About this Project
Status
The Municipal Technology web site is currently under development. Starting early this summer (we hope) this site will feature a new article every month. Each article will deal with the progressive use of technology in society. Although any approach to the subject matter may find its way onto this site, there will be an emphasis on practical ideas that people can actually use. Look for articles from Langdon Winner and Manuel Castells in the near future!
Principles
What is Municipal Technology?
MT serves as an outlet for writing on issues pertaining to technology and its implications for society. MT features a monthly column of 1,000 to 1,200 words written by international leaders in critical thought and creative action.
Three principles underlie MT publications:
- Technological actions fall within the range of public jurisdiction.
- Local events are significant contests of global forces.
- New, easily accessible language and concepts are needed to assist democratic efforts to discuss and shape technology.
The material here is based upon the claim that planning, research, design, and production/construction are public affairs. Democratic participation in technological decision making already takes place in a variety of areas. Tires, phone calls, and water all run on municipally-owned technologies or right-of-way. Municipalities here and there have purchased cable TV infrastructures. Outside the USA, many governments actively sponsor citizen-led innovation efforts.
Many people misunderstand "technology" to be an entrepreneurial, private endeavor centered in corporate R&D labs, traded on NASDAQ, and featured in brightly colored magazines. Technology is much more than that--it often emerges out of local government policies, public financing, or efforts of volunteers and non-profit organizations. Our everyday lives and public environments exist as a bewildering array of artifacts and techniques.
Two things are sure: we do not adequately understand the extent of technology's influence. And we do not adequately know how to shape technology to serve social purposes. Local initiatives are not insignificant in the face of global forces and uncertainty. Municipal-level efforts are contests with national, sometimes global significance. These problems and innovations become models for responses to similar issues in distant communities. Local efforts test broader knowledge and expertise with the constraints and needs of a particular situation. They identify possibilities or problems that others can learn from.
Technology criticism helps to set goals and avoid problems. Pieces published here will help provide handles for thinking and action with respect to technological problems. These writers and artists may help you see ordinary things in a new light. They may broaden your vision of citizenship and society. They may provoke you to respond in new ways or teach you how to talk about something previously inexplicable.
The name we have chosen honors the many people involved in and making sensible, grounded decisions about technology for the public good. These public works employees, engineers, managers, local politicians, activists and citizens recognize that technology is the medium of civic infrastructure. A multitude of emerging technologies are relevant to shaping our public spaces and communities. MT provides a forum for contemplating the decisions and tools for making technology serve the goals of democratic society and strong communities.
Editorial Guidelines
The editorial guidelines for this site are still under consideration. We do know that articles should be roughly 1,000 - 1,200 words in length. Currently all articles are solicited by the editors. We plan to begin accepting unsolicited submissions early next year. Potential contributors: Thank you for your interest and patience!
Copyright to the article remains with the author. MT reserves the right to archive the article on the web in perpetuity (for a long time) and to distribute it digitally for non-commercial purposes. Readers of the MT site can download and distribute (for non-commercial purposes) all content on the site without prior permission or any payment. The author's name and the name "Municipal Technology" should appear on any article distributed either electronically or printed form.
MT Image Submission
We will soon begin accepting submissions for our randomly selected home page image. The image should reflect some aspect of MT but we leave it to your imagination as to how it should reflect it. Each submission should be a jpeg or gif image smaller than 60K. It should have been scanned at 72 dpi so that it occupies 3.5" (width) x 2" (height). There is no payment for the use of your image but artists will be acknowledged on the site.
Editors
David Levinger studies technosocial design in transportation, computer systems, and community infrastructure. He is currently working on a project exploring collaboration among citizens, planners, architects and engineers. David can be reached via e-mail at levity@rpi.edu.
Doug Schuler has been working towards democratization of communication technology for over 15 years. His book, New Community Networks: Wired for Change (Addison-Wesley, 1996) has been used as a model for community networks in communities all over the world. His web site on the Community Networking Movement features abstracts from his book, numerous articles, and a collection of resources for people interested in democracy and cyberspace. Doug has spoken to audiences in Asia, Europe, and North America and is currently teaching at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington US. Doug's e-mail address is douglas@scn.org.
Miscellaneous
And don't forget to check out our fabulous Y2K contest. Big $$$ prize!
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