Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Do you ever complain to yourself about potholes? Well, now you can complain to the city.
It's that time of the year: the birds are singing, the Sox are in spring training, the flowers are sprouting and – the potholes along Boston streets are threatening to eat us alive. Last week, Mayor Thomas Menino announced a concerted effort by the Boston Public Works Department to fill potholes that appeared over the winter. In addition, the department is asking for residents' help to identify problem spots on the roads. “Boston’s residents deserve a smooth ride," Menino said. “Our city works best when everyone works together. With residents help we can identify and repair potholes more quickly than if Public Works did it alone." Residents can report potholes using the Citizens Connect app, calling the mayor's hotline at 617-635-4500, …
Thursday, August 16, 2012
With 20 percent of city service requests coming from residents' smart phones, the mobile app is changing the way residents communicate with local government.
From graffiti to potholes to broken street lights, with more than 20 percent of city service requests now being reported through Boston's Citizens Connect, Boston's Chief Information Officer Bill Oates deemed the mobile app a success. "Citizens Connect opened the door to the city that showed us what we can do with technology, and in very innovative ways," he said in an interview with Techtarget.com. The concept of allowing residents to communicate with local government via their smart phones is now being integrated in many different departments. "So what we did with Citizens Connect, in connecting [residents] with their basic services, we now do in lots of places: in the education space, in the administration and finance space, in public…
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
It's summertime in Boston. Here are some of the things I love right now about living in the city.
Living in the city can often lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and grumpiness, especially during the dog days of August. Therefore, I thought I’d be the optimist for once and mention several of the things that are making me happy right now (well, mostly), courtesy of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the good people at City Hall. Food trucks – There are now fifteen food trucks located around the city. Food trucks serve hot, tasty food similar in quality to what you'd find at any two/three-star restaurant in Boston; in other words, these are definitely not glorified ice cream trucks. I've seen five or six of the trucks located around the city and they often seem to gather a good-sized crowd. The Kick-*ss Cupcakes truck was on Boylston …
