Being a Public Participation Practitioner is not for the faint of heart. It requires ingenuity, caring, and dedication. Ingenuity in how to engage a diversity of stakeholders and the public in comp…

Designer and doer Mike Lydon, CNU-A, has one mission: Improving the livability of our towns and cities starting at the street, block, or building scale. In this first course of a two course series, Lydon introduces Tactical Urbanism.

The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) and UNESCAP are partnering to promote systematic, quality engagement of stakeholders and the public, to help governments and others who lead and design engagement processes to develop structured, well-planned and meaningful engagement.

The Chris Traeger List recognizes the top 100 influencers in local government. Chris Traeger was the city manager for the fictional City of Pawnee, Indiana on the show Park and Recreation. He was known for extreme energy and commitment to improving local government. The Traeger List is not based on title or longevity. It’s based on an individual’s influence in their community and professional associations.

Join us for the latest in our free Heart & Soul Talks series.
In today’s fractionalized, tribalized world it seems what divides us is often more apparent than what unites us. Add the cacophonous soundtrack of incivility that dominates discourse and a toxic environment emerges that is fraying the fabric or our communities. Most Americans would like to see things change. We talk with leaders committed to making change happen using creative and innovative ways to educate, communicate, and engage residents, all designed to be used by anyone wishing to start positive change—right now.

The book, released in November, argues for porous forms that tackle stifling urban density while offering social, environmental, and economic value.

The same students that brought the Civic Digital Fellowship to Washington are now expanding their programming to create a virtual, semester-long accelerator for students interested in creating civic tech or social impact products. It’s called Build. “As students ourselves, we know that it can be difficult to get an idea off the ground,” the web …

The use of technology to promote citizen engagement has been described as “the next big thing”, and is often associated with adjectives such as “disruptive”, “transformational,” and “revolutionary.” Yet, in contrast with the deluge of blog posts and tweets praising technology’s role to promote smarter and more participatory governments, one finds limited evidence on the effects of technology on citizen engagement practices.
 
Civic Tech – Assessing Technology for the Public Good is a new book that – we hope – contributes to addressing this knowledge gap.  The book is comprised of one study and three field evaluations of civic tech initiatives in developing countries.

From civic innovation to digital service delivery, you can make your case at the organization's annual summit. The event is happening May 29 to 31 in Oakland.

Today, Protect Democracy and the Harry Potter Alliance released a new toolkit for students, educators, and Harry Potter fans to take action to protect democratic values through the words and ideas of Harry Potter, titled “Wizards Protect Democracy.” The toolkit they’ve produced identifies six key areas that have historically signaled the decline of democracy, according to experts. It then provides examples of each area within both Harry Potter and America today.

Through public dialog and collaboration between community leaders, the Cherry Creek Area Implementation Plan (CCAIP) was developed. These groups and individuals envision the potential to celebrate a significant section of the Cherry Creek Greenway by maximizing the recreational opportunities, enhance environmental contributions, improve public safety while growing and connecting with the surrounding community.

Join Aviva Oskow at Confab 2019, where she’ll talk about plain language and inclusivity in government service design.

Apolitical is excited to present the 2018 list of The World's Most Influential Young People in Government. These young leaders are ones to watch, who will continue to transform governments far and wide for years to come.

Wintermission will coach three U.S. cities to plan, pilot, and implement creative solutions to increase social interaction and physical activity in public spaces during winter.

Wow! We can barely believe it’s been a week since we all parted ways at #NCDD2018! The 8th National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation convened hundreds of innovators and practitioners in dialogue, deliberation, civic engagement, and more. It was an incredible time to come together, see old friends and make new ones, learn from each other, and find ways in which we can conspire moving forward.

While the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox fight on the field the latest version of a long hallowed city rivalry that includes names like Ruth, Magic, Bird, Pierce, Bryant and many more, we…

We’re excited to share the list of featured presenters in this year’s “D&D Showcase” — a highly anticipated, high-energy event held on the first night of the 2018 NCDD conference. The Showcase is a fun way for you to meet some of the movers-and-shakers in our field and learn about their leading-edge projects, programs, and tools.

Emanuel Yekutiel is raising funds for Manny's: A Civic Gathering Space in San Francisco on Kickstarter!

Manny’s is a gathering space in San Francisco that combines a cafe, restaurant, newsstand, political bookshop and civic event space.

Code for America expands program to promote citizen-driven government in the digital age, with a new $2 million investment from Knight Foundation Funding will support the next phase of Code for…

Public art can be a tool mayors use to build strong communities.
That’s the premise behind the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, an initiative designed to support cities undertaking temporary art projects that address pressing civic issues. Last month, 14 U.S. cities learned that they’re finalists in the Challenge, with a chance at receiving up to $1 million to carry out their ideas.

Apolitical presents their 2018 list of the world’s 100 most influential people in digital government. It’s the first of its kind to show the international spread of the field, and includes individuals from every continent.

Global philanthropic investment firm Omidyar Network, in partnership with venture development firm Village Capital, hosted India's first-ever civic technology event - the Civic Tech Connect 2018- focused on bringing together investors and entrepreneurs to build India's civic tech ecosystem.

Executive Director Jennifer Pahlka says the event gives the group a chance to "assess the landscape and reset the bar."

The second annual Charlottesville Civic Innovation Day will take place on June 2 from 9am - 6pm at CitySpace on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall.