BeyondVoting Wiki

BeyondVoting Wiki
http://beyondvoting.wikicities.com

From: Thomas Lowenhaupt via Digital Divide Network email list
Sent: May 4, 2005 7:27 PM
Subject: [DDN] Remaking NYC's Government: The BeyondVoting Wiki

What would New York City's government look like if it was designed today, from scratch? How would information and communication technology influence its design? How would you weave the internet into local governance? Would you make it more transparent, even a fishbowl? Would you provide real-time access to decision making? What processes and technologies might prove useful? As a community board member for 12 years, I've had the honor of seeing our government function up close. And I've had contact with thousands of my neighbors when they've approached the board for help. And while I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish, I've decided to search out innovative ways we might better identify and address local needs.

Recently I created a space for this exploration called the BeyondVoting Wiki - see http://beyondvoting.wikicities.com. The BeyondVoting Wiki provides a place where people can gather to speculate on ways we might use the internet to improve our city. It takes a bottom-up perspective, looking primarily to empower individuals, community organizations, and community boards. You might think of BeyondVoting as a convention of sorts, where people can gather, ponder, research, discuss, and propose a new governance structure for New York City.

(If you're not familiar with a wiki, it's a new type of web page that's great for complex projects like discussing city governance and coming up with a set of improvement plans. To touch the power of a wiki, visit http://en.wikipedia.org for its best implementation to date.)

Where does the effort go? As a community board member I can promise to bring the findings to my board (www.cb3qn.nyc.gov). Perhaps it will agree with BeyondVoting's conclusions and pass a supporting resolution. We might even agree on an implementation effort to help make the plans reality.

I'm sending this invitation to people who are involved with civic affairs, government, or technology. Give your two cents at http://beyondvoting.wikicities.com - or more. And please, pass the invitation on.

Sincerely,
Tom Lowenhaupt
TomL@communisphere.com