Crowdsourcing the City

"Give a Minute" is a program that seeks ideas for fixing cities directly from the people who use them, using ads in newspapers and displays in public spaces to ask a big question, such as "What would get you to walk, bike or take transit more often?"

1 minute read

December 25, 2010, 9:00 AM PST

By Tim Halbur

The idea comes from Carol Coletta, president of CEOs for Cities, and Jake Barton, principle of the media design firm Local Projects. Urban Omnibus sat down with the two of them to ask about the program, which will be rolling out soon in other cities after it's launch in Chicago.

Jake Barton explains the why:

"As they exist now, most contemporary forms of participatory activity in the public sphere invite critique: if you put forward a plan and put a microphone in front of it, people are going to critique it. And, because community meetings happen in physical space in a very restrictive amount of time, the only people who go are those who already care about the issue at hand, who have the time and disposition to make their voices heard, or the people who are most polarized on either side of the debate. For Give A Minute, we wanted to lower the barriers for entry into constructive dialogue focused around positive collective change rather than specific complaints."

FULL STORY: Give a Minute

Wednesday, December 8, 2010 in Urban Omnibus

Government / Politics Illinois Public Participation Crowdsourcing

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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