The document discusses designing an information system to act as a "nervous system" for cities to help them better respond to changes. It notes that without such a system, cities behave in fragmented, schizophrenic, and non-collaborative ways. It proposes that an integrated, simplified, mission-focused, open, and inclusive information system, enabled by IT, could help cities respond to issues, service requests, disasters, and development needs, similar to how a nervous system helps organisms. The document outlines developing a vision, roadmap, and catalyzing the roll-out of such an urban "nervous system" from 2011-2020.

13. Design issues building trust in ability to deliver results : meaningful consistent responses; citizens and businesses trust and trusted; few functions with clarity; mission focused services domains of governance (the areas where decisions must be made): energy, mobility, water, security, governance itself styles of governance : feudal, monarchist, federalist, anarchist, participative, collaborative mechanisms of governance : committee, teams, managers, councils, groups, communities, charters, budgets layers of governance : local, state, federal departments, functions, programs, schemes, windows success of governance : indicators, measurement, benchmarks, trust, scenarios, integrated, simplified, mission focused, open, inclusive, persistent

14. Steps to building a nervous system develop a vision for : individual, community and administrative information systems detail a roadmap from 2011 to 2020 for : integrated, simplified, mission focused, open, inclusive, persistent IS catalyze roll out of the roadmap : organize vehicles that will result in a self organizing nervous system

17. A ward-wise information system becomes a simple nervous system for a city

18. A shared information system further develops the nervous system for a city

19. The nervous system can detect the the spread of epidemics