Civic engagement can build trust, value, and better government.

The “New Normal” is an opportunity to confront your assumptions, beliefs and views of local government that you have learned and adopted.

Examples of how localities are successfully stretching beyond traditional means to tackle challenging problems, build community and foster a civic culture.

The examples in this article demonstrate the impact and importance of utilizing technology to successfully stretch beyond traditional means to tackle challenging problems, build community and foster a civic culture.

This article details a series of problems with public hearings, and then culminates with an explanation of how online public comment forums complement public hearings in ways that (1) address their deficiencies, (2) enhance the perspectives and deliberations of government decision makers – and ultimately, (3) increase public trust in government.