The Wiki Way To Plan

"Fun" is not how some might describe interacting with a local government's planning department. So it was interesting to read an editorial that told residents of San Jose, California, that if they wanted to help shape the city's 20-year general plan and influence key city planning decisions, they could opt for an Internet encounter. Citizens could attend monthly meetings at City Hall, "or--and this might be more fun--go to the new wiki site," the San Jose Mercury News wrote.

That site lets residents click and type what they would like San Jose to look like, instead of having to drive, park and sit in a stuffy meeting room in order to express their opinions. The city learned about this particular wiki technology from a Charlotte, North Carolina, pilot project for transit-oriented development. Other state and local governments have used public comment software or other electronic tools for public projects. For instance, when planners in the Atlanta region wanted to design a 22-mile railroad around downtown, they used technology that collected public responses, stored them by topic, and republished some of the comments so interested residents could follow the discussions.

But many state and local government agencies are still strangers to wikis and blogs and social media sites, though some government leaders and agencies are jumping on the likes of Facebook and Twitter. They're using them to publicize state and municipal happenings, receive comment from residents and sometimes just toot their own horns.

Some critics say those sites were not built with government in mind and that governments aren't looking for "friends," but to engage civic-minded people in serious discussions. Others say governments should use whatever social networking sites work, and use as many as possible. After all, they're free. Of course, there's always a danger that a few opinionated people could dominate the discussions. But that's true in person as well.

The advantages of electronic participation over town hall meetings are many. It's a greener alternative than requiring people to drive to a central place to participate in government. It also allows shift workers and others who can't attend a meeting to offer their insights. And it provides a "safe" environment for those too nervous to stand up and speak. "Citizens hate to get up and look stupid," says Kim Patrick Kobza, president and CEO of Neighborhood America, which provides enterprise "social software." "We're all afraid of public speaking or looking uninformed."

San Jose chose a wiki from Wikiplanning for its Envision San Jose 2040 plan, a pilot project that cost $25,000 and is staying up for three months, until October 30. The city hopes the online discussion will draw a range of people who might never go to public meetings but still want a say in how their community moves forward. City planners are particularly interested in the views of young adults, who are already comfortable with Internet interactions, and of people over 55. Those are the groups that are providing most of the city's population growth. And so far, San Jose officials are heartened by the response to the wiki.

Within two weeks of launching the site, 35 photos had been posted with comments about things people wanted to see more--or less of--in the city. Planners have an ambitious goal of getting 10,000 people to visit the site, or 1 percent of the city's population. To get those numbers, city strategists are sending e-mails to dozens of organizations that have agreed to publicize the site, and city council members are talking it up in their e-mails to constituents.

If that's not enough, San Jose is offering freebies as an incentive for residents' participation. For instance, they could win a season subscription to prime seats at the San Jose Ballet or a pair of tickets to the city's art museum. Winners will be chosen each month from the pool of people who filled out an online survey about the 2040 general plan. Among other things, the survey asks respondents to choose three out of seven proposed vision statements; indicate how important certain neighborhood attributes are to them; and rank transportation improvements they would like to see.

When San Jose's general plan finally is completed in a year or so, many residents are sure to feel some sense of satisfaction that their two cents helped shape it.

Technology Deals

The Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology has entered into an enterprise software licensing agreement with Microsoft aimed at saving more than $2.37 million in annual software licensing fees. The agreement covers 32,000 executive-branch software users.

Under a $1.2 million contract, Accela will provide its Accela Automation software to Pittsburgh to create a Web-based permitting system replacing the city's current walk-in permitting process.

Connecticut has selected an emergency notification system from Everbridge (formerly 3n Global). By Sept. 1, Connecticut is expected be the first state to have a statewide emergency notification system spanning all local governments.

ICF will assist the U.S. Department of Agriculture's program to expand rural broadband access, part of the federal stimulus law, under a multi-year contract valued at up to $27 million.

The Maine Office of Information Technology has selected Harris Corp.'s P25-compliant MSCommNet statewide VHF digital radio system. The system will include 40 sites throughout Maine, providing mobile coverage across 95 percent of the state.

CivicPlus has contracted to develop Web sites and provide its content-management system for the Bensonville School District 2, Ill.; the Colorado Association of School Resource Officers; Danville, Ky.; the Ellicott School District, Colo.; Fremont, Calif.; Nassau County, Fla.; Palmetto Breeze Transit, S.C.; the Provincetown, Mass., Tourism Office; the Raymore-Peculiar School District, Mo.; and the Upper Arlington City School District, Ohio.

Data Transfer Solutions has been awarded a contract to develop visualizations and 3-D animations for the Utah Department of Transportation to help state officials visualize proposed highway improvements near a major Salt Lake City highway interchange

Deals are updated daily on Governing.com's technology news page