There are many exciting ways in which civic data is improving governance in towns and cities across the country.  We want to invite you to check out one of the newest blog posts from our friends at the Davenport Institute highlighting a new project using open data called Data-Smart City Solutions.  You can read more about it below or see the full blog post from the Davenport Institute here. An interesting project at the Ash Center of Harvard’s Kennedy School directed by Stephen Goldsmith looks at how open ... (continue)

Interesting public engagement news out of Chicago this week.  From the Chicago Sun-Times (June 23rd)… Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Saturday the creation of the Office of Public Engagement, which is designed to connect residents to city resources. Felicia Davis, the mayor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, will head the new office. The department will work with the Office of New Americans, Commission on Human Relations, Faith Outreach, Civic Engagement and Service and Chicago Alternative Policing Strategies, as well as external and community affairs representatives from city ... (continue)

As NCDD’s representative to the White House’s Open Government Initiative, I have attended some informative meetings and phone calls in the past month.  The purpose of this blog post is to share information about how you can get engaged and to hear your ideas for how NCDD can help to continue shaping the Open Government Initiative. The hub of open government activity at the federal level is the US’s action plan of 26 commitments to the international Open Government Partnership. The commitments that are most ... (continue)

There was an interesting article posted on Ottawa, Canada-focused iPolitics today, titled Preston Manning wants government to be a facilitator. Author Don Lenihan (Vice President of Engagement at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa) reflects on a vision laid out by Canadian conservative politician Preston Manning, of “government as facilitator.” The article begins… “Government as Facilitator” was the theme of a two-day conference in Ottawa this week, where Preston Manning laid out his vision for the modern role of the state. The event attracted senior ministers from ... (continue)

Congratulations to Carrie Shaw, Executive Director of the just-launched Community Forums Network (an NCDD organizational member) — a new sister organization to the Countywide Community Forums of King County. CFN’s scope no longer pertains solely to county issues but now addresses issues of statewide significance and interest. As Countywide Community Forums’ John Spady commented this morning in the NCDD facebook group, “CFN has created a new framework for expanded civic engagement in the State of Washington that offers all residents the opportunity to weigh in ... (continue)

Digital democracy pioneer Chris Quigley presented yesterday at a digital democracy event in Vancouver that I organized in collaboration with Simon Fraser University, which offers the Certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement. Over 30 Vancouverites heard about Chris’ work with Delib, a UK-based online engagement firm with experience working with governments in Canada, the United States, Australia and United Kingdom. Read Chris’ summary of the presentation. One of the most useful takeaways was Chris’ Angry Birds inspired thoughts on how to use the principles of gaming ... (continue)

This announcement from the eRulemaking Program Management Office comes from NCDD sustaining member Alexander Moll, Communication Specialist at the Environmental Protection Agency – eRulemaking Branch… WASHINGTON – In recent months, the eRulemaking Program, a Fed-wide E-Gov and Open Gov initiative, which manages Regulations.gov has met with various groups and organizations to discuss ways technology can facilitate online public participation in rulemaking. The Program mission aims to increase access to and participation in developing regulations and other Federal decisions that impact people’s lives. Since 2002, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has served as the managing partner ... (continue)

I’m so excited about today’s Confab call!  You have 2 more hours before the call, so if you want to join us and haven’t registered yet, be sure to do so at www.ncdd.org/community/confabreg-feb2012 to access the call-in details. 75 people are registered, so it promises to be a rich, well-attended call.  We’ll be talking with two impressive ladies in our field, Tina Nabatchi of Syracuse University and Cynthia Farrar of Purple States, about learnings and next steps from their DDC report on public officials’ views on public engagement. The 90-minute call is ... (continue)

Back in October, Board member Lucas Cioffi asked NCDDers to share their feedback on We The People, the White House’s new e-petition site. Collaborating with AmericaSpeaks (the lead partner), IAP2USA, the Deliberative Democracy Consortium, and the Open Forum Foundation, we began collecting comments over at http://wethepeople.uservoice.com.  Lucas served as NCDD’s main representative in this process. Our partners are preparing a draft summary of all the input we’ve received, and you’re invited to join us for a conference call on Wednesday (February 1st) to discuss what we’ve heard, at ... (continue)

“How did open government became equated with virtual government?” wonders Steve Waddell in Virtual Tools for Participation — his blog post on the Obama Administration’s request for input on the Open Government Plan, and the response from DDC and NCDD.  Check it out at http://networkingaction.net/2012/01/virtual-tools-for-participation/.  And of course, remember to sign on to support the joint statement at ncdd.org/6591 if you haven’t already! (continue)