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This week: citizens teach civil servants about open government in Brazil; a floating forest in the Netherlands; and texting to combat foodborne illness in Illinois
Government Innovators Network 
 
January 21, 2016
In This Issue

What's New

In the News

Data-Smart City Solutions

Better, Faster, Cheaper

 

WHAT'S NEW


Innovations in American Government Award seal

Innovations in American Government Award

Deadline: April 15, 2016

Do you know of a creative and effective government initiative that could present a compelling application for the Innovations in American Government Award? We encourage you to submit a nomination. Learn more>>

Globe

New Government Innovators Network Blog

Join the conversation!

Recognizing that dedicated public servants are under pressure to be more effective and efficient with limited resources, we've launched this blog to explore the innovative thinking, strong leadership, and culture change that allows for experimenting with new ideas and programs. Explore>>

IN THE NEWS


What Citizens Can Teach Civil Servants About Open Government

To increase municipal transparency, São Paulo, Brazil, has launched Agents of Open Government, an initiative that leverages the skills and experience of those outside the government to make current civil services employees more effective. The program will use peer-to-peer learning, through citizen-led courses on open and collaborative technology, transparency and open data, networked communication, and mapping and collaborative management. To encourage public employees' participation, city workers that attend trainings can gain credits towards pay raises. Officials and organizers will observe if exposure to these topics trickles down to day-to-day governing.

A Library-Museum Exchange Opens Doors to Art

In a mutually enriching partnership between a museum and a library, the Bass Museum of Art in Miami is placing its exhibits and programs in the Miami Beach Regional Library. At first just a temporary agreement to hold some art while the museum was being renovated, the partnership has led to a wider audience being exposed to contemporary art as well as artists benefiting from a broader exposure than just museum-goers. The museum is also funding programs like family art days and mask-making along with other educational programming that supports the mission of the library.

A Floating Forest Will Add Instant Greenery to Rotterdam's Harbor

In the Netherlands, the city of Rotterdam is combining urban design, public art, and green space through a March installation of a “floating forest” of trees in one of its harbors. Colorful bobbing planters, resembling flat buoys, will hold the growing trees. Other coastal cities looking to add green space, but with limited land available or concerns about rising sea levels, might take notice.

Texting Helps in Fight Against Foodborne Illnesses in Evanston, Ill.

In Evanston, Illinois, anyone wanting to know immediately how the restaurant they are dining at has fared during inspection can text the name of the restaurant to the city’s 311 service center and get an automated message back with the score within seconds. Officials note that the service, which launched quietly in 2015, provides another platform for residents to gain access to critical information. Officials hope that the ability for diners to learn quickly about the health evaluation of restaurants will spur health scores across all city restaurants to rise.

In Hartford Schools, Granting Artistic License to Learn

The city of Hartford, Connecticut, has greatly expanded its integration of the arts into its curriculum for the urban youth it serves. Through a partnership with Hartford Performs, the city has deployed dozens of visiting artists to lead art lessons, and has found ways to use dance, theater, visual arts, and music to teach academic subjects, to provide training for teachers to learn how to integrate arts into their academic lessons, and to fund student visits to regional museums, concert halls, and theaters. A recent study concluded that students participating in the programs did better in reading and writing than their peers who were not exposed to the programming.

D.C. Will Eliminate Fees at City’s Fitness Centers in 2016

Washington, DC, wants to further the public health goals of its residents with the elimination of fees at city-run fitness centers. The health centers, run by the Department of Parks and Recreation, houses standard gym equipment and currently costs $125 for yearly access and $5 for daily access. Officials hope that the move will encourage more of its residents to get fit and stay healthy.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


Standards Are Crucial to Successful Open Data

Open data policies are becoming the norm for municipalities nationwide. Data standards create a common structure that facilitates information sharing, interorganizational cooperation, and the ability to build on past successes — all important ingredients to driving data-smart innovation.

BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER


Public Pensions’ Latest Challenge: Longer Lives

Governments can continue to offer more-generous retirement benefits than their private-sector counterparts, but taxpayers can no longer afford to shoulder the entire risk for the seemingly endless variables that increase pension liabilities.

ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER


Innovators Insights is the news digest from the Government Innovators Network on the latest in government innovations. This digest is sent out every two weeks and is compiled and written by the editorial staff of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. In each issue, the editorial team identifies top policy and programmatic news that is related to government innovations so that you can stay informed about creative government at its best.

Editor: Jessica Engelman
Researcher & Writer: Brendan St. Amant
Note: The stories in this newsletter link to source articles on other websites and may not be available after a certain length of time.



ABOUT THE ASH CENTER


The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world's citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Center. Additional information about the Ash Center is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.

 
 
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