Harvard Honors Austin Suburb’s Bright Idea for Citizen Engagement
Manor, Texas, an Austin suburb, has been known for years as the home of the state’s oldest—and now defunct—pari-mutuel horse racing track. But it’s a sure bet that Manor (pronounced MAY-ner), 12 miles east of downtown Austin, is building a far more prominent reputation as the horsepower behind a novel, technology-driven approach to government innovation.
Manor Labs, the relatively new crowd-sourced R&D mechanism for the City of Manor, lets anyone in the world propose inventive improvements for the burgeoning town of about 6,500 residents. In effect, the project is a virtual R&D factory.
Last month, the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government recognized Manor Labs as one of 173 government projects in its inaugural Bright Ideas program. Bright Ideas spotlights creative government initiatives around the country; Manor Labs was picked from a pool of nearly 600 applicants.
Harvard isn’t the only one to take notice of Manor’s technological prowess. In March, the Wall Street Journal dubbed Manor a “Hotbed of Tech Innovation.” Inc. magazine cited Manor as a Gov 2.0 wunderkind in August. Twice, the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy has featured Manor Labs on its blog.
In September, the blog reported on Manor’s “Municipal Makeover,” saying that the suburb “is endeavoring to transform itself into an innovative, efficient, and well-functioning bedroom community of Austin by rebuilding its institutions from the ground up with the help of free or cheap digital tools.”
In a news release, Dustin Haisler, chief information officer for the City of Manor, said Manor Labs “has helped break down the typical government and citizen … barriers by making Manor’s innovation process participatory, transparent and fun.”
Underlying the Manor Labs project is CitizenSpigit software from a California company called Spigit. The City of Manor was the first customer to install CitizenSpigit.
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