Civic Strategies, Inc.

Civic Strategies, Inc. A collaborative and strategic planning firm that works with cities and civic organizations.

We design and manage board retreats, strategic planning processes, community visioning projects, leadership summits, and task forces. We do studies of civic leadership issues and offer community leadership training for companies and nonprofits. In much of our work, we engage citizens in community work in ground-breaking ways.

“Superblocks”: Urbanists often talk about taking the streets back from cars. But how would this work? For the answer, yo...
05/31/2019

“Superblocks”: Urbanists often talk about taking the streets back from cars. But how would this work? For the answer, you have to leave the U.S. and find a city that is actively trying to reclaim its streets … like Barcelona in Spain.

Introducing "superblocks."

“The business model really works”: Riverkeepers have been around since the mid-1980s. They are professional advocates, n...
05/30/2019

“The business model really works”: Riverkeepers have been around since the mid-1980s. They are professional advocates, networked nationally and credentialed, fueled by fundraising and lawsuits. Their job is to look after a public resource and act as quasi-law enforcers. Could this model be used elsewhere? How about ... streetkeepers?

When the government fails to protect a public resource like a river, our hopes often fall to a loose coalition of citizen conservationists.

Technology holds the promise of making cities fairer as video and data watch over public servants and measure public ser...
05/29/2019

Technology holds the promise of making cities fairer as video and data watch over public servants and measure public services. But as this proceeds, we're likely to see citizens complain that their governments are LESS fair. Why? Because the most influential and privileged among us will try to undermine the effort to judge them like everybody else. To understand how this will happen, listen to this podcast by journalist Michael Lewis about what has happened to referees in the NBA.

Rage at referees is all the rage in professional sports. Michael Lewis visits a replay center that’s trying to do the impossible: adjudicate fairness.

“And that’s the problem”: We know high-speed rail works … we can see it and ride it elsewhere in the world. So what’s ho...
05/24/2019

“And that’s the problem”: We know high-speed rail works … we can see it and ride it elsewhere in the world. So what’s holding back HSR in the U.S.? A state that’s willing to take a “leap of faith.”

The Trump administration is pulling some federal funding from California. But that project and others like it are quickly moving forward.

The Outsider: Nothing about Lori Lightfoot’s campaign for mayor of Chicago seemed to square with the city’s political hi...
05/23/2019

The Outsider: Nothing about Lori Lightfoot’s campaign for mayor of Chicago seemed to square with the city’s political history. But, over time, all her disadvantages became advantages … in a city fed up with the way things were.

The inside story of her improbable, historic victory

The most effective way for neighborhoods to deal with problems peculiar to them, such as park cleanups, streetscaping an...
05/22/2019

The most effective way for neighborhoods to deal with problems peculiar to them, such as park cleanups, streetscaping and sidewalk maintenance, is for cities to give them limited taxing ability. But to get there, neighborhood leaders must deal with ... the cynics next door.

Fed up with unevenness of city services, a group of Mission Dolores residents tries to convince their neighbors to create San Francisco’s second Green Benefit District. But creating a new tax for extra services isn’t sitting well with everyone.

What is a “high-rise”? If you were thinking buildings over, say, 20 stories, you’re wrong. Building codes say … seven st...
05/21/2019

What is a “high-rise”? If you were thinking buildings over, say, 20 stories, you’re wrong. Building codes say … seven stories. The growing number of high-rises brings benefits … but also problems … to cities.

Let's talk about fire codes and water supply.

What governments are good at: Tampa has a big problem with aging water pipes. But this is the kind of problem government...
05/20/2019

What governments are good at: Tampa has a big problem with aging water pipes. But this is the kind of problem governments deal with the best ... predictable public-works projects that reward patience and scale.

The city's aging water infrastructure wasn't a big issue during the mayoral campaign, but it will be an early test of Mayor Jane Castor's administration.

14 years ago, an Atlanta suburb pioneered a form of government that contacted out for most of the services it delivered....
05/17/2019

14 years ago, an Atlanta suburb pioneered a form of government that contacted out for most of the services it delivered. Now it is bringing those services … and workers … onto the city’s payroll. What did Sandy Springs learn that changed its mind?

Sandy Springs' move away from privatism indicates about-face of metro Atlanta cityhood-starter's founding principle.

“Twitter tax break”: Ten years ago, San Francisco was looking for ways of reviving a faded commercial area called Mid-Ma...
05/16/2019

“Twitter tax break”: Ten years ago, San Francisco was looking for ways of reviving a faded commercial area called Mid-Market Street. So it created a limited-time payroll tax break for businesses moving there. Now Mid-Market is booming. In retrospect, how big a role did the tax break play? What role did other elements, like transit and an improving economy, play?

As tech charged into San Francisco, it transformed the city. In Mid-Market, the “Twitter tax break” kicked off a land rush that elevated real estate prices, along with its desirability.

Two Boston men are rating every public library in their state. This shows an appreciation for a basic and overlooked com...
05/15/2019

Two Boston men are rating every public library in their state. This shows an appreciation for a basic and overlooked community asset. But their ratings also speak to how libraries are evolving ... from book lending to meeting and work spaces.

They call it the Library Land Project. They're a third of the way there.

Turns out, there’s value in having a large number of acquaintances. Being on a first-name basis with lots of people can ...
05/14/2019

Turns out, there’s value in having a large number of acquaintances. Being on a first-name basis with lots of people can make you happier; it can also have economic benefits. And there are things cities could do to help people forge these “weak ties.”

Weak ties can offer strong rewards.

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PO Box 15250
Atlanta, GA
30333

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