Community Engagement

Community Engagement is essential for local and state government agencies aiming to build trust, encourage public participation, and ensure that policies reflect residents’ needs and concerns. Governments can foster stronger connections with their communities through outreach programs, public forums, and collaborative decision-making. This directory offers articles on community engagement and related topics like Community Development, which focuses on improving the overall well-being and sustainability of communities through targeted initiatives.

The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. Working in partnership with the 49 state municipal leagues, NLC serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 19,000 cities, villages and towns it represents.
What makes it difficult to guarantee communications access to local government operations – and what technologies are available to help?
The “peacekeepers” in the new unit received training in areas including crowd de-escalation tactics and crisis interruption
To survive the next inevitable flood, Winslow, Nebraska, residents must raise their homes, leave or restart the town at a site a few miles away and 100 feet higher with government financial help. Town leaders are pushing for the latter.
Rec center workers look to build relationships and trust with young people so that when they spot potential trouble -- often through behavior -- they can refer the young people and their families to counseling.
The city’s police chief calls the cameras in street lights ‘a game changer.’ Critics aren’t so sure, especially given that the program was introduced as a way to save energy and money instead of a way to collect data in public spaces.
Many law enforcement agencies in small communities across the United States are facing questions about how aggressively they pursue reports of sexual violence
About 75% of school districts nationally reported unpaid meal debt, with the median amount per school being about $2,500, according to The Washington Post, which cited the national School Nutrition Association.
Don’t think public safety agencies can get into the holiday spirit? We’ve got news for you
What started as a way for a young girl and a few pals to get service credit for elementary school has become an annual tradition for six dozen friends from the San Francisco suburbs.
With the United Nations’ Secretary-General António Guterres, Pope Francis spoke about the necessity of protecting the world’s vulnerable populations.
For many counties, rising poverty rates underscore the importance of fully counting residents in next year’s census, since a count of low-income residents will help determine funding available to help them.
The mistaken belief that text messages are private can damage community relationships, and lead to litigation or fines
Deputy Chief Jan Wright told Burlington’s mayor Monday that she used a fake Facebook account to engage citizens in police policy talk -- just hours after her predecessor resigned over his own use of a fake account.
Through this series of personal portraits and interviews, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has created a window into the lives of America’s most vulnerable populations.
In seeking a second term, Turner touted guiding Houston through the devastating floods of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and reducing the city’s huge pension debt as some of his accomplishments.
As mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Sanders fought to bring professional baseball to his hometown, and more than 30 years later, he hasn’t given up the fight.
Many of the city’s black residents have disengaged from the process, feeling their voices don’t matter
During Columbus’ Connected Vehicle Environment research program, on-board devices will be installed on public and private vehicles so they receive in-vehicle alerts, including blind-spot detection and rear-end collision warnings.