Civic TechnologyField guide
Designing Public Services People Can Actually Use
Accessibility is more than a compliant screen. A practical guide to forms, recovery, assisted channels, and measuring whether people reach the outcome.
Ideas worth
spending time with.
Field guides, useful distinctions, and a closer look at how things work. Written for people making cities better.
09 articles · Five connected themesTheme 01
Civic Technology
Public services designed around the people who use them.
Civic TechnologyExplainer
Civic Tech vs GovTech: Where the Difference Matters
The labels overlap. The useful distinction is who can act, who is accountable, and how a technology changes public life.
Theme 02
Urban Innovation
From a promising pilot to something a city can depend on.
Urban InnovationField guide
From City Pilot to Procurement: Making Innovation Last
A successful demonstration is only the beginning. How city teams can test an idea, judge the evidence, and plan for a service that lasts.
Urban InnovationField guide
Before Installing Urban Sensors, Ask These Questions
A field guide to useful measurements, maintenance, data quality, and the work that begins after an urban sensor is switched on.
Theme 03
Sustainability
Better decisions about energy, water, and shared resources.
SustainabilityField guide
Making Municipal Building Energy Data Useful
How to turn utility records into a defensible baseline, fairer comparisons, and a practical investigation list for a public-building portfolio.
SustainabilityAnalysis
Finding Water Loss with Better Data
Why a water balance comes before a sensor purchase, and how utilities can distinguish physical leaks from metering and accounting problems.
Theme 04
Digital Infrastructure
The standards, security, and connections underneath the service.
Digital InfrastructureField guide
Cybersecurity Foundations for Small City Teams
Start with the services people depend on. A practical way to organize ownership, access, recovery, and supplier responsibilities.
Digital InfrastructureExplainer
Open311 Explained: From Resident Report to Service Request
What the GeoReport v2 standard connects, what it leaves to a city, and why an open interface is only one part of a functioning reporting service.
Theme 05
Innovation Stories
A closer look at what real projects can teach us.
Innovation StoriesCase study
What Barcelona’s Decidim Shows About Digital Participation
An open-source platform can make a public process easier to follow. Barcelona’s participatory budgeting also shows why institutions still have to do the work.