In the same way that individuals are packing away their winter apparel and tidying up their abodes, municipalities are making provisions for the change that accompanies the warmer weather by doing a little spring cleaning. In Grand Prairie, Alberta, SeeClickFix is playing a supporting role in this process.

The city is coordinating volunteers to pick up the trash that had been hidden in snow drifts. As the Daily Tribune Herald writes, “The city is asking litter pickers to register where they have cleaned on SeeClickFix so others can see what areas have been done.” According to the article, the system the city set up is working. “‘We’ve had lots of people who have expressed interest and gone out already,’ said Lucy Ramirez, education co-ordinator for the environment department at the City of Grande Prairie.”

This is a very creative way to take advantage of SeeClickFix that we haven’t seen before. We’re psyched that Grand Prairie came up with this plan, and love the way that they were able to mobilize effective citizen engagement for this project. Hopefully other cities will take a cue from Grand Prairie, and think about leveraging SeeClickFix the next time they’re getting ready for Spring Cleaning.

Enfield, Conn. -- The Town of Enfield has launched a new program that will allow residents to report quality-of-life issues and request city services through an online and mobile interface. Powered by SeeClickFix, the place-based reporting platform allows residents to document neighborhood concerns and improvements alike, ranging from potholes and graffiti to damaged sidewalks and storm damage.

"As new technology continues to emerge, it's important for governments to start embracing the innovative ways they can now communicate with citizens and effect change in the communities we serve," said Matthew Coppler, Town Manager. "This social customer service tool will allow us to accomplish both—and more."

With the online and mobile reporting platform, residents can report quality-of-life concerns through service request categories via the Enfield website, custom mobile applications (iPhone, Android, Blackberry), Facebook App, and SeeClickFix.com. When submitting issues via mobile app, for example, residents can provide locational, descriptive, and photographic information as they see the issue in real time. Once the resident submits an issue, the reporter, Enfield, and anyone 'watching' the area will receive an alert. The town can then acknowledge the service request, route it to the proper department, and update the request—and residents following the issue—once it's been resolved.

The partnership allows residents to not only report community issues, but also view, comment on, and vote to fix problems submitted by their neighbors. Citizens can even create their own "watch areas" to receive notifications about all issues reported in their community, enabling them to follow the progress of all service requests---not just the ones they report.

"Being based in Connecticut, we're incredibly excited to see the Town of Enfield join surrounding communities as they use the collective power of technology, citizens, and government to improve quality of life and promote active citizenship," said Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix CEO. "Through our platform, the town offers broader accessibility for reporting issues, strengthens its lines of communication with residents, and works towards resolution."

The Enfield SeeClickFix website can be found at http://www.enfield-ct.gov and residents can download iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps here: http://www.seeclickfix.com/apps.

About SeeClickFix

SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues ranging from potholes and planted trees to garbage and graffiti. Launched in 2008, it empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together and improve their neighborhoods. Through mobile web, web, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. SeeClickFix supports the Open311 standard that promotes improved communication between local municipalities and the citizens they serve. The platform is fun and easy to use for citizens while being inexpensive and easily adaptable for governments. Over 60 percent of issues reported on SeeClickFix are ultimately resolved. For more information or to report an issue, visit http://www.seeclickfix.com.

Urban planning has traditionally operated on a very long time line.  There is something to be said for this approach, which enabled grand visions to be enacted over the generations of a city’s life.  However, when poor planning or limited foresight led to problems, the feedback mechanisms and flexibility required to address these situations were not in place.  As Peter Bishop and Lesley Williams, author of the book The Temporary City, write, “An Alternative Approach is beginning to emerge.” Trends like the rise in usage of SeeClickFix and the popularity of“Temporary Cities” indicate that this model is being reconsidered, in favor of a more dynamic, fluid approach.

Temporary Cities are intended to be impermanent solutions for permanent features of urban life. Some interesting examples of this trend include the m-hotel in London, and the weekend long mall that appeared in Cambridge, MA. 

Followers of the blog will remember that our CEO Ben Berkowitz recently spoke on a panel in Cambridge, MA about this trend, and an Atlantic Monthly article also highlighted "Temporary Cities."   Cities have begun to embrace this movement as well, like SeeClickFix partner Washington, DC, which has established the Temporary Urbanism Initiative.

This is clearly an exciting trend for those like us who care about the vibrancy and life of cities. Moreover, as a tool that enables citizens to express their vision for their cities, SeeClickFix is well positioned to play an important part in the “Temporary Cities” movement. We look forward to contributing to this trend as it continues to impact the direction of urban planning and feel of our cities.

In an article discussing the merits of “bottom up” versus “top down” approaches to smart cities, Salon cited SeeClickFix as “A great example of maximizing the urban interface.” It describes the financial benefits of utilizing SeeClickFix for local governments by leveraging citizen participation, explaining that it “saves local government the expense of monitoring every square foot of the city by itself.”

SeeClickFix was also featured by Mashable as a part of its “Global Innovation Series.” The article details our aspiration to begin to develop a citizen generated knowledge base for cities, in order to begin to answer common municipal questions. As our CEO Ben Berkowitz explains in the article, “Once citizens get feedback to multiple systems, we can empower them to do lots of things.”

Finally, our good friends at the New Haven Independent recently wrote about the ongoing conversations between SeeClickFix and our hometown around enabling the City of New Haven to more fully integrate our platform into its municipal work order system. This would be a great solution for New Haven, and we’re always happy to serve our own neighbors. As The Independent states, “The system will not only help people report problems easier; it will help them get answers to their questions faster.”

All of this positive buzz in the media is of course very encouraging, but we’re not going to let it go to our heads. We continue to focus on enabling more governments and citizens to collaborate to improve their communities. With that said, we’re grateful that our efforts are being recognized, and we hope this attention encourages more citizens to make use of SeeClickFix to bring attention to their concerns within their community.

Macon, GA (April 24, 2012)- The City of Macon is announcing a new way for the public to place service requests and receive real-time status updates through an online and mobile interface. Powered by SeeClickFix, the place-based reporting platform allows residents to document neighborhood concerns and improvements alike, ranging from litter to damaged sidewalks to missing garbage carts. Using this real-time, online reporting system can increase productivity, efficiency, and transparency for many city services and departments.

With the online and mobile reporting application, residents can report concerns through service request categories via the City’s website (www.cityofmacon.net and selecting the “Report An Issue” button on the left side), custom mobile applications for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry via www.seeclickfix.com/apps, a Facebook App, and SeeClickFix.com. The phone apps are free.

The first year of this program is being funded with a $5,000 grant from the Knight Fund for Macon at the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. By funding this effort, it continues the effort to encourage and promote government transparency and civic engagement in Macon and other communities.

“By using this online and mobile program, the public can report concerns in real time, as well as track the progress of their request,” says Macon Mayor Robert Reichert. “This is a way which we can improve citizen engagement and work together to build a sustainable community.”

The interface for reporting issues is very user-friendly, utilizing drop down selection menus and simple clarifying questions. When submitting issues via mobile app, for example, residents can select from a list of issues and provide a description, including location and picture. Once the resident submits an issue, anyone ‘watching’ the area will receive an alert. The City can then acknowledge the service request, route it to the proper department, and update the request—and residents following the issue—once it’s been resolved.

For this initial rollout, the City is using SeeClickFix for issues and concerns that can be addressed by the Public Works Department. This includes issues with streets, garbage, drainage, debris collection, dead animals in the road, graffiti removal, fallen trees, illegal dumping, eviction debris, and more. The Public Works Department was selected due to the high volume of day-to-day issues that they are able to address.

More departments will be added as the system is set up and staff is trained. The next Department to be included in this system will be the Economic and Community Development Department, which handles issues such as residential code enforcement.

The partnership allows residents to not only report community issues, but also view, comment on, and fix problems submitted by their neighbors. Citizens can create their own “watch areas” to receive notifications about all issues reported in their community, enabling them to follow the progress of all service requests – not just the ones they report.

Residents without online or mobile capabilities can still report issues to the City by calling the Customer Service Desk at 751-7400.

About SeeClickFix 
SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues ranging from potholes and planted trees to garbage and graffiti. Launched in 2008, it empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together and improve their neighborhoods. Through mobile web, web, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. SeeClickFix supports the Open311 standard that promotes improved communication between local municipalities and the citizens they serve. For more information or to report an issue, visit www.seeclickfix.com.

Bainbridge, GA (April 24, 2012)- Today, the City of Bainbridge announces a new program that will allow residents to report quality-of-life issues and request city services through an online and mobile interface. Powered by SeeClickFix, the place-based reporting platform allows residents to document neighborhood concerns and improvements alike, ranging from junk cars and water leaks to pot holes and malfunctioning traffic signals. 

With the online and mobile reporting platform, residents can report quality-of-life concerns through service request categories via the city’s website, custom mobile applications (iPhone, Android, Blackberry), Facebook App, and SeeClickFix.com. When submitting issues via mobile app, for example, residents can provide locational, descriptive, and photographic information as they see the issue in real time. Once the resident submits an issue, the reporter, the city and anyone ‘watching’ the area will receive an alert. The city can then acknowledge the service request, route it to the proper department, and update the request—and residents following the issue—once it’s been resolved.

The partnership allows residents to not only report community issues, but also view, comment on, and vote to fix problems submitted by their neighbors. Citizens can even create their own “watch areas” to receive notifications about all issues reported in their community, enabling them to follow the progress of all service requests---not just the ones they report.

Citizens can access SeeClickFix from the city’s website, www.bainbridgecity.com. On the left of the homepage under City Services, there is a SeeClickFix button. Residents can also download iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps here: http://www.seeclickfix.com/apps and those who “like” the City of Bainbridge facebook page can access SeeClickFix from there.

About SeeClickFix
SeeClickFix allows citizens anywhere in the world to report and monitor non-emergency community issues ranging from potholes and planted trees to garbage and graffiti. Launched in 2008, it empowers citizens, community groups, media organizations, and governments to work together and improve their neighborhoods. Through mobile web, web, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. SeeClickFix supports the Open311 standard that promotes improved communication between local municipalities and the citizens they serve. The platform is fun and asy to use for citizens while being inexpensive and easily adaptable for governments. Over 40 percent of issues reported on SeeClickFix are ultimately resolved. For more information or to report an issue, visit www.seeclickfix.com.

SeeClickFix is all about encouraging engaged and responsible citizenship. Our work primarily revolves around empowering individual citizens who are trying to improve their community. However, we also wanted to take a moment to give a shout out to the businesses that were recognized in a recent Forbes article as exceptional corporate citizens.

Describing the methodology it used to assemble the list, the article states, “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens list, now in its 13th year, ranks companies based on publicly available information in seven categories: environment, climate change, employee relations, human rights, governance, finance, and philanthropy.”

The list contains a lot of notable firms, like IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and Nike. The fact that brands that are known for being so successful at creating impressive profits are also being recognized for being responsible citizens represents a growing consensus amongst business leaders that they can’t focus on their bottom line alone. They also need to be mindful of the perspectives of the people who live in the areas where they work, the impact their processes have on the environment, and the ethical practices of their suppliers. In other words, successful businesses need to become engaged and thoughtful neighbors.

So, join us in celebrating these companies, and keep them in mind the next time you’re considering a purchase.