What Happened?
The city of Philadelphia has established an Office of New Urban Mechanics. Modeled after a similar initiative in Boston, the office will seek to address urban challenges through collaborative projects with entrepreneurs and hackers, and may get replicated in a city near you…
So What?
As Gov1 has covered in recent weeks, cities are increasingly looking to engage citizens in solving complex problems. Municipal officials have found they can work with technically savvy members of the community to experiment with innovation approaches, but often some coordination is necessary. These new offices of “New Urban Mechanics” facilitate that coordination, providing support, oversight, and a catalyst for change.
The Details
The co-directors of the Philadelphia office are Story Bellows, who was previously with the Mayor’s Institute on City Design in Washington, D.C.; and Jeff Friedman, who was Philadelphia’s manager of Civic Innovation and Participation. The pair will lead an office launched by Mayor Michael Nutter.
According to reports, the office was announced at a Code for America Summit; Code for America is a non-profit that works to help government leverage technology through private-sector involvement. “We’ve engaged the city’s entrepreneurial and startup communities for their energy and passion and intellect,” Mayor Nutter was quoted as saying at the conference.
The Model
As Gov1 covered on the original New Urban Mechanics office in Boston, the group acts as an innovation lab, piloting civic innovations that can improve services. The same model will hold in Philadelphia, where co-director Friedman wants to create a safe, experimental, “risk-aggregation” platform. In Boston, residents, entrepreneurs, activists and businesses are urged to contact the MONUM office (yes, that hideously stands for Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics) with ideas that can be piloted, supported and launched.
Other Approaches
There are myriad approaches your city can take to fuel innovation, and we have extensively covered the cultivation of councils, exchanges and clusters. Cities should consider approaches that are appropriate for their demographics and objectives; for example, Kansas City recently unveiled their own unique approach. Recent EG coverage includes an extensive review of options and factors to consider.
Next Steps
Code For America is working with Boston’s Office of New Urban Mechanics to “package” resources and advice on how to bring an office to your city. A video on the platform was recently posted at CfA, and a form for learning more is available as well.