Ciity.org aims to be a one-stop, nonprofit clearinghouse and forum for urban ideas, a self-governing online community where anyone can see what neighbors, developers, advocacy groups, and government officials are thinking—and where everyone can debate these proposals in real time. The Idea:
- Engage everyone in improving the city, especially those who have been neglected by traditional outreach, t
hose who feel ignored, and those who have been reluctant or unable to attend planning meetings in the past.
- Show that broad-based participation can legitimately influence on-the-ground decisions, and prove that local democracy can work (and should). Create an easily accessible, community-managed compilation of location-specific urban ideas that is also a public forum where proposals from anyone can be discussed and rated—a marriage of Wikipedia and Yelp for the purpose of better urban planning.
2. Make existing public proposals readily accessible, and open the contents of forgotten PDFs and dusty binders to public scrutiny, rejuvenation, and debate.
3. Make these ideas and comments available to researchers and to public officials—who can respond to them and use them to shape local programs and policies. Put it on the map at Ciity.org.
