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| Community Revitalization |
In
Santa Clarita, California, the Extreme Neighborhood
Makeover
program creates partnerships among the city, local businesses, volunteers,
and communities to resolve neighborhood code enforcement issues and to stabilize
and enhance property values. The program invites neighborhood households
to a block party where they join city employees in removing trash, eradicating
graffiti, and planting trees. The city then works with neighborhood residents
to create a list of needed improvements and to address potential code
violations. The event costs about $4,500, but city officials have found the program’s
positive results far outweigh the cost.
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| Policing and Technology |
With the help of specialized forensic mapping
equipment, the Kansas City Police Department can efficiently and accurately
record data as they investigate traffic accidents. A laser device is used to take
measurements, which are then uploaded into a software program that creates a
precise diagram of the scene of the accident. Officers no longer have to
operate measuring wheels and other accident reconstruction tools in the middle
of the roadway, and can avoid closing roadways altogether.
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| Highways |
Under
the Sponsorship,
Advertising, and Vending Enhancement program, Virginia is seeking corporate sponsorships for
the state’s rest areas and welcome centers. The state is looking to the private
sector to help defray the expense of reopening some of its highway rest stops
which were shut down as a cost-saving measure in the midst of the recession. It
costs the state about $500,000 annually to keep each rest stop operational.
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| Civic Engagement |
From Somerville, Massachusetts,
to Great Britain,
cities and nations are trying to gauge the happiness
and well-being of their citizens. Somerville, for example, is employing paper
surveys and follow-up phone calls with certain households to gather data. While
some critics question the value or efficacy of the public sector’s measurement
of happiness, public executives like Somerville's
mayor insist that reliance on financial data does not provide insight into why
residents decide to remain in a community.
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| Renewable Energy |
Municipalities across the country are considering the use of
sewage as a potential source of renewable energy, which simultaneously
eliminates the costs of its treatment and disposal, and mitigates its
greenhouse gas emissions. In New York, citizens
produce around 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater daily, and the city's
department of environmental protection is looking for vendors to harvest the
resulting sludge to produce clean energy, fertilizer, and paving and building
materials. A growing number of
municipalities are also considering, or have implemented, the use of recycled
wastewater in their potable water supply.
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| Arts and Education |
In Utah, many public schools are
employing "arts specialists" to
help elementary students make strides in science, math, social studies,
and English by integrating theater, visual arts, dance, and music into the
curriculum. With the assistance of the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts
Learning Program, over 50 schools are using these arts specialists, and
principals report increases in student achievement, self-esteem, and civility.
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| Innovation's Hurdles |
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What is it that makes change so difficult? Public-sector innovation can be stifled by partisanship, by special interest groups vested in the status quo, or even by the inflexibility of an individual official. Yet, most often, the real barrier to change comes directly from the norms of the dominant culture.
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| Cities Leading on Sustainability |
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Energy management and sustainability is a rapidly expanding policy arena for local governments. While there is still much to learn, a new report provides important insights to enhance program design and implementation.
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| Prevent the Project to Nowhere |
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An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By writing a simple project planning document, public servants can help avoid the anguish that comes with a poorly envisioned project.
Newsletter produced by: Jessica Engelman, editor; Brendan St. Amant, researcher and writer.
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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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