to meet these shifting transportation needs as they occur, while

simultaneously marketing the region as a place of innovative leadership.

•Collapse of the Housing Market

•2007 Gasoline Avg Per Gal-$2.50, 2011 -$3.79

•Closing of NASB, Opening of Brunswick Landing including SMCC Advanced Technology Center, Kestrel Aircraft Manufacturing, Resilient Communications, American Bureau of Shipping and Embry Riddle Aviation School

•Opening of Brunswick Station complex including 85 Room Inn, Walk-In Medical Clinic, Center for Orthoepedics, Train Station, Concord Trailways Bus Service, retail and restaurants

•Expansion of the Brunswick Industrial Park

•Construction of Amtrak Downeaster extension to Brunswick Station with service to begin in 2012.

•A 24 hour layover facility for Amtrak

Developments since the 2007 Feasibility Analysis

“Wheels” A MODEL FOR

COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION IN THE

GREATER BRUNSWICK AREA2007

“Wheels” A MODEL FOR

COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION IN THE

GREATER BRUNSWICK AREA2007

Naval Air Station Shuttle

As plans are developed for the future use of the Brunswick Naval Air Station, area officials may want to consider adding an additional shuttle route to link the former military base with Brunswick’s downtown center.

Routes and schedule times will depend what new activities take place at the former Naval Air Station and on the future configuration of roadway access. It should be possible to operate a roundtrip route between downtown Brunswick and a redeveloped base in less than one hour. Depending on the design of future roadways, it may even be possible to provide a round trip in 30 minutes. This suggests that two buses could be used to provide a Brunswick – Naval Air Station link approximately every 20-30 minutes.

If two buses operate throughout the day (from 7:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.), the cost for five-day-a-week year round service is likely to be about $190,000 per year. If one bus is used to link the Naval Air Station with downtown Brunswick, the cost for all-day service would likely be about $100,000 per year. This route could start and end at a new transit hub at a future Brunswick train station. Depending on what activities take place at the navy base, it may be appropriate to include additional stops at Bowdoin College and adjacent to Maine Street.

“Wheels” A MODEL FOR

COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION IN THE

GREATER BRUNSWICK AREA2007

Brunswick Explorer Route-Industrial Park to Brunswick Landing via McKeen

St and Old Bath Rd.

Projected Inbound Commuting Patterns

Commuters via Rail

Vanpools from North

Bath City Bus Route

Midcoast Hospital by Appointment Only

A study is currently in progress to determine the feasibility of

connecting the Bath City Bus to the Brunswick

Explorer route at Midcoast Hospital.

Proposed Brunswick Explorer RoutesCurrent Route: Baribeau Dr-

Sweetser

Commuter Route: Industrial Park- Brunswick Landing via McKeen/Old Bath Rd

Topsham Route: Brunswick Station- Topsham Fair Mall

Open platform that enables anyone with a good idea to build innovative services that connect government to citizens, give citizens visibility into the actions of government and even to participate directly in policy-making.

Government As Platform

Recommendations-Community Scale Energy Strategies

• Convene a group of volunteers to help draft community-scale energy/transportation recommendations

• Update and Implement Bowdoin-Brunswick Climate Action Plan

• Implement Energy Efficiency Recommendations for former Base Housing

• Host workshops on Efficiency Maine for RENTERS

• Provide Incentives for Landlords to improve efficiency and install Pellet Heaters/Solar/ other alternatives

• Catalogue and Inventory of studies, reports and provide a listing of contacts for various transportation providers online

• Collaborate and connect with MCOG, NNEPRA, MDOT, Bowdoin College, The Midcoast Collaborative for Transportation Access, GPCOG, GOMaine, Bicycle Coalition of Maine, East Coast Greenway Foundation, GrowSmart Maine, Friends of Midcoast Maine, Concord Trailways, The Maine Eastern Railroad, BDA, Southern Midcoast Chamber of Commerce, MCEDD, MRRA, SMCC, UMaine, etc... So as to better coordinate between citizens, non-profits and officials

• Work with Bowdoin College, East Coast Greenway Alliance, , Bicycle Coalition of Maine, local businesses to build community-wide bike-share. Possibly building off of Bowdoin’s Yellow Bike Club

• Look into enacting a P2P car-rental program like relayrides.com and adding more Zipcars closer to Brunswick Station

• Build a database of relevant data from wide variety of transportation providers intended for such a time when consolidated e-ticketing/payments is widespread.

Community Scale Energy Strategies (Cont.)

Recommendations-Town Meeting 2.0

• The use of civic participation tools in Mid-Coast Maine should be an extension, not a replacement of existing town meeting traditions.

• Meetings can grow out of online discussions and online discussions can grow out of meetings

• Online networks can utilize crowdsourcing and microvolunteering to utilize advice and expertise from beyond geographic boundaries

• Visibility of online discussions advertises MidCoast as open to innovation.

• Initiate an active“Open Data” initiative

• Convene a board of “Civic Hackers” whose purpose is to set up a “virtual town hall” in accordance with the best practices of the “Civic Commons” using Civic Participation tools such as openblock.com or frontporch.com. Online committees should always include a face to face element, whether it is an official board meeting or an informal meetup, conditions for participation online must involve partipation in real life.

• Civic Media/Wayfinding/Interaction Design- A group of volunteer artists and designers tasked with redesigning wayfinding and signage.

• Important to stress that Committees are voluntary. “Value Added” services by hired consultants services can be useful but can have the effect of inflating costs to the point that implementation will never be possible.

Recommendations-Online Committees

Online Participation Tools Can Enhance Traditional Public Dialogue

Traditional Public Outreach Meeting

Online Participation Tools

Meeting uses video webcast. citizens, guest

speakers and absent commitee members are given variable options to

submit questions

Directions for Joining Online Community

Announced at Meeting

Discussion continues online where next meeting date will

be set

Transit Appliance:Open Source Code+Consumer Grade Screen Display -$60

The Availability of Open Source Transit Data Has Resulted in

Hundreds of Innovative Applications

Open Transit Data

Schedule a TripCheck Your

Neighborhood Find A Ride

An inventory of relevent open transit data can have far-reaching effects in a rural area. Open Transit Data has been released with great success in places like Portland Oregon, and Boston where over

1/3 of MBTA riders use some form of mobile app to plan their trips or locate their bus or train. Mass transit has been difficult to implement in Maine because of the low population density. However,

with sufficient network adoption, a “Smart Transit” system can effectively its modal response much like the “Smart Grid” uses data to determine power generation.

Open Data Can Change The Game

• an integrated mobility solution that seeks to coordinate mass transit with micro transit in a semi rural community.

• provides an information techonology solution that leverages open data streams to inform the public about available transit options and to increase the public's confidence in the reliability of these transit options.

• seeks to encourage the development of micro transit solutions through a geo social networking architecture that reduces the barriers and islolation commonly associated with rural communities.

• revolutionizes perceptions of transit in semi rural communities by making mass and micro transit accessible in areas previously thought of as unsuitable for transit solutions.

• leverages existing transportation infrastructure and local transit operations with an overlaid information technology solution that allows the public to self-coordinate the use of multiple leg transit options even in conjunction with privately owned vehicles.

• disseminates and collects operational data of all existing transit operations and seeks to create new micro transit solutions in a fully transparent manner that allows self determination of transportation and improves citizen independence and self reliance.

Recommendations-A Transportation Data Project

Lisbon Connector

Bath/Brunswick Shuttle

DowneasterExisting

Vanpool Route to Augusta

Existing Vanpool Route

to BIW

Regional ConnectionsCarpools,Vanpools, Carsharing, even Boatsharing offer scalable

MicroTransit solutions for outlying communities. For the more heavily trafficked routes between Lisbon, Brunswick and Bath, Vanpools can

transition to scheduled service upon introduction of rail service.

Appendix-Screenshots of Web-Based Collaboration-Tools

Information is the currency of democracy.Then why is it that so many people feel disconnected from local decision-making?

Public agencies spend billions each year to manage their data. Then why is so much of it locked away in closed, creaky systems?

And why is it that cities facing the same tough choices — from running schools to building roads — are stuck finding solutions on their own?

At OpenPlans, we think cities can work better. We think it should be easier for public agencies in one place to adopt good ideas and good software from other places. We think opening up data and inviting

citizens into the civic process is a good thing.

Who We Are OpenPlans is a non-profit technology organization helping to open up government and improve

transportation systems. We build open source software. We help agencies open up their data. We report on urban issues. We offer technical assistance to public agencies, and we build communities around our initiatives in order

to seed an open and evolving ecosystem of technology tools that further the public interest. We’ve launched OpenGeo, Streetfilms, Streetsblog, GothamSchools, Civic Commons,OpenTripPlanner

and more. We have a particular interest in transportation and urban planning. And we’re just getting started.We’re a team of 50 transit nerds, journalists, and engineers. We’re based in New York City, but

we have staff and projects located in far off places (like Portland and Australia).

Description

Open Plans Projects Page

A New Kind of Public Service

As the “Facebook Generation” comes of age and moves into the public sector, an explosion of “Civic Apps” and “Social Good” networks have appeared with varying levels of success.

Two standouts are CODE FOR AMERICA and OPENPLANS

OpenPlans and Code for America recently partnered for the creation of civiccommons.org

Curate the Conversation

Communicate directly with your community

on issues that are important to them. Set

the record straight using a transparent and public platform.

 

Make Tough Decisions Easier

Public engagement can help you better assess the needs of

your constituents, and prioritize better when tough decisions need

to be made.Higher Quality Data

Tap into the ideas and creativity of your constituents. Get

qualitative and quantitative data about where they

stand on important issues.

 Recognize Volunteers

Public service can be thankless. Give

recognition to the people who make your community a

better place through points and badges. Get in touch to learn

more.

Online Civic Engagemment Tools

peakdemocracy.comseeclickfix.comlocalocracy.com