Connected Neighborhood Pilot Project

Description	Take a whole sytems approach to help one neighborhood effectively get on and use the information highway. This project will focus on applications to community activity, not on how much state-of-the-art equipment can be crammed into one neighborhood. A major goal is broad anddiverse participation. The project should have one of its goals addressing some concrete problem or challenge in that community. One component of this could be skills training and employment for local residents to maintain the hardware and software in the neighborhood.
Vision:	We have a model of a quality connected neighborhood. This would include the development of a rich set of information and communication services that focus on the capabilities, aspirations, and needs, of a single Seattle neighborhood. This project should be ongoing and highly participative. In other words, it should not be created solely by "experts." It should be open-ended and inclusive.
Need:	New communications technology offers opportunities and challenges for geographical neighborhoods to communicate within, between each other, and with the outside world. There is a lot of talk, but not a good example of a wired community in Seattle. There are "pocket" neighborhoods with great needs which have a difficult time attracting sufficient resources and have not had the guidance to "retool" their community to take advantage of information technology resources. There is a need to discover how communications technology can be more effectively integrated into the fabric of technology underserved and low income communities.
Activities:	Identify a small neighborhood with interest in the project Determination of project process Open forums with people bringing in lots of outside expertise and ideas coupled with extensive Q&A, briefings Training, Seeking of partners willing to invest in the project Developing services, marketing, Grant-writing
Outcomes:	A suite of information and communication services to support a Seattle neighborhood. Since it is a pilot we are also very interested in what we can learn from the project: what worked? What didn't work? process description, evaluation, recommendations.
Project Management
Resources Needed	An interested neighborhood Sponsors and investors Community Organizer Technology adviser(s) Funding for hardware and software
Potential Partners	Private vendors, Advisory Councils, other City departments (Neighborhoods, Economic Development), Community Colleges, Seattle Jobs Initiative Neighborhood Councils, Washington State, King County Seattle Community Network, , neighborhood newspapers, micro-radio, ethnic associations Brainerd Foundation, TIIAP, CTCNet, Association For Community Networking
Evaluation	Percentage increase in the number of residents, businesses and organization online in the community Number of services and communications transferred from other media to electronic delivery High usage, increased economic activity (small business start-ups or growth), increased political participation, neighborhood cohesiveness
Timeline
Funding Proposed	$10,000 start-up

Citizen Literacy and Access Fund Proposals for Technology Literacy and Access Projects 1999-2000

Citizen Literacy and Access Fund
Proposals for Technology Literacy and Access Projects 1999-2000