My post a few weeks back on possible reforms to the Washington, D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission system stimulated some interesting discussion on the blog. In response, my former Shaw neighbor Sarah Livingston (editor of the 7th Streeter neighborhood newsletter) put me in touch with David Holmes, and elected commissioner with ANC 6A on Capitol Hill. […]
Virtual Reality for Stakeholder Engagement: A Conference in Second Life
The Alexandria, Virginia-based group Public Decisions offers a variety of training materials and events on how to involve the public in public policy and social issues. A longtime user of Internet conferencing technology for their training class, they have taken the leap and are sponsoring the online conference on “Using Virtual Reality for Stakeholder Engagement: […]
Planetizen Post: Making the Car Free Choice
See my latest Planetizen post: “Making the Car Free Choice” On related topics here see Are you ‘Carfree’, Does Beijing Have Too Many Cars?, Climate Change: The Moral Imperative for Smart Growth (on urban form and driving), and (a question hopefully we’ll ask soon) Will Electric Cars Fuel Urban Sprawl?
Vacant Property Website Wins Round 2 in ‘Apps for Democracy’ Contest
A website inspired by my idea for a vacant property database has won First Prize in Round 2 of the Apps for Democracy-Community Edition competition sponsored by D.C. government. The site’s creator, Shaun Farrell, will receive a $3,000 cash prize and now has a chance (along with other contest apps) at a $10,000 Final Round […]
Proposals for Reforming D.C.’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions
Summer is always a good time to blog about things that have been bouncing around my head for a couple months, or in this case, years. The topic: reforming Washington, D.C.’s Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, or ANCs. The ANC system was created in 1976 as part of the D.C. Home Rule Charter. In order to provide […]
Inside Cambridge’s Drinking Water System
I recently spotted a bundle of blue fliers in the lobby of my apartment building where the mailman piles the junk mail. The newsletters had tiny print and a dense, monochromatic layout. I grabbed it immediately: it was the City of Cambridge 2008 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report. Equal parts public policy, hydraulic engineering, public […]
Planetizen Post: The New Normative Planning
Read my newest Planetizen post: The New Normative Planning