Exciting news, CiviComment now has a free plan to support smaller projects or pilot initiatives. We're introducing the free plan and our updated pricing tiers at this week's IAP2 Conference in Denver

Plus, Philadelphia becomes first U.S. city to map urban trails via Google Street View, Code for America developer emphasizes importance of design for the public good, and Uber begins sharing some transportation data with cities.

A city councilman is pushing to make public the code behind city decisions on everything from school assignments to trash collection.

New technology is helping local government create “smarter” cities in a variety of ways, from adaptive traffic lights to open data platforms to advanced…

Plus, Arkansas' governor announces actions aimed at fostering tech employment growth in state, and judge dismisses AT&T lawsuit against Louisville related to clearing city infrastructure for broadband providers.

I'm back in the UK (is that still a thing?) now — but I have two more EuroTrip stops to blog about.  First, Berlin. As you may know, Berlin is excellent. It also has a bit of a reputation for tech startups. And for doing interesting political things with tech. It seems a long time ago that…

After having been at Code for America for two years, attended a dozen Brigade MeetUps, and led design research for the Talent Initiative, I increasingly receive inquiries about how to concretely make…

Plus, Code for America brings Californians human-centered access to food assistance, 18F and the FBI build Crime Data Explorer, and Austin, Texas, donates used government computers to underserved residents.

The private sector is important, but tech needs to be on the forefront of government and policy efforts

From grassroots organizations to civic groups, government boards and nonprofits, there’s no shortage of organizations working to make Chicago a better place. But for Chicagoans who want to contr

Efficiency; resilience; growth; vitality. These are all characteristics that cities desire, and that are regularly cited as the objectives of Smarter City programmes and other forward-looking initiatives. But, though it is less frequently stated, a more fundamental objective underlies all of these: fairness. The Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has written extensively about the need to prioritise…

This spring, Code for San Jose turned three years old. In addition to celebrating with craft cocktails at a favorite local bar, we made time to reflect on our successes, struggles and future…

It’s part of the social media giant’s efforts to connected people to government representatives.

In Newspeak House in east London, a loose coalition of young, idealistic ‘political technologists’ are trying to fix broken parts of our electoral system. Can they give voting a digital shot in the arm?

We need places like Civic Hall if we want to continue to bring non-developers into the fray. I think our technology, and our world, will be better for it.

From ‘meeting’ a resident affected by HS2 to ‘cycling’ along a proposed bike lane through the city, VR can have a powerful impact in the real world

Hackathons — and launchpads, as city staffer Andy Viren explains.

Warren Lemmens, the CTO of Nokia Oceania, discusses Australia's emerging smart city landscape — and what the U.S. can learn from it.

How much does Civic Tech extract from and contribute back to commons of open source software? We found out at TICTec. This summer Andrew and I will be speaking at or attending events where we think…

Cybercriminals can shut down multiple city services from a single entry point.

Picture this: a video studio with a green screen that you can book, an array of Raspberry Pi devices, and 3D printers complete with lessons on how to use them.

Want to you calculate your state's transportation spending? How about
identify distressed communities in your area? These mapping tools will help
you do the job.

A strong civic life depends on ALL, not just some, youth participating. The RAYSE Index uses data to identify where investments could be made to improve youth civic engagement.

at the Code for America Summit confirmed it for me: We have come to a critical moment in the history of civic technology. For years now, we’ve told a story about “civic tech” that made it out to be…

Today marks Chi Hack Night’s 250th event and **5 year anniversary**! Yes, we've been doing this for 5 years, and what a ride it’s been! For the occasion, we invited our members, alumni and past presenters to share how Chi Hack Night and it's community has affected or benefited them. We were floored by your responses. It turns out you like us! You really like us!