We previously wrote about initiatives that are using the web to allow residents to report issues that local councils or city governments need to take care of. Things like graffiti, fly tipping, broken paving slabs, or street lighting. Both London's Love Lewisham and Amsterdam's Google Maps hack were created by local government. Now, a new venture is moving the concept forward by offering a nation-wide solution in the United Kingdom.

Launched last month, Neighbourhood Fix-It lets residents all over the UK pinpoint problems, which are then sent to their local council to deal with. After entering a postcode or location, users are presented with a map of the area. They can view issues that have already been reported, or add something they've just spotted, simply by clicking on the map. The site is free to use and run by mySociety, a charity that also created civic-action websites like TheyWorkForYou.com and PledgeBank.com. In a quiet beta test prior to Neighbourhood Fix-It's launch, several hundred problems were reported. Local councils fixed paving slabs, got rid of redundant estate agent signs, filled pot holes and removed graffiti.

As mySociety's Tom Steinberg explains: "Neighbourhood Fix-It aims to change the act of reporting faults - turning it from a private one-to-one process into a public experience where residents can see if anyone else in the neighbourhood has already spotted and reported a problem, and to see how their council is acting on it. We hope the website will make the process of reporting faults more efficient, possibly reducing the number of individual reports that councils receive because people will be able to see that their neighbours have already made the call."

Definitely the most efficient way for residents to request repairs, and it makes sense for local governments to encourage citizens to be their eyes on the street. If you’d like to influence how your own local government works, this is one to copy to your country, state or province! Making it easy to get started, Neighbourhood Fix-It gives free access to the website's source code.

Website: www.neighbourhoodfixit.com
Contact: www.neighbourhoodfixit.com/contact

Going green has gotten a lot more enticing to consumers in communities served by Philadelphia-based RecycleBank. Households can earn RecycleBank Dollars, redeemable for discount coupons at select retailers, just for putting their recyclables out to be collected. But the incentives don't stop there. It's also great promotion and community recognition for participating businesses. Sound too good to be true? Well, you may be surprised to learn that it's even more cost-effective than most traditional recycling programs.

How does it work? RecycleBank containers are embedded with identifying barcodes, and households can throw all of their recyclable waste into one bin (single stream recycling system, also known as making it easy for customers to be green). Collection trucks scan and weigh the containers to track how much each household is recycling. The more customers recycle, the more they earn in RecycleBank dollars—up to 35 USD per month. Customers can track their points online and redeem points for coupons that can be used toward purchases at major chains such as Whole Foods, RiteAid and Starbucks, as well as local companies that choose to be part of the program. More than 250 businesses currently participate.

While many recycling programs have proven to be more expensive to run than they monetarily are worth, RecycleBank wins by driving higher utilization of trucks and manpower. The cost of running the program is far exceeded by the money saved in landfill fees: RecycleBank charges municipalities USD 24-30 a household, and guarantees clients they will save at least that amount in disposal fees as waste is diverted from landfills and incinerators. Meanwhile, residents are racing to fill their bins with recyclable paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, tin and aluminium: in test neighbourhoods, the amount recycled per household went from an average of 5 lbs to 35 lbs per week. Demonstrating that it pays to reward good behaviour. RecycleBank's reach is currently limited to West Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, but it's generating some great buzz and could easily be expanded to other areas. For another example of incentive-driven recycling, check out our earlier coverage of reverse vending machines.

Website: www.recyclebank.com
Contact: gonen@recyclebank.com

Spotted by: Bob Staub

In March last year, we wrote about a city council project in Lewisham, UK that allows citizens to send camera-phone pictures to their local council to report stray garbage, unwanted grafitti, etc.

Two new spottings show that the concept is catching on. The local government of Amsterdam's Geuzenveld district just launched an online tool that lets people pinpoint neighborhood problems on Google Maps. After filling out an online form, a marker is placed on a Google map of the area, along with information on how the complaint is being dealt with.

The district is counting on the service to save time and money. Currently, a street lantern that's out of order will lead to numerous calls and emails to the district (roughly 40% of all complaints are sent by email/internet forms). Once people get used to checking the map to see if someone else has already reported an issue, the amount of redundant notifications will presumably decrease.

Geuzenveld also hopes residents will feel more involved now that they're actually able to track how their complaint is being followed up, and that local maintenance crews will be motivated to keep the map as empty as possible, solving close to 90% of all issues within 2 days.

New York, meanwhile, isn't one to fall behind. Later this year, the city's 911 call centers will be able to receive camera-phone pictures and videos taken by residents and visitors, straight from the scene of a crime. 311 non-emergency call centers will be similarly equipped at a later stage, allowing New Yorkers to document and photographically report on 'quality of life problems'.

Has (local) government in your neck of the woods found smart ways to use new consumer technology? Share it in the comments!

Initiated in February 2005, Love Lewisham involves residents in keeping the southeast borough of London clean. After installing special software on their cameraphone, observant townspeople can snap a picture of 'offending graffiti' or overflowing litter bins, enter location details, and send it to the local council.

The picture is then posted on the council's website, and cleaning crews are sent to resolve the issue. (Probably not immediately, but still...) Reminds us of New York's 311 phone number, which also provides residents with quick, easy access to government services.

Judging from the number of recent snapshots on Love Lewisham's pictures page, local people really have become involved. Besides the system's user-friendliness, the other reason this experiment hasn't withered into disuse, is that the council understands the need for feedback. People can track the progress of their submissions online, as well as having the option of receiving information directly from the council. Governing authorities everywhere: get with it! Follow Lewisham's lead and start interacting smartly with your residents. Come to think about it; not a bad idea for companies either ;-)

When Springwise first highlighted New York's 311 Service back in June 2003, its primary focus was as a municipal clearinghouse for non-emergency services. In those early days, 311 operators typically handled issues like complaints about noisy neighbors, pothole repair requests, and clarification of the city's Byzantine alternate-side-of-the-street parking rules. Now, the initial success of the service has prompted New York's city government and tourism sectors to set new, loftier goals – 311 is being transformed into a one-stop info source for the city's vast cultural and entertainment offerings.

The first stage of 311's expansion, already in effect, includes information on street festivals, a running concert calendar, and alerting callers. The latter was put to good use when last month more than 1,000 callers were informed about rained out New York Philharmonic concerts, saving them a trip to the park. (Source: NYT.) The second stage is being jump-started in time for the Republican Convention through the combined efforts of the system operator (the Department of Information Technology and Communications) and non-profit tourism marketer & promoter NYC & Company. NYC & Co. is providing 30 volunteers to man a temporary help desk at the 311 call center specifically to handle entertainment-related requests during the Elephant-fest.