Involving Citizens in Community Improvement
Introduction
Much of the focus of local government communications programs is appropriately be on keeping citizens informed, consulting with citizens about important issues and needs, and involving them in making community decisions. Local governments that encourage citizens to become directly involved in community improvements may reap further rewards. Some jurisdictions are creating programs that encourage shared responsibility for community problem solving and improvement. In addition to harnessing the energy and ideas of citizen groups toward addressing community needs, such programs ideally provide citizens with a sense of ownership in the community. Neighborhood programs and volunteer opportunities are examples of programs that directly involve citizens in community improvement.
Neighborhood Improvement Programs
- Models of Neighborhood Participation in Local Government.
- Vancouver, B.C. - Citizen's Handbook: A Guide to Building Community - Comprehensive guide to community organizing with links to useful tools, articles and resources.
- Olympia, WA - Neighborhood Programs - News updates, matching grant program, community crossroads (create a gathering space) program, neighborhood crime mapping and others.
- Kirkland, WA - Neighborhood Services - Neighborhood services team responds to neighborhood issues. Also, neighborhood meetings with city council, matching grant and others.
- Seattle, WA
- Neighborhood Matching Fund Overview and Neighborhood Services - Department of Neighborhoods, Neighborhood district coordinators (liaisons), neighborhood service centers, planning outreach, Immigrant & refugee program, P-Patch and others.
- Department of Neighborhood's award-winning Neighborhood Planning Outreach and Engagement Program for engaging neighborhood residents and Outreach and Engagemeng Program detail (
) - Planning outreach liaisons and forty-one neighborhood plan update community workshops were used to seek input from 16 traditionally underrepresented groups including seniors, youth, disabled persons, and various ethnic groups.
- Bellevue, WA - Neighborhood Outreach - Neighborhood enhancement & investment, match grant program, livability action agenda, neighborhood identity project, liaison program, mini city halls.
- Salinas, CA - Neighborhood Problem Solver Guide (), 2007 edition - City of Salinas guide to help neighborhoods identify and solve neighborhood problems.
- Concord, NC - Neighborhood Programs - Long list of interesting programs.
- Knoxville, TN - Transforming Neighborhoods Together - A neighborhood empowerment program featured among UNESCO best practices.
- Portland, OR - District Liaison Program - Planner assigned to districts as liaison to work with residents in developing and implementing neighborhood plans.
Creating Volunteer Programs
- Overview
- Legal References
- Washington Local Government Volunteer Programs
- Environment Programs
- Sample Application and Agreement Forms
- Manuals, Guides, Policies
- Background Checks
- Organizations and Associations
Recommended Articles
- "Serving Customers or Engaging Citizens?" by Frank Benest excerpted from "The Citizen's Handbook," Vancouver (B.C.) Citizen's Committee.