ACTion Roundup: Apps and More Apps!

Our own Tracy Viselli just came back from the Code for America Summit in San Francisco this week and brought back news of some cool apps that we could use in Alexandria. What are some of your ideas for using these apps or other apps you've seen to improve civic engagement in the city?

Blockee: Blingee for your neighborhood. Check out our own of Prince Street.

Mi Parque: Mi Parque is a placemaking app that helps residents of the community contribute and share their vision for the future of Little Village’s new park. Community members can submit ideas about how to make this park and our other open spaces safer, greener and healthier places that meet community needs.

Textizen: What if City Hall could open its ears to many more people? Textizen asks questions on posters in public places, then collects citizen feedback via text message. Anyone with a minute and an opinion can reply.

Beautiful Streets: Beautiful Streets is an experiment trying out a different way to evaluate places, called pairwise surveys. Basically, Hot or Not for streets.

On to the news!

What's the relationship between unemployment and civic engagement? White House Domestic Policy Council director John Bridgeland, Federal Reserve Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin, Knight Foundation Vice President Paula Ellis, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Wendy Spencer, and Peter Levine discuss the new report Civic Health and Unemployment II: The Case Builds. via Peter Levine

All you have to do is ask: "Almost half of young respondents reported that being asked by a friend or a parent would or might influence them to vote." via CICRLE

Is technology getting in the way of some governments' efforts to be more transparent? British Columbia’s Stanley Tromp thinks so. via Gov 2.0 Watch