From ancient Rome to modern Atlanta, the shape of cities has been defined by the technologies that allow commuters to get to work in about 30 minutes.

Across the spectrum, in large cities and small towns, outdoor public spaces must be a central part of the path forward. 

The Civic Hacktivist Community is a global network for the exchange of knowledge and ideas about e-democracy and collaborative decision-making.

The Covid-19 crisis is an opportunity to rethink how cities are designed—and make them better equipped to stop disease from spreading.

A common thread is that cities can only succeed in achieving their goals of becoming more sustainable, resilient or inclusive if they listen and respond to their citizens’ needs and have a trusted relationship with them.

Homelessness has plagued U.S. cities and their residents for decades, resulting in dedicated funds and continuums of care (CoC) to support affected individuals and families. But despite these efforts, the crisis is worsening.

By analyzing tags on thousands of public photos, the researchers mapped out the sound profile of streets in 12 cities, including London, New York, Madrid, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

Mother Nature has provided us with all the tools we need to protect humanity from the violent and life-threatening spread of viral pandemics, rising seas, extreme weather, spiking temperatures, degraded habitats, uncontrolled wildfires and other catastrophes built from the sheer avarice of the human race.

From Auckland to Bogota, urban planners are already adapting our cities to lockdown. But will the changes last, and which more radical design proposals -- be it sewer monitors or "epidemic skyscrapers" -- will shape the post-pandemic city?

Transit-oriented developments were seen as a solution to severe housing shortages, but experts say developers need to rethink the design for a post-pandemic world.

Measures being put in place should not just be temporary crisis responses, but rather deliberately designed to leave a lasting, positive legacy. They include supporting local democracy; meeting needs quickly; making, buying, sharing & re-using; and using data better.

Coronavirus has spread rapidly in cities around the globe. How might the virus make us think differently about urban design in the future?

Civic tech teams and government agencies race to meet the overwhelming demand for people applying for benefits.   Here are a few lessons COVID-19 has taught us.

New and more robust forms of public engagement in addressing local challenges, such as budget deficits, aging infrastructure, workforce development, opioid addiction, homelessness, and disaster preparedness, must take into account the needs, preferences, and values of its entire community, not just politically active groups.

Along streets suddenly devoid of traffic, pedestrians get a fresh look at all the space that motor vehicles have commandeered.

Placemaker and author Jay Pitter argues for an equity-based understanding of urban density during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

Contemporary city planning, as we know it, was born out of a necessity to address communicable diseases. Learning from pandemic gives urban planners new insights into what cities are, what they need to be.

This pandemic has exposed the limitations of our existing housing safety nets. Now more than ever, we need immediate and long-term affordable housing solutions to keep residents safe and secure in their homes.

The COVID-19 quarantine has exposed the importance of parks, sidewalks, and other public spaces to our collective well-being. To stitch the world back together once the pandemic recedes, we should enact a massive green stimulus that builds out our public infrastructure in beautiful, imaginative, low-carbon ways.

The four “gears” that drive a strong community in normal times are the same ones that will move towns and cities forward after the COVID-19 crisis.

Communities are coming together right now in ways most of us have never seen before. And we’re realizing we really need each other. How can local leaders harness this energy to build stronger local communities and economies once the crisis recedes?

We can’t simply layer technology on top of our existing structural inequities and expect those inequities to be solved; we need to thoughtfully apply technology to people-first solutions that take into account our communities’ needs and goals.

As the whole world gathers to respond to COVID-19, thousands of projects have blossomed to try and help. We’re continuing to track the most promising projects on the Civic Tech Field Guide, but we also wanted to open the floor to you, our community. 

During this time of increased online engagement, it’s essential the information you are sharing is easy to navigate and digest. On April 3rd, Chris Haller (our founder) and Kelly Hickler (our communications manager) presented an Introduction to Content Engagement webinar for members of the American Planning Association that offers some tricks and tips on how to make your content relevant to your audience, foster understanding, and get informed feedback. Here’s a quick recap of the major takeaways from the webinar.