As we look forward to 2014, we wanted to take a few minutes to thank all of our neighbors and partners for a remarkable 2013. For the past year, we’ve been collaborating with advocacy organizations, community groups, universities, planners, and city agencies across the U.S. They have been helping us design new mapping, messaging, moderation, and analytics tools to improve the way they collaborate with residents. On that note, here’s a list of our favorite Projects from 2013:

San Francisco State University President Leslie Wong invited students, faculty, staff, and community to participate in the strategic planning of the University by asking “What would make San Francisco State a better place?” Thousands of students, faculty, staff, and alumni are collaborating on the project on public whiteboards, SMS, and Twitter to make the planning effort as inclusive as possible.

Greenbelt Alliance engaged Mountain View residents in a dialogue about the sustainable development of Silicon Valley. Thousands of residents have participated either in person at the weekend farmers market or online. Key issues include housing density, complete streets, and vibrancy downtown.

The N Judah Turnaround Project, led by the Neighborhood Empowerment Network, asked Sunset residents, ‘How can we beautify the N-Judah Turnaround?’ They paired their survey with interactive signs in public space and discovered popular ideas, including a farmers market, better waste management, and artist murals. The project was recognized by City of San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu who awarded it a $15k grant for implementation.

The League of Awesome Possibilities engaged residents with a series of events and workshops to plan the future development of Ravenswood, Chicago.

The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA), District Supervisor Jane Kim, SPUR, Twitter, and Urban Spaceship prototyped a traffic calming solution and collected community input on one of San Francisco’s most dangerous streets.

Bike Easy successfully rallied for complete streets on Decatur Street, a major biking thoroughfare, and prototyped shared bikes during the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Neighborland participated in the New Museum’s Ideas City street festival on the Lower East Side in New York City. Over 65,000 people came out to explore the theme Untapped Capital and re-imagine ways to use our community resources.

After a year-long campaign by the New Orleans Food Truck Coalition, the New Orleans City Council passed legislation that adds more licenses for mobile vendors, expands locations, and allows for longer operating hours. Given the success of this campaign, we are developing a new framework for measuring both the economic and social impact of civic engagement.

Corporate Realty gathered community ideas for the abandoned Wiltz Gym in Bywater, New Orleans. As part of their outreach, the realtor used Neighborland to ask residents what they wanted in the Wiltz Gym and initiated discussion on the future of the building, which is currently being renovated.

Project Homeless Connect engaged clients and volunteers in a dialogue about how to help people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Freespace prototyped a new type of community center in Mid Market, San Francisco, as part of National Civic Hacking Day. They were recognized by the White House as ‘Champion of Change’ and continue their work in 2014 with a grant with the City of San Francisco.

Imagine Atlanta engaged residents at Root City Market in Atlanta.

Street Plans mapped public street seats in New York City.

Working with the City of Oakland, Popuphood engaged locals around the re-development of the Koreatown-Northgate neighborhood.

Folks for Polk held a series of resident workshops to advocate for pedestrian- and bike-friendly street designs as part of the SFMTA’s plan to redesign Polk Street in Nob Hill, San Francisco.

The City of Lowell, Massachusetts’s Office of Economic Development engaged residents with a public installation.

R&M Realty surveyed residents about possible anchor tenants in a commercial property in Edgewater, Chicago.

Defend the Daquiri educated residents around proposed changes to open container laws in New Orleans.

Neighborland teamed up with Square to clean up the streets in Mid Market, San Francisco.

The City of Portland, Maine’s Department of Planning surveyed residents about their vision for Congress Square.

Mission Mercato won a $2k grant from the Mission Repair Fund in Mission Dolores, San Francisco.

Walkable Springfield surveyed residents about how to make Springfield, Missouri more pedestrian friendly.

Chacha Sikes prototyped Fruit Fences as part of the UP Prototyping Festival in Mid Market, San Francisco.

Urban Spaceship activated public space in Manhattan, New York.

UX for Good designed tipping solutions for live musicians in New Orleans.

Neighborland presented at the University of California at Berkeley’s Landscape Architecture + Environmental Planning symposium, Adaptive Metropolis, and the Smart Cities World Congress in Barcelona.

Collaborate with us

Our mission is to help all residents shape the development of their neighborhoods. We only work with organizations who have clearly demonstrated their commitment to creating healthy, vibrant, and sustainable communities through their past work. Contact us if you’re interested in partnering with Neighborland.