Photo credit: Flickr user Brad Jacobson

*April 30 update: An archived link of the National League of Cities’ webinar on civic engagement in Philadelphia can be found online.

The National League of Cities, as part of its work with Knight Foundation, is hosting a free webinar highlighting civic engagement in Philadelphia at 2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 24. 

While many tech entrepreneurs are passionate advocates for their communities, most are ambivalent about city hall: neither expecting nor offering assistance, and often working around rather than with local elected leaders. This is not the case in Philadelphia, where a dynamic partnership has developed among city government, civic leaders and entrepreneurs from the technology community. Related Link 

“Bright spots in community engagement: Philadelphia – ‘Civic Fusion’ at work” on KnightBlog

The city has launched one of the country’s leading open data portals, attracted millions of dollars in broadband stimulus and is thinking differently about the way local government delivers services. This “civic fusion” is the result of a new kind of engagement between city leaders and some of its most active, entrepreneurial residents. It is also part of a new philosophy about the role of each in supporting strong local economies. 

Join the webinar if you are interested in a lively discussion on how technology can connect public officials with private and nonprofit civic leaders for meaningful community engagement. The conversation will also highlight examples from the soon-to-be released report, “Bright Spots in Community Engagement: Case Studies of U.S. Communities Creating Greater Civic Participation from the Bottom Up.” Additionally, it coincides with Philly Tech Week.

Speakers will include: Chris Kingsley, Senior Associate for Data Initiatives, National League of Cities, Mark Headd, Chief Data Officer, City of Philadelphia, and Jeff Friedman, Co-Director, Philadelphia Office of New Urban Mechanics.

Panelists will include: Paul E. Wright, Director, Local Media Development, Comcast and Alex Hillman, Co-Founder, Indy Hall.

By Donna Frisby-Greenwood, program director/Philadelphia at Knight Foundation