Boston’s achievements in using technology and innovative projects have been recognized, as the Center for Digital Government announced Thursday that Boston was given top honors as the most digital city the U.S. for 2013.
This award is earned through an annual Digital Cities Survey, open to all U.S. cities and towns that have a population of 30,000 or more. The survey analyzes the local government’s innovation, creative solutions and approaches, effective collaboration and transparency measures and other technological advances, according to the Thursday CDG announcement.
“The city and the state have made concerted efforts over the years to make more data available to the public,” said Boston University College of Communication Professor Michelle Johnson. “It’s all about transparency. They’re looking for ways to keep the public informed about how government operates.”
This year’s top-ranked cities included Boston, Irving, Texas, Avondale, Ariz. and Palo Alto, Calif. Boston was recognized for being a national leader in innovative projects, such as the traveling City Hall to Go truck, Mayor’s office of New Urban Mechanics and Boston’s Open Government Portal, according to a Thursday press release from Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s office.
“Boston continues to find innovative ways to connect with constituents and make our city stronger,” Menino said in the release. “Our approach has focused on people; it’s a high-touch, not just high-tech approach. This award recognized a true citywide effort; we are the #1 digital city because of the good work of entrepreneurs inside and outside City Hall.”
An example that residents utilize technology is to tweet at the city government when they see potholes using #spotholes for them to repair.
Janet Grenslitt, director of surveys and awards at the CDG, said Boston earning first place was no surprise because for the last several years, Boston ranked in the top 10 and even placed third last year.
“The City of Boston has been a national leader in developing tech-enabled solutions for citizens and government,” she said.
Johnson said Boston has been very active in pursuing this goal of becoming more digital by making the connection between the people and the government stronger through technology.
“The city’s made great strides in joining the open data movement,” she said. “They’ve made it accessible so that you can generate things like a map of farmers’ market locations as well as keep tabs on crime statistics. And after the most recent election, voters could call up a web page with real-time election results as the numbers came in from the precinct.”
Several residents said Boston is continuing to make strides in the digital field and there should be no end to this pursuit of continuous modernization.
“So much of this city is mobile or online, it [the ranking] doesn’t surprise me at all,” said Matt Stein, 21, of Boston. “Boston has a population that is mostly people who grew up with Internet, so that fact that there’s access to government in the same mode that people have gotten used to on their phones is great. We’re always looking for a more convenient way to be doing things, and it’s nice to see the city tailoring to that.”
Michael Hardin, 25, a musician in Brighton, said there could be some bad consequences as a result of Boston becoming more digital.
“There are a ton of people in this city who always seem to be walking around with their eyes glued to their smart phones,” he said. “Also, from government all the way down to restaurants, it seems they all seem to be using some kind of mobile technology, but no particular service really seems to set us above and beyond anyone else.”
Bridget Basilico, 60, of Kenmore, said there could be harm in going too far with technology.
“I’m definitely not a very digital person,” she said. “People these days don’t talk face-to-face enough. It leads to a lot of miscommunications. I also think that all service businesses need to revolve around personal interactions. I’m not saying I don’t see the purpose in technology, though, I understand why it’s so great. But not building real bridges to people in person can be very detrimental.
Steven Dufour contributed to the reporting of this article.
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