12 Dec The World is Changing — One Click at a Time
I still marvel about who this younger generation is, these people in their 20’s and 30’s with a different perspective and orientation to life.
Late night reading had me engrossed in Fast Company magazine’s article iCitizen which took me into a world I rarely enter: civic action. Instead of my usual stance “what’s the point?” regarding local government I was completely awakened to an undercurrent of community minded people transforming local government through technological adapation.
Wow. The graphic above is from SeeClickFix’s website who I discovered in the article. Ben Berkowitz started it out of his frustration with graffiti in New Haven. SeeClickFix is a mobile app which allows people to click from their mobile phone when they see a pothole or broken bench or other civic problems. Emailing the photo to SeeClickFix opens up a ticket and sends the ticket to all relevant city governments. Problem gets fixed.
I love this.
But it’s not about SeeClickFix. It’s about other organizations, other people out there who are finding new solutions. I love the story about Dustin Hailser who is 24 and Manor, Texas’ (pop. 6500) assistant city manager/CIO who started with SeeClickFix and then went onto find other innovative programs to get people involved in the town. (And what do I read when I go to Manor’s website?
“The City of Manor is growing community just east of Austin, TX, along Highway 290. Manor is known worldwide for its innovative uses of technology.”
Way to go, Dustin!
I find it both moving and inspiring that technology is disrupting powerlessness. I am delighted that people are exploring ways to bring hope and possibility into our everyday annoyances.
Jen Pahlka is another example the article opened my eyes to who, along with Tim O’Reilly (not the O’Reilly from Fox News!) spearheaded Code For America which is taking 20 programmers and matching them up with cities across America to find technological innovations in the era of declining budgets.
How inspiring.