A few weeks ago we received an email from a county Emergency Manager in the United States.  The unnamed manager was excited about SeeClickFix as a gateway reporting tool to emergency and crisis reporting.

His vision was that citizens would use SCF as an easy on ramp to reporting to city government for issues like potholes and graffiti in their every day comings and goings. In an emergency they would use the same tool that they had already acquainted themselves with to help out their neighbors in an earthquake, fire or other natural disaster.  Not only would they be able to quickly report issues to their government but to their community as well.

We were excited to get started in this new county with the endorsement of Emergency Management but the idea was quickly shot down in a meeting in which we demo'd the product to Public Works and other non-emergency service departments.   The other managers were upset that someone was proposing that citizens be able to give more feedback. The Emergency Services manager felt bad for our Government Relations Manager and ended the call early only to be reprimanded afterwards by his co-workers for suggesting an additional layer of accountability in the name of public safety.

Sadly, it is not always easy being a forward thinking individual that puts the interests of tax-paying citizens first when you're working inside an institution with a lot of cob-webs to dust.  Sometimes I feel like a therapist for these officials who think that what they are experiencing is unprecedented.

Of course there are always barricades in every city to open government. If there wasn't SeeClickFix would not be championing civic disruption as the first step towards open government.

So what tools are best suited for this situation? How can we assist the Emergency Manager from the outside without placing his job on the line?

1) The Sales Pitch Top Down: Politics is always a good angle though not our favorite. I might email the Mayor and pitch him on this great idea that a nameless employee had. We've found that open government has made its way into the political agenda of many municipal officials.  A campaign to increase participation and safety at the same time would be a great way to hold staffers accountable and garner public favor.

or

2) The Disruption Bottom Up: We could get the word out to citizens in the county through media widget embeds and community groups. When issues were reported alerts would be sent to the Public Works Director's email and residents could get their attention regardless of whether or not it was being asked for. Now the Citizens would be telling the Public Works Department what to do without invitation and the Emergency Management employee could work with the City to help adopt this new form of participation.

For the sake of this experiment I'll try both and keep you posted.

On Christmas Eve, Grist released "Seven New Year's resolutions to make your neighborhood a better place." SeeClickFix came in at resolution number 5, where "if you see something, say something." Other resolutions suggested were planting something, picking up litter, getting to know your neighbors, finding who you government representatives are, shopping locally and going for a walk.

Yesterday, Philly.com also featured a New Year's Resolution list on how to be a better citizen. Coming in at number 6, SeeClickFix was featured as a way citizens can communicate with the city. 

Well we agree, what better way to start off 2011 by making your neighborhood a better place... and using SeeClickFix!

SeeClickFix users have helped improve a dangerous intersection in New Haven. Last month, there was a post on the SCF blog about the intersection of Livingston and Edwards Streets because the issue received so much attention within hours of being posted. Users noted the limited visibility for drivers caused by illegal parking and said that speeding cars only worsened the problem by placing more pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers at risk.

The City of New Haven has responded, and a speed table will be added to the intersection of Livingston and Edwards Streets.

As City Engineer Dick Miller (left) explains in the New Haven Independent, the street will be
raised about six inches to slow traffic at the intersection. The City will also add bump outs (which extend the curb further out into the street in order to slow down turning vehicles and reduce the amount of time it takes for pedestrians to cross). Lastly, according to the Independent, "The intersection will also feature planted medians, textured and multicolored crosswalks, and yellow-patterned paving" along with newly planted trees. The City hopes that drivers will see all of these changes as "visual cues" to proceed through the intersection more carefully, in addition to the other infrastructure changes mentioned above.

For more information about how speed tables have worked elsewhere, check out Mark Abraham's post on this improvement on the New Haven Safe Streets Blog. As Mark points out, not only do speed tables calm traffic, but they can also help increase the sense of community in the area by making the street a more inviting place.

Great work by our users, the City of New Haven, and the New Haven Independent.

See the original post below:

In just a couple of hours, an issue reported in New Haven's East Rock neighborhood has attracted over 60 views, 7 votes, and several comments. The issue: limited visibility turning onto Edwards Street from Livingston Street due to illegally parked cars.

So far, a number of solutions have been suggested. Among them are increased parking enforcement in the current no standing zone, or changing the intersection to add bump-outs, bollards, a roundabout, curb extensions, or converting it to a raised intersection.

What do you think? How can the City of New Haven improve this problem?

(Photo: Thomas MacMillan/New Haven Independent)

Appolicious asked Craig Newmark, founder of Craig's list, what's on his phone.


The Answer, "SeeClickFix"


Why you ask?


Newmark: "Real eGovernment. If you see a problem, you take a picture, geotag it, and send it to the right local government people to get it fixed.”


Check out the post here and get excited for our shiny new app to be released in the first week of the New Year!


If you've never heard of this little site Craig runs you should check that out as well.

Meridian Hill Park, Washington DC

Today SeeClickFix was mentioned in the Parker Spitzer blog "Mele: Give Assange internet access." For a Parker Spitzer exclusive blog post, leading expert in social media and Web 2.0 politics, Nicco Mele was interviewed with five "OFF-SET" questions, one of them which prompted Mele to highlight SeeClickFix.

Mele was asked "do you think the internet is turning us into more informed citizens and improving the civility of our society - or is it helping segregate Americans into separate groups based on what people say they believe?"

Mele responded, "When I look at the wide range of exciting and engaging things happening online to better engage citizens - projects like SeeClickFix and Wikipedia - I think that the internet is transforming our society for the better." Mele further explained how he believes the internet will be the "engine for civic innovation."

SeeClickFix thanks Mele for the mention, we love it!

Check out Mele's appearance on the Parker Spitzer show on CNN tonight at 8pm ET and 5pm PT.

Today SCF has two new media partners. One in Mass and the other in New Mexico.

 



These two new media partners add to nearly 1,000 media partners working with SeeClickFix to deliver citizens' concerns to their governments and each other. As we grow SCF we are ever grateful for the 4th estate's willingness to disrupt at the local level. Both of these hyperlocal sites are providing a valuable service to their communities and we salute them for that.

Worcester Wired has created their own section for SCF which you can check out here: http://www.worcesterwired.com/seeclickfix-2/

and Rio Rancho has SCF embedded on the homepage here: http://www.rrobserver.com/

Cheers to new friends!

Thanks to Penny Fearon and Heatwatchnyc.org another neighbor's heat in NYC is on.  A neighbor reported that their building did not have heat or hot water on the SCF widget embedded in Penny's website. Penny acted on behalf of the reporter and called the landlord herself to see if they could get the heat on and with much success.

In New York City this is a phone call that would take 15 minutes to report to the the City which would then in turn might create a notice or fine against the landlord. The whole process for a single issue could cost the city hundreds of dollars. (Speculative opinion based on conversations with municipal workers)   Aside from the cost savings there is the added benefit, through public documentation, of showing others that problems like this can be resolved by speaking up.  A sort-of viral feedback loop through the network created on SeeClickFix.

We love Penny and Heatwatch. If you want to help her help other neighbors, you can contact her at heatwatchnyc.org

Check out the fixed issue at http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/67973