Atlanta, GA: a Blueprint for Civil Society-Driven Analyses of Civic and Democratic Engagement Initiatives

Civic and democratic engagement initiatives are only as effective as the scope of their impact. However, determining “impact” can be a difficult endeavor. How can cities determine if these initiatives are delivering? Initiatives that promote civic and democratic engagement require frequent and regular assessments for their efficacy and impact. Developing an apparatus for doing so, however, is a challenge. Civil society can occupy a unique role to address this.

At the intersection of the public and non-profit sector, the Center for Civic Innovation (CCI), an Atlanta, Georgia-based consortium of advocates seeking to amplify community voices and develop more equitable approaches to community development, has built a unique model to assess one such community engagement initiative in Atlanta: the Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) system.

You can read the full case study here.