Text Messages Engage Residents in Community Planning
As communities work through the planning and development process, residents are increasingly able to make comments via text message. City officials can receive a digital response to “what’s missing” in their neighborhoods. Crowdsourcing efforts have carved out a new space for neighborhood engagement, going beyond the long-standing tradition of community board meetings. Technology can make data more transparent and accountable, and New York is now using it for residents to participate in the actual planning process.