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This week: expanded parental leave in NYC; a one-stop shop for permitting in Boston; and a dedicated prison for young adults in Connecticut
Government Innovators Network
 
January 7, 2016
In This Issue

What's New

In the News

Data-Smart City Solutions

Better, Faster, Cheaper

 

WHAT'S NEW


 

J-PAL State and Local Innovation Initiative

 

(Photo: Tupungato/Shutterstock.com)

Want to learn more about the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab State and Local Innovation Initiative? On January 11, 2016, J-PAL North America is hosting a webinar for state and local leaders interested in tackling challenging policy issues using evidence from randomized evaluations. To participate, sign up here.

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>>

IN THE NEWS


Wanted in New York City: A thousand black, Latino and Asian male teachers


To mirror the population of its city schools, New York City is looking to hire 1,000 black, Latino, and Asian male teachers through a new $16.5 million program in the fall of 2017. Under NYC Men Teach, the city's Education Department will work with the City University of New York and Teach for America to recruit new teachers, help undergraduate students complete teaching certification requirements, provide short-term employment between offers of employment in the spring and the start of academic year, and offer professional development grants for current teachers.

New York to Offer 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave to Nonunion Workers


To ease the burden of working families, New York City will provide six weeks of fully paid parental leave to around 20,000 city workers this year. The new policy is expected to cost the city $15 million per year, and will be offset by cutting two vacation days from some long-tenured employees and eliminating a raise for managers. While the new policy will not apply to unionized workers, labor leaders have hailed the move and will work with city officials to potentially extend those benefits to their members.

Boston's Permitting Platform Could Make its Way to Your City


Boston has made its permitting process easier with its new Boston Permits and Licenses online platform. The platform is aimed at supporting contractors, businesses, and homeowners through the entire permitting process, allowing them to apply for multiple permits at once, group permits together in a single project, and put a team of stakeholders together for the application process who can access and manage their permitted jobs in a single page. The new tool also allows users to view information about project review statuses, create accounts through common login providers such as Google, and identify the project location on a map-based interface. The platform will launch in city kiosks first and then online at the conclusion of beta testing.

Next Spring, D.C. to Get More… Meadows?


The District of Columbia is launching a pilot program to transform its mowed grass areas, including highway medians, right-of-ways, and underused patches of land, into meadowland that will provide habitat for plants and animals. As part of the city’s 2015 Wildlife Action Plan, the District Department of Energy and the Environment will plant native flowers and grasses that will attract wildlife and people who enjoy viewing them. The city will first extend black tarps over existing grass and weeds to eliminate them and then plant or seed native species that will peak at different times to keep views beautiful throughout the year. At the same time, the city will save on labor expenditures and avoid the emissions related to regular mowing of the areas.

Connecticut To Open Prison For 18-25 Year Olds


Recognizing that the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, Connecticut plans to convert one of its prisons to exclusively house and rehabilitate inmates between 18 and 25 years old. The dedicated prison would provide these younger inmates with special programs to reduce recidivism, as well as serve to protect younger inmates from potential abuse and manipulation by older prisoners. Officials note that the prison will be modeled after a similar one in Germany and that they are studying a behavior-modification curriculum that might be implemented in the new prison.

A Park to Sop Up Pollutants Before They Flow Into the Gowanus Canal


Across the country, urban areas are finding new ways to handle polluted run-off, and New York City has created “Sponge Park” along the Gowanus Canal, a green space that uses vegetation and special soil to retain water to prevent sewer overflows on rainy days. Officials expect that the park will soak up thousands of gallons of storm water, automotive pollutants, and animal waste before it can enter the canal. The city’s Department of Environmental Protection is spearheading the $1.5 million pilot, and New York has embarked on other green infrastructure to capture and retain storm-water runoff.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


Case Study of 21st-Century Civic Engagement

This case study documents Code for America’s work on a housing-related project in Boulder, Colorado, and offers a series of recommendations to help governments begin using 21st-century civic engagement strategies that creatively combine in-person and digital channels.

BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER


A New Standard for What Works in City Government

Bloomberg Philanthropies is providing a useful road map for results-oriented governance. The What Works Cities Standard offers a practical framework that cities can use to improve their use of data and evidence in decision-making.

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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