Citiscope

City leaders praise participatory budgeting, report says

Improved civic engagement and political prospects are among the upsides, though challenges can include staffing demands, Public Agenda says.

December 16, 2016

Quito Questions: Are there digital advocacy options around Habitat III?

There are several channels, including an online platform meant to gather public comment on the current draft of the New Urban Agenda.

July 5, 2016

How a regulation turned Bologna’s civic pride into action

A new city policy has become a model across Italy. It encourages citizens to volunteer their time and talents while governing their use of public assets.

Simone d'Antonio December 23, 2015

São Paulo taps citizens to train civil servants

Brazil’s business and financial hub has launched the world’s largest retraining program for municipal employees, Governing reports.

December 23, 2015

Gdansk taps ‘Big Data’ to foster trust

Mayor Pawel Adamowicz blogs for the Huffington Post that he chose to disclose all municipal spending online to strengthen transparency.

December 1, 2015

Interview

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel on how to boost grassroots groups

A city in recovery helps young people who 'want to get on and do stuff' navigate the red tape.

Christopher Swope November 25, 2015

Digital vs. analogue at Habitat III meeting on civic engagement

With Israel home to a red-hot tech scene, digital options for public engagement dominated most — but not all — of the Tel Aviv-hosted thematic meeting.

Gregory Scruggs September 11, 2015

Tel Aviv soliciting input for Habitat III declaration on civic engagement

Online platform will be open through next week. This week, the city hosted the first Habitat III ‘thematic meeting’ on the issue.

Gregory Scruggs September 10, 2015

Habitat III 'thematic meetings' process now underway

Coming months will see six more thematic meetings and four regional meetings, each of which will offer input to the New Urban Agenda.

Gregory Scruggs September 9, 2015

Albania hopes fewer local governments means better-run cities

Inside a dramatic consolidation of local government.

Simone d'Antonio June 18, 2015

Oregon city pilots app for praising municipal workers

Albany, Oregon, is the first municipality to test Goodsnitch, a smartphone app that is boosting morale among the city’s workforce, Governing reports.

May 14, 2015

Jakarta, Delhi involve citizens in budget decisions, city planning

Both cities launched forms of participatory budgeting that give everyday citizens a bigger say in municipal spending, FutureGov Asia reports.

May 13, 2015

Why hug a tree when you can send it an email?

Neil McMahon January 30, 2015

Seoul’s mayor pushes creative envelope

The giant ear that records citizen complaints and the enormous rubber duck bobbing in Seoul’s harbor are signs of Mayor Park Won-soon’s unique style, CityMetric reports.

October 23, 2014

Four ways to look at “trust” in our changing cities

A combination of technology, austerity and social transformation makes trust an increasingly important factor in city life.

Christopher Swope October 3, 2014

Can an app for borrowing housewares make neighborhoods stronger?

An app heavily used in Amsterdam makes it easy for neighbors to borrow power drills, ladders and other stuff from each other — and also aspires to build community.

Letty Reimerink September 4, 2014

In Beirut, a grassroots push for more grass

A city with too few parks for too many people is leaning on civic activism to improve its green space.

Nabila Rahhal August 27, 2014

Interview

Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel: “Resilience is about people”

David Killick August 7, 2014