chicago civic infrastructure slides
DESCRIPTION
Slides on civic infrastructure from a presentation at the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2013.TRANSCRIPT
BUILDING CIVIC INFRASTRUCTURE
MATT LEIGHNINGER
2ND ANNUAL DIALOGUE AND DELIBERATION CONVENING
INSTITUTE FOR POLICY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHICAGO
DECEMBER 4, 2013
How have citizens* changed?
More educated
More skeptical
More capacity
Less time
* “citizens” = residents, people
The Context
Give them: Information Chance to tell their story Choices Legitimacy Chances to
take action Good process Food and fun!
Treating citizens like adults
Text, Talk, and Act
part of the National Dialogue on Mental Health
WHAT IS CREATING COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS?
Effort to organize hundreds of community conversations and action plans
Ten lead sites
Wide variety of other events: small discussions, online dialogues, large planning processes
How does it work?
1. Get together with 4-5 other people
2. Text “START” to 89800
3. Follow the prompts – with every text you send, you get one back
Polling questions like:
What’s the best way to make a difference?
A – Raise awareness
B – Help people in crisis
C – Improve services
Discussion questions like:
Why is it so hard to talk about mental health issues?
Links to see the results: http://goo.gl/ot7d9l
Get stuck? Text “NEXT”
includes:
The regular opportunities,
activities, and arenas that
allow people to connect with
each other, solve problems,
make decisions, and be
part of a community.
Civic Infrastructure
Retrieved from Cincinnati.com, July 27, 2012
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Three minutes at the microphone
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Image: Smart Growth America
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Lack of public spaces for citizens
Political LeadershipTr
ansp
orta
tion
Plan
ning
Econ
omic
Dev
elop
men
t
Des
ign
& C
onst
ructi
on
Cultu
re/C
ivic
/Soc
ial
Faci
lities
& P
rogr
amm
ing
Residents/Community
Orgs
Merchants/Business Owners
Developers /Property Owners
Advocacy/Philanthropy /
NPO Orgs
Com
mun
ityPu
blic
Adm
inis
trati
on
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So what?
So what?
So what?
So what?
So what?
So what?
So what?
So what?
∨NOW
3. Democratic decision-making and problem-solving
Creating Spaces
for Citizens
Building
Skills &
Capacity
Improving
Public
Decision-
Making and
Problem-
Solving
Building Blocks
1. Democratic spaces in neighborhoods, schools and other settings
2. Democratic spaces online
3. Democratic spaces for young people
4. Buildings that can house citizen spaces – physical hubs for engagement
5. Engagement leadership
Creating Spaces for Citizens
SPACES FOR CITIZENS: PHYSICAL SPACES
Physical Spaces
Spaces for Citizens
Democratic Spaces for Young People
Spaces for CitizensLee Krohn Photo
Spaces for Citizens
Local Online Forums
6. Public information dissemination
7. Engagement skills training
8. Tracking, measurement and technical assistance to improve engagement
Building Skills & Capacity
Civic Skills & Capacity
Proactive Recruitment
CIVIC SKILLS: ENGAGEMENT SKILLS TRAINING
Civic Skills & Capacity
Engagement Skills Training
Civic Skills & Capacity
Civic Skills & Capacity
Grassroots Grantmaking
Civic Skills & Capacity
Community Indicators
9. Official public meetings that are more participatory and effective
10. Recurring deliberative processes on key issues and decisions
11. Systems that encourage innovation by citizens
12. Cross-sector problem-solving teams
Democratic Decision-making and Problem-solving
Changing Public Meetings
Participation Ordinance
“Sometimes you need a meeting that is also a party. Sometimes you need a party that is also a meeting.”
Gloria Rubio-Cortès, National Civic League
Decision-making & Problem-solving
Getting started
Who has a stake in stronger civic infrastructure?
How to make the case to potential allies?
How to approach the planning?
Questions or Comments?
QUESTIONS
1. Based on Matt’s presentation, what elements of civic infrastructure are already in place or strong here in Chicago?
2. What can be done to foster the development of civic infrastructure in Chicago? What would it take?
3. Are there examples of efforts to build civic infrastructure from other cities that have the potential to be translated, borrowed, or just adopted here in Chicago?