Web 2.0 apps have been popping up in cities throughout North America over the past few years. Sites like SeeClickFix and FixMyStreet Canada are enabling city residents to report non-emergency issues like potholes and graffiti through web and mobile applications. They also allow residents to track the response to their reported issues and learn when a problem is resolved.

Introducing PlaceSpeak

While SeeClickFix and FixMyStreet are the big kids on the City 2.0 block, there is a new generation of that are taking online civic-engagement to another level. One of these is based right here in Vancouver.

PlaceSpeak is an online community-consultation platform that connects people’s online identities to the real world using a their residential addresses. It provides a platform that enables and encourages inclusive, informed participation, policy and decision-making.

A New Consultation Paradigm

What makes PlaceSpeak unique is the potential to transform the way we interact with “location-based issues.” The platform enables conversations relative to proximity by facilitating genuine online communication based on where we live. Founder and CEO Colleen Hardwick (Nystedt) wanted to find a way to improve upon the current consultation process.

This process is often characterized by poorly attended public meetings which leaves many residents feeling under-consulted. Hardwick hopes that PlaceSpeak will help act as a modern remedy by providing another opportunity to connect and comment on issues important to them. As she told the Georgia Straight in a recent interview:

“People are more apt to go online than to go out, especially at 7 o’clock on a weeknight.”

How It Works

Once logged onto PlaceSpeak, residents register and confirm their address through a multi-step authentication process—similar to what banks use. Once verified residents are  able to connect with issues and voice their opinions electronically in a variety of forums.

To ease privacy concerns, residents are able to control how their personal information is displayed at any time. Home addresses are never displayed to other users. Residents start as an anonymous green dot on a map. When they connect with an issue, they confirm that they live within the relevant local area. They are then identified by a red dot to others connected with the same issue.

Proponents of issues—such as local governments, property developers and location-based corporations—are able to name the catchment area in which they would like to consult. The verification process gives them confidence that they are receiving feedback from the right places.

 

Early Users

While PlaceSpeak is still in beta mode, numerous pilot projects are underway. The City of Vancouver is testing PlaceSpeak as part of several consultations, including it’s backyard composting pilots and Tag Your Hood contest. The Town of Gibsons is also using it to seek input into their Harbour Area Action Plan.  Other groups testing the platform are  the Vancouver Maritime Museum and Kits Point Residents Association.

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More Information

PlaceSpeak is a start-up being incubated by New City Ventures in Vancouver, B.C. It has received early financial support from the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program, the MITACS-Accelerate program and Industry Canada’s Small Business Intership Program.

For further details, contact PlaceSpeak by email.

Disclaimer

I am a member of the PlaceSpeak team.