Before You Begin: Civic 101
In this part, we'll guide you through the four key focus areas: civic research, civic data, civic tech and civic design. You will learn what each area entails and explore example projects that illustrate their thinking and action components.
What is Civic Research?
Civic Research is the shaping of knowledge about a community by that community. It is both a process (participatory and action-oriented) and a product (the study of civic life) that is directly meaningful to those who partake in it. It informs how a community imagines and builds itself.
Selected Resources
- Civic Research Agenda is a project in the City of Boston is an initiative by the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics that invites community members to collaborate on identifying and addressing local public policy issues through participatory research and dialogue.
What is Civic Data?
Civic Data refers to data that is collected, managed, and used to improve civic life and public services. This data can include information on public health, transportation, education, and any other aspect of community life.
Selected Resources
- data.org is accelerating the power of data and AI to solve some of our greatest global challenges. We think globally and work locally to build the field of data for social impact.
What is Civic Tech?
Civic Tech refers to the use of technology to enhance civic engagement, improve public services, and solve community problems. This can include digital tools and platforms that facilitate communication between residents and government, applications that provide access to public services, and technologies that enable data collection and analysis for better decision-making.
Selected Resources
- Civic Tech Field Guide offers the world’s largest collection of projects using tech for the common good.
What is Civic Design?
Civic design refers to the practice of creating, understanding, and improving public spaces and services to benefit communities.
Selected Resources
- Civic Design Library is a crowdsourced data set of civic design resources created by global practitioners working at the intersection of design and the public sector.