Give a Minute is a simple and attractive way of using urban crowd sourcing and social media to enable citizens, civic leaders and urban experts to work together to improve their city.
The idea is that local leaders pose a question to their entire city through websites and poster advertisements, and solicit answers via the Internet or text.
In Chicago, for example, the question is ‘Hey Chicago, what would encourage you to walk, bike and take CTA more often?’ People can respond by sending a text or by posting a response on the Give a Minute website, which shows up as a post-it note on a wall.
Sample answers from Chicago include ‘cleaner trains’, ‘more bike shelters’ and ‘a green tax credit’. Each answer can be shared on social media sites, maximising the number of networks that are involved in the conversation.
Featured leaders send personal responses to their favourite ideas, and all ideas are reviewed by community leaders from the private and public sector.
The plan is then to connect citizens through ‘action groups’ organised around specific solutions to the problem in question.
Give a Minute is organised by CEOs for Cities and Local Projects, who state that it ‘will engage with solutions big and small, from a city-wide solar panel installation strategy, to a pocket park at a particular neighborhood lot, offering a place to gather resources, capital, energy and organization to make each solution real’.
Give a Minute is already underway in Memphis, as well as Chicago, and will be launching in San Jose and New York City soon.
More information from Give a Minute and Local Projects.