City of Philadelphia selected for second straight year as a Code for America partner with Knight Foundation support

Philadelphia, PA. – Sept. 7, 2011 – Emerging from a pool of more than 20 local governments, the City of Philadelphia has been selected to receive another year of intensive technical assistance from Code for America Fellows, thanks in part to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.rnrnBased on Teach for America, the program recruits the top talent from the technology industry to give a year of service to build innovative web applications that make city governments more open, participatory and efficient. Through a competitive process, Code for America chooses cities whose proposals reflect a deep understanding of the power that technology can bring to local governments. Philadelphia was selected for the inaugural 2011 program. Its selection for a second year demonstrates the deep and productive partnership between the city and Code for America. rnrn“Selection by Code for America for a second straight year is evidence that Philadelphia is at the forefront of the movement towards more open, transparent and participatory urban governance,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “We look forward to a second year of collaboration with Code for America as we deploy powerful, sophisticated Internet-based social media tools that make it easier for citizens to get things done in their neighborhoods.”rnrnKnight Foundation supported the 2011 engagement and will fund the 2012 project as part of its Technology for Engagement Initiative, which supports projects that help communities use technology for action.rnrn“Code for America is empowering a greater number of citizens to participate more deeply in local issues. We’re looking forward to seeing how the fellows help bring new voices from Philadelphia’s neighborhoods to decision making in the city,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Philadelphia program director for Knight Foundation, which promotes informed and engaged communities.rnrn“Philadelphia has been one of our strongest partners, both inside and outside City Hall,” said Jennifer Pahlka, founder and executive director of Code for America. “With the support of Knight Foundation, we are able to work with the city on our first multiyear engagement, and we expect that to pay dividends for the citizens of Philadelphia.”rnrnIn 2012, the Code for America fellows in Philadelphia will build on top of the neighborhood project platform, Change By Us, which CfA and Local Projects are deploying in 2011. Change By Us enables citizens to share ideas on how to strengthen their communities, and then connect with each other to turn those ideas into action. rnrnIn 2011, the Code for America fellows conducted on-the-ground research, connecting with neighborhood groups, learning about the needs of civic leaders and customizing the platform to meet the needs of Philadelphians. Throughout the year, they have met with hundreds of local leaders, both inside and outside City Hall, hosted events to generate interest in the program, and have built multiple “apps” for Philadelphia, such as tools to explore public art, track city council meetings, find community groups and understand the impact of transportation choices.rnrnLater this year, they will launch Change by Us in the city. Deploying the application, however, is just the first step in using the tool to enhance civic innovation and participation.rnrnThe 2012 fellows will analyze the ways Change By Us is being used, understand the current users – their successes, needs and goals – and further develop the platform. Development goals include recruiting new users and extending the tool’s features in response to feedback from the community of users. For example, there could be an opportunity for crowd-funding projects to facilitate their implementation, or creating a Request for Proposal (RFP) wizard so community groups can collectively contract with businesses to get work done. rnrnFollowing a user-centric and data-driven approach, 2012 Philadelphia fellows will be helping Change By Us meet the evolving needs of the community and making it a more effective tool for civic action. Learn more here: http://codeforamerica.org/philadelphia2012 rnrnThe 2012 Code for America Philadelphia fellows will begin their fellowship in January 2012, and will be spending the month of February in Philadelphia, interviewing civic leaders. Throughout the year, they will be based in San Francisco, with the other 20-25 CfA fellows, working together and collaborating, with frequent visits back to the city for research, testing and deployment. rnrnAbout Code for Americarn Code for America (CfA) connects the talent of the tech industry with local governments to make cities more open, responsive, and efficient. Inspired in part by Teach for America, CfA recruits civic-minded, tech-savvy individuals to work with industry and governmental leaders to develop innovative applications that can be used in cities across the country. More at http://codeforamerica.orgrnrnAbout the John S. and James L. Knight Foundationrn Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. More at KnightFoundation.orgrnrnFor more information contact:rn Abhi Nemani, Code for America, abhi@codeforamerica.org, 909-206-2220rn Marc Fest, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, fest@knightfoundation.org, 305-908-2677rn Jeff Friedman, City of Philadelphia, jeff.friedman@phila.gov, 215 713-4016