McKenzie Wren, executive director of the Clarkston Community Center, explains how you build a sense of community in highly diverse cities like Clarkston, GA. It helps to have a meeting place.
Published Date:
April 12, 2013
Kathie Gannon, a county commissioner in DeKalb County, Georgia, explains how collaborations can sometimes bring about great results in cities and do so with unconventional solutions. But, she adds, you have to be patient.
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March 11, 2013
Mayor Deke Copenhaver explains how Augusta, Georgia, makes its biggest public investment decisions, aided by a state law that allows citizens to tax themselves for improvements.
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February 13, 2013
Mayor Bucky Johnson of Norcross, Georgia, worked diligently for a regional transportation referendum that voters ultimately rejected. He explains what happened and what we can learn from this experience about managing referendums in general.
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January 8, 2013
Mayor Robert Reichert explains why voters in his city, Macon, Georgia, voted to merge the city and county governments, and what leaders everywhere can learn about managing high-stakes public referendums.
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December 10, 2012
Denise Brinson, economic and community development director of Suwanee, Georgia, explains why her suburban city decided to build an entirely new downtown – and how it managed such an audacious project.
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November 13, 2012
Research shows that high-quality afterschool and summer programs help cities keep children and youth safe when they are not in school, discourage substance abuse and juvenile crime, and improve student attendance and academic achievement.
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October 15, 2012
The widespread availability of mobile technology and broadband networks provides opportunities to connect citizens with local government leaders and providers of public service.
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October 12, 2012
Public engagement expert Jon Abercrombie talks about how governments can successfully involve citizens in making big decisions. He explains why traditional public hearings don’t work well, and why facilitated discussions organized around small groups do.
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October 11, 2012
The Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania has released a new report that provides hard data about the growing use of social media in local governments.
Published Date:
September 28, 2012
This publication is written for local governments that are beginning to experiment with social media and would like to get more out of them. Its emphasis is on the use of specific applications, such as Facebook and Twitter, by government managers and communications directors.
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August 14, 2012
The City of Douglas provides a way for residents to learn more about the city through its Douglas 101 Citizens Academy Program.
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August 6, 2012
A Knight Foundation report finds that KaBOOM! projects help volunteers and local organizations cultivate the skills, confidence and inspiration to get more involved in their communities.
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May 31, 2012
Clara Axam talks about her experiences leading a community development project in South Atlanta that brought together a low-income neighborhood with its neighborhood school – and how each benefited from working together.
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May 10, 2012
County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash and civic leader Norwood Davis talk about an ambitious new program in Gwinnett County, Georgia, to create 1 million volunteer hours a year for county government. We’ll talk about where the idea came from, how it is being implemented, and the challenges that lie ahead – for the government and for volunteers.
Published Date:
April 12, 2012