Welcome to the future of city administration. As Austin’s population and economy continue to grow, the need for a modern city government becomes more important. The City of Austin can easily incorporate new technologies into city administration in order to give voice to the growing population and to ensure that change progresses in a manner that is both vibrant and livable.

To stay successful, we must stay connected.

Web 2.0 refers to internet applica-tions that display content that is generat-ed by users, such as blogs, and that allow discurrion. Traditional internet appli-cations display pages for reading only. Web 2.0 applications are interactive. These technologies, along with smart phone use, are changing the way peo-ple interact with their environments. They are also changing the way people interact with their government. By incorporating web 2.0 and smart phone applications into city administration, the City of Austin can engage residents and increase public participation.

There are four basic groups of applications that can be used by the City of Austin to facilitate public participation:

Information provision applications communicate information to residents, who can also add to and comment on the information.

Streets Wiki displays information contrib-uted by residents about urban environments. www.streetswiki.wikispaces.com

Bay Area Rapid Transit Mobile provides realtime travel information to smart phone users in the Bay Area. www.m.bart.gov

Planning and adminis-trative processing applications allow residents to help the city complete a specific task. Residents can easily submit reports about infrastructure problems.

Make Brooklyn Safer collects and dis-plays information about unsafe intersections in Brooklyn, NY. www.makebrooklynsafer.share abouts.org/page/about

PDX Reporter for the City of Portland, Or-egon is a smartphone application that enables users to submit reports consisting of a photo tagged with the location and comments. www.civicapps.org/apps/pdxreporter

Social networking applications increase government accessibility especially for minorities, young adults, and seniors. Blogs and other social media give a personal feel to government/resident interac-tions.

The official government Facebook page for the City of Seattle, Washington regularly shares links to government events and civic informa-tion. www.facebook.com/seattle.gov

The Streets Blog Network is an online community dedicated to safe and sustainable streets. www.streetsblog.net

Analysis and evalua-tion applications collect information from residents and help generate creative solutions to city problems. These applications often take the form of online games.

Participatory Chinatown is an online game designed as part of Boston’s master plan for Chinatown. www.participatorychinatown.net

Community PlanIt is a project of Emer-son College that creates local games for com-munity planning. www.communityplanit.org

Incorporating Web 2.0 Technology into City AdministrationHow to Increase Public Participation in a Digital Age

Communications and Public Information OfficeCity of Austin

Source: Google Images

Communications and Public Information Office

City of Austin302 W. 2nd St.

Austin, TX 78701512.974.2220

www.austintexas.gov

For additional resources please consult:

New Urban Mechanicswww.newurbanmechanics.org

Code for Americawww.codeforamerica.org

Benefits to incorpo-rating technology into city administration

Low CostWeb 2.0 applications use existing technologies such as cell phones and wireless internet. Ap-plication development and deployment are also relatively easy and inexpensive

AccessibleAs of 2012, 46% of American adults own smartphones and 75% are internet users. Pub-lic participation through web 2.0 applications is also flexible in terms of time and location.

EfficientIncreasing public participation broadens and expands the information base of the City of Austin. City administration can draw on the vast knowledge of residents and their daily experiences

EmpoweringGiving residents a voice in city administration increases pride in the City of Austin and creates a strong sense of community.

Vibrant. Livable. Connected.