Last week, Philadelphia launched a beta version of Change by Us. The civic engagement platform was initially launched in New York, but is now available to any city under a free open source license. Change by Us is notable for its potential audience, “neighbors, city leaders and response leaders,” who offer support and guidance for community projects.
Change by Us Philly asks the community, “How can we make smarter, safer & greener neighborhoods?” Answering the question is simple; visitors input their idea on an electronic sticky note, which in turn is added to the virtual bulletin board. Scanning the board allows community members to locate ideas for existing projects. By clicking on see more ideas, the visitor can narrow the field by neighborhood, or see the distribution on a map of Philadelphia. There are links to resources and existing projects as well.
Philadelphia leaders involved with the project are Mike DiBerardinis, Deputy Mayor, Environmental & Community Resources; Charles Ramsey, Commissioner, Philadelphia Police Department; Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter; Lori Shorr, Chief Education Officer; Catherine Wolfgang, Chief Service Officer, Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service; and Claire Robertson-Kraft, Board Chair for Young Involved Philadelphia.
Change by Us Philly was launched by CEOs for Cities, Local Projects, and Code for America, in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia. Change by Us is funded nationally with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation and the Case Foundation.