1. Design: Providing Transparency
for Civic Engagement
By Elisabetta Di Stefano
M.S. Communication/Packaging Design

2. Most civic agencies (federal, tribal, state or local) suffer from
unnecessary politics, silos, and turf wars. To eliminate the
bureaucratic friction endemic to city agencies, our role as
communication designers is to build bridges for these complex
relations by eliminating confusion while simultaneously
facilitating change. Visual and systems thinking, two important
design attributes, will help bring this concept into fruition.
Designers can begin to increase the much-needed transparency
between the public, the government and civic agencies.

3. Defining Roles | Making Connections
Civic Agencies Citizens | Community Non Profits (ex: Rotary Club, Kiwanis, District Board, Committes, etc.)
Federal Community Groups
In New York: The districts divided within each borough.
State Districts
Local Schools
Schools that are within that area that is being discussed are effected
Tribal Citizen
Executive, Legislative, Judicial
50 States | Different Laws
Other
Urban Planners
Designers
http://www.usa.gov/Government/Tribal-Sites/index.shtml Activists

4. Civic Agencies

5. Community

6. Other

7. Understanding Relationships Between These Roles
• Economic
• Political
• Social
• Cultural

8. Attitudes & Egos
Understanding People’s Attitudes Towards Governement Today.
• Baby Boomers, Gen X, DotNets [Is there a difference?]
Involvement
• Who does get involved to make a difference?

9. Perception

10. Systems Thinking