Content about Labor

Several weeks ago, the office of Denver’s Mayor Michael Hancock launched a two-part community engagement strategy to gather public input on important financial issues facing the City of Denver.  A series of public forums put keypad polling devices in the hands of city employees and Denver residents to test the best   ideas for how to address the City’s financial challenges.  The Mayor also unveiled a new participatory budgeting tool encouraging public feedback on key topics relative to fixing Denver’s budget gap. The new interactive tool, Delivering Denver’s Future, gives residents a unique opportunity to weigh in on how to fix the city’s broken budget.

The 2012 Where Conference begins this week (April 2-4), and EngagingCities is excited to be streaming over 20 sessions to our readers live begining today! So, even if you couldn't attend, you don't need to miss out. Check out the See the full broadcast schedule and view the live broadcasts here. Now in its eighth year, Where Conference: The Art and Business of Location, is where the grassroots and leading-edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. In the O'Reilly conference tradition, Where Conference presents leading trends rather than chasing them.

Join a discussion with the Sustainable Practice Network's panel of experts and thought leaders on the impacts of Environmental, Social and Governance measures on society and the way we conduct business.

As demand for quality environments in our cities continues to increase, more attention is being paid to the opportunity presented by urban revitalisation as a sustainable alternative to broad scale urban renewal. Around the world urban revitalisation is being catalysed by housing, cultural, retail, infrastructure and city centre projects that spur on infill development, adaptive re-use and other local investment.

The city of Eugene, Oregon, has been working its way through the process of planning for future growth over the past 20 months, using various public engagement tools.  Early on, it became evident that we would need new and different media formats to inform and engage people at different points in the process.   For major public conversations such as creating a community vision, we held large workshops with plenty of opportunities for small group discussion.  For feedback on interim staff proposals, we have used surveys, on-line comment forms, and meetings with community groups.  Throughout the process, staff has maintained a Facebook page and comprehensive website with current project videos, maps, and documents posted as they are developed.

A recent Pew Research Center study indicates a significant rise in smartphone use by minorities, reporting that 44 percent of African Americans and Hispanics say they own a smartphone, compared to just 30 percent of non-Hispanic whites. Of the smartphone operating platforms, Android seems to be the most prevalent type used these days, followed by iPhones and Blackberry devices. Demographically, Android phones are especially common among young adults and African-Americans, as opposed to iPhones and Blackberry devices most commonly used among college graduates and the financially well-off.

Program features Anders Grondstedt of the Gronstedt Group.  Anders works closely with private sector and public sector organizations to create next-generation learning that uses virtual worlds and other technologies. Their customized learning programs employ next-generation digital simulations, podcasts, vodcasts, mobile learning, social media, gaming and virtual worlds; teaching people the skills they need in a context that's immersive and energizing.

Many municipalities across the country have been exploring recent Gov2.0 tools, including “ideation” platforms, in hopes of finding ways to help combat common issues of towns losing money, property revenues declining and jobs going away.  Such ideation platforms like Ideascale  and Spigit, create a place for citizens or employees to submit, rank, and follow up on ideas that can save money and improve services.

When you think about government, you think about a lot of things. Taxes, parking tickets, police. Government touches each of our lives in ways we may not even notice.  But if there’s one thing government isn’t known for it is openness, engagement, and efficiency. A one way dialogue has kept the public voice muted and progressive technologies that can deliver much needed change at bay.

Los Angeles Chief Technology Officer and Assistant General Manager of LA’s Information Technology Agency discuss the reasons behind this decision.

From the official website: CityCamp Colorado will bring together people like yourself to share ideas to improve local government. CityCamp is an unconference focused toward the participants sharing insights and experiences and taking action to bring about the significant, positive change our communities need. At an unconference, content is created and organized by participants.

Earlier this year we introduced the great research and development initiatives in Manor, Texas.  Like so many other cities, the changes in Manor were prompted by tightening budgets and dwindling resources.  But unlike other cities, Manor introduced more innovative methods to their fight for survival and were rewarded with wonderful results.