The arch nemesis of any automobile

Finally, public service gets digital! Graffiti on a park wall? Roadkill in front of your house? There’s an app for that! Officials launched the “YourGov” platform where residents of San Mateo County can report a variety of maintenance requests and follow up on the progress of repairs. Kind of like Waze, but for your neighborhood.

“The advantage for us is we end up with lots of eyes on the street that can see things in their own neighborhoods and can notify us,” said City Manager Larry Patterson. “And this way, we actually get people so they feel they’re more connected and a part of the process.”

“This falls in line with how we’ve been using social media and our peak democracy platforms like ‘Speak up San Mateo’ to keep the community informed and to provide them with an opportunity to share ideas on city projects and initiatives,” said Rebecca Zito, the city’s communications and public relations analyst.

Screenshot of how the app works

The app is made by a company called Cartegraph, they have made apps for a number of cities that do similar things. “Ultimately, it creates a channel for the citizens to connect directly to their city and understand the work that their government is doing for them — and it helps the city find problem areas, deliver high-quality service to citizens and keep their communities safe,” according to Cartegraph.

With civic engagement at an all time low, cities have turned to interactive apps. Similar to San Mateo’s YourGov, Burlingame has also worked with Cartegraph on a workflow app called SeeClickFix.