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This week: designing better solutions to urban blight in New Orleans; sharing Idaho's unemployment insurance system across state lines; and pooling resources to promote early literacy in California
Government Innovators Network 
 
May 19, 2016
In This Issue

What's New

In the News

Data-Smart City Solutions

Better, Faster, Cheaper

 

WHAT'S NEW


Globe with data cords

Open Data: The Developing World Joins In

Innovators Insights Blog

Economist Zoila Llempen asserts that data is one of the biggest assets that governments has but that it is still difficult to break the idea that it belongs only to one institution or, even worse, that it belongs to the government itself and not to the citizens. Read more>>

Doctor's hands holding aged hand

Health Care Delivery Innovation Competition

MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab

J-PAL North America has launched a new Health Care Delivery Innovation Competition that will support US federal, state, and local health agencies and other health care organizations in developing compelling and reliable evidence of the impact of innovative programs. Learn more and apply by June 17>>

IN THE NEWS


Idaho Sells Home-Grown Unemployment System to Iowa and Vermont

The Idaho Department of Labor is taking the unemployment insurance administrative system it developed in-house on the road, modifying and licensing it to the states of Iowa, Vermont, and whoever else is interested. Idaho’s Internet Unemployment System, which cost approximately $7 million to develop, quickly processes unemployment taxes and benefits in a matter of hours, reducing manual worker processing time by more than 2,000 hours. In addition, the system has added usability and access features for employers and claimants along the way. The goal of the burgeoning consortium of states that will use the system is not only to ensure that it meets the specific needs of each state but also to continuously benefit from the lessons learned and shared costs during the implementation in those states, ultimately becoming more efficient for all.

Urban Art Initiative to Raise Awareness by Illuminating Vacant Buildings

This fall, in the New York cities of Schenectady, Troy, and Albany, hundreds of vacant buildings will be illuminated as part of the Breathing Lights public art project. The goal of the “spotlight” installations is to highlight neighborhoods with high vacancy rates and drive interest in community revitalization. The temporary art installations will complement other events such as building reclamation clinics, neighborhood ambassadors, and regional summits on the blighted properties. The project is being supported by a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Long Beach Awarded $300,000 for “The Outdoor Office” in Knight Cities Challenge

To serve as both a meeting point and a place to encourage creativity and collaboration, the city of Long Beach plans to turn part of a downtown park into “The Outdoor Office,” with free Internet, electricity, flexible seating, and shading so it is possible to look at a laptop. With funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, another benefit of The Outdoor Office will involve providing a business space that can lower start-up costs for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

San Mateo County Library and Housing Authority to Partner in Support of Early Literacy

In California, the San Mateo County Library and Housing Authority are partnering to accelerate children’s literacy and learning in the home by meeting families where they are. Under the Housing Outreach Program, an active learning and literacy play space in the Housing Authority waiting room will be created to enrich children’s learning while their parents receive services. In addition, the partnership will work with case-managed families to sign them up for library cards, provide high quality books for children to build their home libraries, and integrate families into library programs. The program is being funded through a grant from the Pacific Library Partnership.

New Orleans Is Trying to Turn Around Its Blight with These Smart Designs

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority partnered with the design nonprofit Van Alen Institute to lead a design competition to tackle the challenges of reusing vacant land in New Orleans. Teams thought up ways to combine lots to make them large enough to be business-friendly. Others suggestions included fostering pop-up businesses that would use tents on vacant lots to host visitors for music festivals or Mardi Gras, and partnering with organizations that could use the land as part of broader efforts to provide wildlife habitat, storm water management, public art, and transportation. The Redevelopment Authority is rewriting its strategic planning with some of the ideas and is already implementing others.

Amsterdam Is Appointing a Bike Mayor

Amsterdam has recently announced the appointment of the world’s first bicycle mayor. The bike mayor’s responsibilities will include promoting and protecting cycling in the Dutch city as well as acting as a mediator between city hall, cyclists, community groups, and residents. Although Amsterdam already is known to be a bike-friendly city, backers plan on exporting the idea to other cities where it is needed. The position will likely be funded through a combination of public and private sources.

DATA-SMART CITY SOLUTIONS


Civic Engagement in Focus

Civic engagement is a central concern for governments working to become more responsive and effective. It encompasses traditional means of engagement, such as in-person meetings, and newer forms, such as social media interactions. This featured collection includes civic engagement news, resources, case studies, and more.

BETTER, FASTER, CHEAPER


Social Media's Place in Data-Smart Governance

It's become common for public officials and city agencies to have active Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even Snapchat accounts through which they broadcast information and gather feedback. But municipal use of social data shouldn't be limited to a communications team telling voters about city hall's daily accomplishments. Cities are beginning to mine this trove of information to predict the impact of future events and significantly improve operations.

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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