It’s easy to get lost in particulars of CfA’s work: the apps, the code, etc. But at TED last month, our founder Jennifer Pahlka reminds us that it’s about much more than that, it’s about citizenship and how the internet is fundamentally reshaping the way government can work. As promised, here’s the video:
From February 24 through March 4, hundreds of passionate citizens around the country will come together to “Code Across America” – to make their cities even better. In over a dozen cities, there will be hackathons to build civic apps, “brigades” to deploy existing ones, unconferences to plan for the year ahead, and meetups to strengthen the community.
All of these events, to one degree or another, helped to galvanize the local technology community in these cities and demonstrate that building software-based solutions with open government data (or helping to liberate such data from outdated government websites) is a highly valuable form of civic engagement.
Code is becoming the new lingua franca of Web activists around the nation, powering Anonymous-style movements against politicians and the status quo. In the process, programmers and coders are helping to create a new power base within the electorate. If you can code, you can launch new movements, upend traditional campaign dynamics and pressure candidates in a low-cost, high-tech and highly effective way.
The Need & Opportunity Why Cities?
Cities are under greater pressure than ever, struggling with budget cuts and outdated technology. Code for America believes that instead of cutting services or raising taxes, cities can leverage the power of the web to become more efficient, transparent, and participatory. And we want to help them do it.
what can we do for your city Benefits of Participation
We recruit fellows who demonstrate a networked, web-centric, and open approach to problem-solving. Attaching the fellows to the city for the year and helping them build relationships with a wide variety of city workers is an effective way to introduce this kind of thinking and help it spread.
- Solve complex issues in your city with custom-built tech.
- Encourage experimentation with a new tool set.
- Collaborate with other innovative cities.
who are we looking for what we ask from cities
We are looking for applicant cities that demonstrate strong leadership that can maneuver through or overcome bureaucratic obstacles, funding to support the project, and have identified a project that has real cost-savings for the city, and promotes transparency and public participation. Additionally, we are interested in building solutions that can widely be reused by other local governments.
The fact is, Congress isn't the only group in this equation that needs to get a clue. The online activists, the free culture crowd, and the pro-open and free Internet crowd needs to get a clue too. See -- it's just as important for us to understand how Congress works as it is for the Congress to understand how the Internet works. In Washington, those who "educate" Congress the best usually end up with the winning legislation.
We are working to build the most complete and up-to-date database of government and civic software -- both the apps themselves and where theyre used. You can help by adding a new app or by link an app to an agency/organization that has used it.
