Having followed our website for several years, TechSoup Global recently featured SeeClickFix as the inaugural project in its new "Projects We're Watching" blog series. The series will explore "the most interesting and inspiring initiatives that are doing good in ways that are not only sustainable, but that also have the potential to create wide-reaching systemic change." While TechSoup nicely summarizes our online tool, it also elaborates on its success and possibilities:

We like the above examples [IdleFreePhilly, New Haven, Hartford, and Dallas] because they illustrate how technology, NGO's and citizens working together can take the burden off of local government and help make communities better places to live, work and play. The fact that SeeClickFix is using citizen-generated data to make community issues transparent shows it can be successfully applied to non-emergency problems and even social causes (like clean air), but we are also intrigued by its possible application in disaster response and resource sharing and conservation (like food).

With this series, TechSoup hopes to better understand the featured projects' applications and implications for the nonprofit community. To accomplish this, TechSoup needs your help. If you want to contribute to the conversation, post a comment here. SeeClickFix looks forward to seeing how this series develops!

On the SeeClickFix blog, we tend to focus on the flurry of activity happening each day on our website. Even as you're reading this, new issues are being reported by users, comments are being posted by community groups and tickets are being closed by our government clients. Wishing your homepage could help improve your surroundings offline? If you're a community group member, local blogger or anyone else with a website and a strong sense of neighborhood pride, you're in luck! We're all about sharing here at SeeClickFix, which is why we have made it easy to get in on the action with our map and text widgets. 

Embedding one of our widgets allows people to report issues to SeeClickFix directly through your page, simultaneously improving your surroundings while driving traffic to your site. It's a cool tool that puts the power of the SeeClickFix platform on your own page! In only 3 easy steps, your website could join the fun with a shiny new map or text widget!


Step 1. 
Navigate over to the SeeClickFix widget page by clicking here.

Step 2. 
Choose your widget (map, simplified map or text) and complete the form. Find your location, set the width and height, give your new widget a title! You can even create a widget that filters the issues displayed by keyword! Once you've created a widget perfectly customized for your website, click "Create Widget".

Step 3. 
SeeClickFix will automatically generate a code for your widget. Copy the embed code into an HTML element anywhere on your site.

SeeClickFix widgets have been featured on a wide range of websites for media outlets, community groups and hyperlocal news sources.  Know of a great blog or community group site that features a SeeClickFix widget? Did this blog post inspire you to make over your homepage while empowering your friends and neighbors?  We would love to see the sites where our users are reporting issues from! In the spirit of sharing, leave a comment here with a link or tweet us @seeclickfix!

Last year, Chicago became the first city to host its own CityCamp, 'an unconference focused on innovation for municipal governments and community organizations.' Just months after launching SeeClickFix, the city of Raleigh will be hosting its very own unconference geared towards creating solutions for open government.

Scheduled from June 3 to 5, CityCamp Raleigh serves as a series of "open sourced talks, workshops, and hands-on problem solving, to re-imagine the way the web, applications, technology, and participation will shape the future of our city." As an 'unconference,' CityCamp Raleigh participants determine the focus and content themselves, playing active roles in each session coordinated by the facilitators.

Hoping to highlight the importance of collaboration, CityCamp Raleigh will bring together participants from countless industries, ranging from government and business to non-profit, academia, and community-based. With these various entities, many voices will come together to propose solutions for one community.

With SeeClickFix already implemented citywide, City Councilman (and event organizer) Bonner Gaylord hopes CityCamp Raleigh will produce similar innovative and tech-savvy solutions for local municipalities. According to The News & Observer, there are already twenty suggestions on CityCamp Raleigh's website including:

[...] ideas for an app that shows an overview of how the city's comprehensive plan would affect your neighborhood, an app that lets bus riders know when their stop is coming up and an app that shows which nearby parking decks have the most available spaces.

Planning committee co-chairman Jason Hibbets hopes CityCamp Raleigh will be just the beginning:

It's a really important thing to have this dialogue between all these stakeholders. We're looking at this event as being a catalyst to kind of kick-start all this, and turn this event into a movement.

SeeClickFix looks forward to attending CityCamp Raleigh and helping participants create community-based, technological solutions to promote the next generation of local governments.

Today District of Columbia Acting Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Rob Mancini announced that the District has expanded the avenues available to residents, businesses, and visitors for requesting city services and reporting non-emergency problems online. Now a citizen who spots a problem can report it instantly to the city’s 311 non-emergency service center using a web-enabled or mobile device.

SeeClickFix custom mobile app in D.C.

The District is offering the new functionality through a new integration between the city’s 311 Customer Request and Work Order system and SeeClickFix. SeeClickFix is a free mobile and web platform that allows citizens to submit online reports of non-emergency public problems to governments. The SeeClickFix platform is available in many locations and formats, including mobile phones and widgets on the Washington Post and other city blogs. Citizens can access SeeClickFix at SeeClickFix.com, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/metro/daily-gripe/index.html, and http://dc.thecityfix.com.

Now, when a citizen reports a problem on SeeClickFix, the new integration function will automatically create a report and service request in the District’s 311 system. For example, a citizen who spots a pothole, graffiti, bulk trash, or downed tree can use a mobile device to snap a photo with the GPS location or address and submit it to SeeClickFix. In less than 30 seconds, the problem can be on its way to resolution. When the status of a service request is updated, the District’s 311 system generates an automatic alert to the requester and citizens tracking the issue.

The SeeClickFix integration also allows District residents to comment on problems and service requests posted by others, vote to fix specific problems, and even create “watch areas” to keep tabs on a particular location in the city.

Overall, the integration of See ClickFix with the District’s 311 system ensures a seamless flow of information between residents and District officials, and a more efficient way of fixing problems throughout the city.

SeeClickFix is connecting to the District’s 311 system through the District’s Open311 API. API (application programming interface) is a free, open web standard now used by many U.S. companies and governments to help customers interact with their data and services. In June 2009, the District became the first city in the world to launch an Open 311 API.

Open 311 lets citizens take the reins in dispatching the city services they want. It answers the common complaint that citizens’ concerns get buried in government bureaucracy.

“With Open 311, we’re improving city services and bringing government closer to the people,” said District Acting CTO Mancini. “Our integration with SeeClickFix creates a dynamic new partnership between government and citizens to solve problems that affect us all.”

To learn more about DC Government technology initiatives, visit www.octo.dc.gov.

Here in the Elm City, the Yale Urban Resources Initiative (URI) and the City of New Haven are in the midst of a campaign that aims to restore a diminishing tree canopy, while simultaneously benefiting our community in countless ways. The Tree Haven 10k is an effort to plant 10,000 trees citywide by 2014. The URI website explains how accomplishing this ambitious goal is possible.

Achieving this vision of protecting and enhancing New Haven't tree canopy will require both a public and private participation, as residents control the largest percentage of the city's tree canopy. The TreeHaven 10K campaign aims to match 5,000 trees planted on public lands by GreenSkills interns with 5,000 trees planted on private land by homeowners and major institutions. Together, the goal of 10,000 trees is well within reach.

The URI also explains how by reducing stormwater runoff, improving air quality and public health, and lowering energy bills, street trees in New Haven currently save the city a whopping $4 million! Now imagine the savings once the Tree Haven 10k is complete by checking out the Tree Benefits Calculator powered by DC based NPO Casey Trees. The URI also provides a wealth of Tree Haven 10k tools where residents can log trees they've planted to count towards the 10k, request a tree to be planted for free in front of their home, figure out what tree would be best for them to plant and even see an up-to-date map of the New Haven tree canopy.

SeeClickFix CEO Ben Berkowitz reported Issue #10612 - Street Trees Needed and Issue #1441 - Trees Needed, to draw attention to areas in his neighborhood that he saw needed some tree TLC. With the help of the URI, the SeeClickFix team will be planting new trees this summer, adding to the Tree Haven 10k tree canopy map!

At SeeClickFix, we are starting to rethink the old saying "money doesn't grow on trees"! The Tree Haven 10k is an example of how New Haven is proactively planting, however, communities everywhere are jumping on board and doing their part. SeeClickFix quickly found organizations in Tucson, Richmond, Raleigh and Atlanta whose mission is to help restore the tree canopy in their towns.

Can your community stand to be a little more green? Tell us about it! Report an issue to SeeClickFix showing your community where you'd like to see more trees planted, then leave it as a comment here or tweet it to us @seeclickfix!

From 'The Big Apple' and 'Empire City' to 'Gotham' and 'The City That Never Sleeps,' New York City has worn many hats over the years. With the release of NYC Digital's roadmap, NYC hopes to add 'The Digital City' to its nickname collection.

Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chief Digital Officer Rachel Sterne announced the city's comprehensive strategy to unlocking NYC's digital future in its "Roadmap for the Digital City: Achieving New York City's Digital Future." Established last summer, NYC Digital seeks to create a "healthier civil society and stronger democracy through the use of technology that engages, serves, and connects citizens." Mayor Bloomberg explained the context behind the agency's planned initiatives:

New York City has taken great strides in the last nine years with digital innovation. More than 25 million people visit NYC.gov each year, which is nearly the same amount of people who come to Central Park. This digital roadmap paves the way for the coming years of innovation in City government and demonstrates the importance of everyone having access to new technological advancements and resources.

In collaboration with city agencies, public and private sectors, and citizens, the 90-day report consists of four pillars: Access, Open Government, Engagement, and Industry. With these pillars, NYC seeks to improve the lives of New Yorkers by increasing its transparency, engagement, efficiency, accessibility, and innovation. To do this, the city will unveil new social media partnerships. Listed among these possible partnerships was SeeClickFix.

There is a wide range of additional digital tools that the City of New York is currently evaluating for use by agencies, including platforms that support civic engagement, community, creativity, and sustainability, such as Catchafire, Kickstarter, Meetup, and SeeClickFix.

With SeeClickFix, the city can engage with residents in a more efficient and transparent manner, and allow citizens to connect with their government and each other about issues in their neighborhoods. We're excited to see how NYC transforms itself with technology and hope to support the city on its digital journey! View the full document here.

From urban gardens to community murals, we're all about improving the quality of public spaces across the globe. According to TreeHugger, these public spaces may be getting more social (and social media-savvy) with the help of Chris McNicholl.

Designed by McNicholl, the TweetingSeat serves as an interactive park bench designed to connect physical and digital communities. Every time someone sits on the bench, it sends a tweet with two photos: one of the individual(s) on the bench and one of the surrounding environment. Similar to the tweeting tree, the TweetingSeat connects the 'digital to the physical,' using social media to bridge the gap between individuals and their environment. McNicholl explains:

TweetingSeat has been created in order to explore the environments in which it is placed and look at the people whom it encounters. The way in which the bench should be used has purposely been left open, allowing people and communities to build their own relationship with it.

With public space issues regularly reported via SeeClickFix, we want to hear what you think about the TweetingSeat. Do you think it can increase usage of parks and public spaces? Will it help communities become more social? Would you be okay with your photo being broadcast to the Twitterverse? Most important, do you want one in your neighborhood? Leave a comment below or reply @SeeClickFix.

For 19 days in January, residents in Huntsville, AL used SeeClickFix to post and share their ideas for the future of economic development and planning in their community. As part of a city wide economic development summit, SeeClickFix powered their IDEAS Map, helping to collect nearly 1,000 ideas and over 4,800 votes from Huntsville residents between January 14 and February 1. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle explained the inspiration behind the summit, as well as the importance of the IDEAS Map in the community's economic success.

"The successes we've seen in economic development over the past year have been unmatched by any other community in our nation," said Mayor Tommy Battle. "Each of those successes started with an idea - and this summit is another incredible way for our residents to bring their ideas to the table. This summit is a chance for our residents to focus on economic development, learn more about our successes, our plans for the future - and, most importantly, present their ideas."

Ideas ranged from a grocery store in an underused retail space to improved public transportation throughout the Huntsville area. Residents discussed their ideas, voted for each others suggestions and provided city planners with a wealth of data to utilize in courting new developers. "Developing Ideas: Bright Ideas for Retail Development" was presented on April 7th and featured the almost one thousand ideas Huntsville residents submitted to their city through SeeClickFix. The top ideas submitted to the SeeClickFix IDEA Map were divided into several categories focused towards developing retail and restaurant offerings in Huntsville. Residents also used SeeClickFix to advocate for the sections of Huntsville they believed would be most attractive to potential developers.


From issues to ideas, or from graffiti to grocery stores, improving your community is a click away with SeeClickFix. We applaud Huntsville residents for taking an active role in their economic future, as well as their city officials for engaging citizens through the IDEAS Map!

Back in February, James Cappleman praised the ability of SeeClickFix to improve accountability and transparency in Chicago during his campaign for alderman of the 46th Ward. This Monday, Cappleman will be sworn into office and SeeClickFix looks forward to seeing how he will use our technology to improve the quality of life for residents in the Windy City. Some municipal officials of Chi-Town, however, have already taken cue from the soon-to-be alderman.

Submitted just one day ago, Issue # 100838 - Water main work but hasn't been worked on in weeks deals with delayed construction on the water main at the Wabash and Cullerton intersection. An anonymous user explained:

They have dug up the road and it is covered with metal plates where the hole is. However, there has been no work done here in several weeks. In addition, there is construction material that has been on the street (it is blocked off by barricades, but it has just been sitting there). Is this work ever going to be finished?

Just one hour ago, Tom LaPorte from the Department of Water Management responded to the citizen's inquiry:

We started a water main job with a couple of test holes, but then learned that the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) was resurfacing a nearby street as part of an unrelated project. Rather than further crowd the neighborhood, we pulled off the job and sent our crew elsewhere until CDOT could finish.

LaPorte mentioned that CDOT's work will be completed soon and then his department can continue working on the water main project. With the project expected to last eight weeks, LaPorte and company will distribute an informational packet and letter to neighbors explaining the situation. He ended his response by apologizing for any confusion and thanking the resident for being understanding.

Another Chicago resident and SeeClickFix user Ali documented the poor road conditions of Wood Street between Division and Wicker Park Ave fourteen days ago (Issue #98125 - Wood Street is a mess). Three days later, Matt Bailey, the director of communications for Alderman Joe Moreno, addressed the situation:

As part of completing the water main installation done on 1200 N. Wood, the street will be resurfaced this month.

With Cappleman starting work soon, we're hoping the city becomes one step closer to utilizing SeeClickFix to connect with the citizens it serves.

Back in April, we told you about Let's Do It SF! which hopes to tackle the increasing presence of blight in the Bay Area. On Monday, the initiative held its first training session with the Excelsior Action Group in District 11 where it taught volunteers how to use our mobile applications to report and map problems like illegal dumping and graffiti in their communities. Check out some photos from the successful training courtesy of Adriel Hampton.

Each day, the City of Richmond, Virginia uses SeeClickFix to address issues, improve communities and communicate with citizens about their concerns. However, Richmond's dedication to helping residents isn't just an online effort. Offline, the city is connecting volunteers with resources needed to fix community problems around RVA.

The Clean City Commission (CCC) is lending a helping hand to citizens who are tidying up their communities by providing refuse trucks and workers to assist with volunteer cleanup events. Through the CCC page of the city's website, neighborhood and business associations, as well as informal groups of concerned neighbors can submit requests for a truck and learn more about how to organize their own neighborhood volunteer cleanup event. Groups can receive assistance from the CCC up to four times per year!

The Greater Woodstock Area Civic Association is one group taking advantage of this CCC program for their upcoming Community Cleanup event. On May 21, 2011, the CCC will be providing GWACA with two trash trucks and two workers to help volunteers collect and properly dispose of yard trash, old tires, furniture, appliances, and other bulk items. If you're in the Richmond area and interested in joining the GWACA Community Cleanup event, volunteers will be meeting in the open field at Circlewood Drive and Stockwood Drive at 8:00AM.

SeeClickFix is proud to be working with a city so committed to serving residents and cleaning up communities!
 

Last Thursday, Luis Cotto invited his constituents to start reporting quality of life issues via the SeeClickFix smartphone applications. As minority leader of the Hartford City Council, Cotto believes SeeClickFix serves as a transparent and user-friendly forum in which residents can voice concerns:

311 is great for internal routing of work orders and intragovernmental accountability, but its user interface is somewhat opaque to residents. Using SeeClickFix, residents can see what others have identified as problems and interact to help solve quality of life and infrastructure problems in their neighborhoods. Also, it empowers pedestrians to report problems as they see them in real time. And best of all, this tool is free.

The SeeClickFix team would like to thank Cotto for promoting not only our reporting platform, but also technology as means of placing power back in the hands of citizens!

This past Saturday, SubSeries attended NYC's Festival of Ideas to solicit feedback and suggestions from residents about how to transform the urban landscape of twelve subway stations. The event was not only enjoyable, but also a massive success for the SubSeries team. Check out some photos below!

SubSeries will host its next public event on June 6th at 6:30pm at Columbia University's Studio-X where it will preview its project and host discussions about creating an optimistic future for the public space of those subway stations.

Hoping to transform the urban landscape of NYC subway stations, SubSeries recently partnered with SeeClickFix to engage public imagination and solicit ideas from local subway riders. Curated by design partnership Baukunst Studio, SubSeries serves as an unsolicited architecture project to redesign the public space of 12 subway stations.

The project brings together over 20 emerging New York-based architects, designers, and artists to address the question: "What are the most optimistic strategies for reforming this network of unclaimed public space?" Throughout the year, SubSeries will host 12 charrettes, or in-depth conversations focused on re-imagining public space, which will result in visual and written documentation translating their visions. SubSeries will not only highlight existing problems, but also "envision a positive urban future that builds upon the existing subway infrastructure."

Through SeeClickFix's platform, SubSeries hopes to collect information and suggestions from NYC residents about how to improve these urban environments. The project opened one 'ticket' for each of the twelve SubSeries subway stations including Grand Central, Columbus Circle, and Harlem 125th Street. By posting comments, users can share what they think should change and suggest their visions for these spaces. If you have an idea to reclaim these public spaces, join the conversation!

To continue sparking public imagination, SubSeries will be attending NYC's Festival of Ideas tomorrow (Saturday, May 7th) from 11am to 7pm with their installation located in Sarah Roosevelt Park between Chrystie and Forsyth, south of Stanton Street. This event will be just one way SubSeries hopes to engage the public. On June 6th, the collaborators will also be hosting an exhibition preview at Columbia University's Studio-X gallery in SoHo with the final exhibition opening in Fall 2011.

We're incredibly excited to see how SubSeries continues to empower NYC citizens to reclaim their urban environment. Follow the project or learn more here.

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition

Grab your helmets and start pedaling; National Bike Month just launched across the nation! From reporting road hazards to calling for new bike racks, SeeClickFix users promote the use of bicycling as both transportation and recreation not just in May, but every day.

Sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month highlights the benefits of commuting via bicycle not only for individuals, but also for the greater community. Biking promotes an active and healthy lifestyle while simultaneously improving the environment through reducing citizens' carbon footprints, enhancing air quality, and diminishing traffic congestion.

Observing these benefits, citizens everywhere use SeeClickFix to create more bike-friendly neighborhoods. In Philadelphia, one resident called for some local bike lanes to be repainted (Issue #98850- Bike lanes need to be repainted) while one New Haven resident asked for additional bicycle racks (Issue #97181 - Bike rack request). Across the country, an Albuquerque resident raised awareness about some dangerous bike trail pavement that could cause cyclists' crashes (Issue #95578 - Bike trail pavement pulverized no warning signs or detour).

Based in Georgia, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition even utilizes SeeClickFix map widgets to report, monitor, and ultimately help fix road hazards, thereby showing the least hazard-riddled bike routes in nearby neighborhoods. The organization often intercedes on behalf of Atlanta cyclists with complaints and concerns ranging from dangerous potholes to parallel sewer grates (Issue #96238 - bicycle hazards). The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia similarly allows it members to report road hazards through SeeClickFix.

Committed to further spreading this bicycle love, National Bike Month lasts the entire month and features 'Bike to Work Way' from May 16-20 and 'Bike to Work Day' on May 20, and encourages communities nationwide to plan and publicize their own bike-related activities.

Have any exciting Bike Month plans? Send 'em our way via @SeeClickFix!

Courtesy of CommunitiesTakeRoot

Hoping to revitalize public spaces across the country, CommunitiesTakeRoot recently launched a nation-wide contest that will provide neighborhoods with their very own fruit orchards. Sponsored by Edy's Fruit Bars and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, the contest will award twenty communities with fruit tree orchards for places ranging from food banks and public parks to community centers and gardens. The competition launched in mid-April and will consist of four rounds, with the last one ending in late August. After each round, five participants with the highest number of votes will receive orchards.

Right in our hometown, the Friends of Edgewood Park recently decided to use SeeClickFix to raise awareness about its participation in this sweet competition. Viewed over 360 times, Issue #95410 - Vote for a Fruit Trees Orchard in Edgewood Park! hopes to bring over 45 fruit-bearing trees and shrubs to the New Haven park, ranging from apple and sweet cherry to pear and plum. If the Friends of Edgewood Park win, the city will even match the award by planting the same number of fruit trees across the city. With comments ranging from 'awesome' to 'excellent,' residents have responded enthusiastically to this initiative. In fact, one user said he would vote every day.

We must admit we're not surprised this issue has generated such positive feedback. These orchards benefit not only current residents, but also future generations. From growing fresh, nutritious fruit to improving air and water quality, orchards can provide healthier and more vibrant communities for all citizens.

If you've walked near the corner of Audubon and Whitney in New Haven this week, you may have noticed a crafty crosswalk appeared in the chaotic intersection. According to The New Haven Independent, a group of well-intentioned citizens spray painted the makeshift pedestrian crossing in an intersection well known for dangerous conditions.


Since SeeClickFix launched in 2008, pedestrians in New Haven have reported their concerns about this particular location.  Take a (clearly marked) walk down memory lane and revisit the SeeClickFix history of this infamous intersection.


Issue # 145 - Pedestrian traffic light missing - Posted almost 3 years ago

there really should be a traffic light for pedestrians here. You can count hundreds of people trying to cross the street here at lunchtime on any given day.

The first SeeClickFix issue about this chaotic crossing. The short report was viewed over 500 times with 5 votes to fix.


Issue # 1729 - Unsafe pedestrian crossing - Posted over 2 years ago

I've been risking life and limb for years crossing Whitney Ave at Audubon Street. I need to get across there to an office, so going all the way to the end of the block to a crosswalk isn't viable. In fact I've seen MANY New Haven cops cross here, not to mention families going to CAW, ACES, and NMS. This intersection needs a crosswalk at minimum, an extra stoplight would help, and most of all, NO MORE DOUBLE PARKING on Whitney Ave.

As SeeClickFix continued to grow, so did concerns over the dangerous intersection. With over 2400 views and 23 votes to fix, this issue was the first to become a hub for discussion and information about what the City of New Haven was doing to fix it.


Issue #6884 - Dangerous crossing - Posted almost 2 years ago

Because of the set up between Whitney Ave and Audubon Street, there pedestrians are constantly dashing across Whitney Avenue - frequently while holding small children. We need a crosswalk!

Issue #6884 was officially acknowledged by the City of New Haven around one year ago. The Department of Transportation, Traffic and Parking changed the status from open to acknowledged, giving the nearly 40 people who voted some hope that a fix was on it's way. 

Issue #54756 - Crosswalk Needed - Posted 8 months ago 

A cross-walk is needed before a parent and child or someone gets hit by a vehicle. There is a pre-school, a high school, CAW, New Haven Ballet and more -- all generate plenty of pedestrian crossings at this intersection. It's very dangerous

After 32 votes and 1272 page views, this issue was closed yesterday, accompanied by a picture of the DIY signage. However, SeeClickFix user Pedro was quick to re-open the issue, noting that New Haven would soon be clearing the crafty crosswalk.

The DIY crosswalk at Audubon and Whitney

These developments have reignited the conversation about how to fix this safety concern once and for all. The New Haven Independent reported city officials are well aware of the problem and are working together towards a safe solution. The fight for a crosswalk continues, on the streets and on SeeClickFix!

The Town Green District seeks volunteers for two community clean-up efforts during May! Come out to clean up your community, meet your neighbors and help keep New Haven beautiful.

Photo courtesy of Dean Sakamoto Architects

Truman Capote once said, "A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue." When he spoke these words, he did not have SeeClickFix in mind--largely because we only launched a few years ago. Still, they ring incredibly true on our public forum. From potholes and parking meters to garbage and graffiti, citizens everywhere can report problems in their communities with SeeClickFix. These people can not only document those existing issues, but also offer solutions to them and even suggest entirely new improvements to the public space.

Hoping to improve cyclists' riding experiences, Dean Sakamoto Architects LLC asked SeeClickFix users what surface would be the best to ride on in New Haven. The firm currently plans to use linear paver in the final stretch of the Farmington Canal Greenway, but wanted cyclist feedback. With close to 300 views, Issue #97622 - Linear Paver Choice for the Farmington Canal Greenway has generated numerous suggestions after being reported just six days ago.

Agreeing with Dean Sakamoto Architects, Brian Tang mentioned that pavers would be ideal since they are more eco-friendly and would help prevent water from pooling on the trail.

Pavers create much less water pollution than asphalt: A) they do not contain petroleum and thus do not leach organic pollutants, sulfur, etc. and B) they allow a certain amount of water to seep into the cracks rather than sweep along the surface, picking up pollutants and carrying them to the Long Island Sound. Stormwater runoff is the #1 source of pollution in the Long Island Sound.

Another user Melissa thought semi-loose paving could work well since it allows for water absorption.

I've cycled on paths with this sort of paving in Britain, where they are using this for environmental reasons and found it worked well. It's also attractive, provides better traction than you'd think, and enables you to hear if someone is approaching from behind.

A few miles away, another New Haven resident hopes SeeClickFix will help improve an underpass on Chapel Street. Located in Wooster Square and reported eleven days ago, Issue ##96744 - Have any cool ideas for improving this underpass? has already received countless suggestions about how to make this underpass an interesting public space. In fact, one user suggested transforming it via community art:

How about a "Gateway to Downtown" or " Gateway to New Haven" mural maybe: depicting the various neighborhoods and highlights, like Wooster Sq., the Green, East Rock, architecture, etc... Or maybe showing New Haven proper on the side of the tunnel towards downtown, and then Fair Haven highlights right next to it, like the river and boating, the Grand Ave bridge, the old mansions & Victorians, people in the neighborhood, historical scenes, like oystering and lobstermen. Many people never drive past the junkyards, thinking there's "nothing" over our way in Fair Haven.

Yet another resident Juli approached the underpass with a more agricultural idea:

What about if neighbors could donate a flower pot or two, and line them up along the inside edge? Plants that don't require a ton of sunlight? It would be cool to have all different shapes and sizes. I think if there was a critical mass of pots, theft would be less likely. Or some of the pots could have pinwheels in them, since its always windy under overpasses. Or we could plant some ivy at the very edges, with the eventuality of it growing to cover some of the grey space. It would take several seasons, but it would spread, as long as we hung something for it to attach to.

Through both issues, New Haven residents demonstrate the power of many voices coming together in one community. We're excited to see how both issues continue to generate constructive dialogue on SeeClickFix!

April showers are finally giving way to May flowers. For those lucky enough to have a green thumb, gardening season is here!  In-between tending the vegetable garden in your backyard, or the pots of herbs growing near your kitchen window, its sow easy to beautify your community! SeeClickFix users are always reporting issues about overgrown, unkempt, and neglected space in their neighborhoods.  With a few gardening supplies, and the help of some of your neighbors, why not turn an urban eyesore into an unexpected oasis?

If you need additional inspiration (or, if you're like me, instructions) to aid your gardening efforts, look no further than Guerrilla Gardening! Started as a record of guerrilla gardener Richard Reynolds' illicit cultivation around London, England, this website is described as an "arsenal for anyone interested in the war against neglect and scarcity of public space as a place to grow things, be they beautiful, tasty (or both!)." Perfect, right? His website is packed with ideas and tips on transforming spaces such as those reported to SeeClickFix.

While my thumb is far from green, I am going to try this technique right here in New Haven. If any local SeeClickFixers have any gardening tips or know a place that could use a pick-me-up, let me know! Tweet us at @seeclickfix or leave a comment right here.

SeeClickFix to Share Map Widget Technology With Social Voting Start-Up

New York (May 2, 2011) – The Independence Year Foundation today announced their strategic partnership with citizen reporting platform SeeClickFix. NewGov will deploy SeeClickFix technology, featuring map widgets displaying non-emergency public issues in all 435 congressional districts represented on the site. The partnership will allow voters within each district to easily identify issues reported by constituents while interacting with local policy development groups.

NewGov is an open, free public utility for American voters to discover each other within their congressional district and collaborate as members of their congressperson's Policy Development Group (PDG). SeeClickFix offers voters and all levels of government a transparent means of reporting, tracking and resolving non-emergency issues within the public space. NewGov's partnership with SeeClickFix will benefit members and PDGs focused on fixing issues pertaining to transportation and infrastructure within their congressional district.

SeeClickFix will be providing NewGov with map widgets for all 435 Congressional Districts in United States. Embedded on each PDG page on NewGov.us, the widgets will display issues and their exact locations in real time as constituents report them through the SeeClickFix platform. Once issues are identified, NewGov members who have become SuperVoters can use their amplified influence with local representatives to help advocate for issues to be fixed.

“We hope our partnership with NewGov helps to further our shared goal of promoting transparency and accountability in government.” said Ben Berkowitz, CEO and co-founder of SeeClickFix. “It’s exciting to imagine how citizens will unite and advocate for the resolution of community issues within their district using our technology on the NewGov site.”

NewGov links voters to their representatives in Policy Development Groups where they can communicate their positions on issues and coach their congressperson on how to represent them. NewGov has provisioned PDGs for every US state, senate seat and congressional district. NewGov members can also create and join groups to advocate for causes and issues they strongly support.

"Thanks to our partnership with SeeClickFix, the map on each district's home page will be the SeeClickFix map of that district. We're excited that NewGov PDG members will be able to use these widgets to track and discuss issues in their district reported through the SeeClickFix system.” said Britt Blaser, Director of the Independence Year Foundation. “This means that NewGov Policy Development Group members can respond to and follow up on voter-submitted issues as systematically as a governmental agency might. Assuming, of course, that the agency is sophisticated enough to see the value of the SeeClickFix suite of issue-discovery and followup services."

Through its privacy-protected, transaction-based “SuperVoter” service, NewGov can certify to congresspeople that communications are from real constituents. As SuperVoters form into cause-based blocs, their influence in their congressional district increases. Using the principle of Social Voting, NewGov aims to empower and excite the electorate through increased communication and interaction through technology.

The technology provided by SeeClickFix will enable NewGov members to collaborate and fix problems together, or to influence their government to take action. NewGov's hosting partner is Acquia Inc., the enterprise guide to the Drupal social publishing platform, which powers 2% of the world's websites. Acquia's continuing support means that America's voters can be confident that NewGov.US enjoys the same enterprise-grade resources as whitehouse.gov and Acquia's 700 other customers.

For more information about SeeClickFix, please visit www.seeclickfix.com. For more information about NewGov please visit www.newgov.us.

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, Facebook, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps, the SeeClickFix platform is the most widely-distributed citizen reporting tool in the country. The platform is fun and easy 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.

About NewGov
NewGov links voters to their representatives in Policy Development Groups (PDGs) where they can communicate their positions on issues, and coach their representatives on how to represent them. NewGov has provisioned PDGs for every US state, senate seat and congressional district. NewGov members can also create and join groups to advocate for causes and issues they strongly support. Through its privacy-protected, transaction-based “SuperVoter” service, NewGov can certify to congresspeople that communications are from real constituents. As SuperVoters form into cause-based blocs, their influence in their congressional district increases. Using the principle of Social Voting, NewGov aims to empower and excite the electorate through increased communication and interaction through technology. www.NewGov.us