Problem Currently the City of Chattanooga has very limited data made public to its citizens, hindering citizen engagement and trust in government. Solution Mayor Berke is working to release unprecedented amounts of public data in the city to spur civic innovation and economic growth. From interactive budgeting tools, to applications […]

Smart Government | Andy Berke | Former Mayor | Chattanooga, TN

Problem Cities often create solutions to solve a problem they have with providing a service to citizens without any thought or consideration to the end user, the citizen. This internal focus creates services that work for cities but not for citizens. Solution Empathy is key to citizen centered design and […]

Smart Government | Andy Berke | Former Mayor | Chattanooga, TN

Problem Typically, government services are built after long, costly procurement processes that rarely ask users for input on their interactions with those services. Meanwhile citizens’ interactions with government are often perceived as cumbersome or inefficient. In order to increase trust in government, local agencies should place users at the center […]

Smart Government | Andy Berke | Former Mayor | Chattanooga, TN

Problem By providing access to information, connecting people to businesses, and opening up new markets, the internet is changing the economy and supporting economic development. Yet nearly 30 percent of American households do not have Internet access, according to a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau. Those Americans with […]

Infrastructure | Andy Berke | Former Mayor | Chattanooga, TN

Problem Government departments collect information on their services but rarely have enough time to analyze their data to ask meaningful questions that could lead to delivering services more effectively. Solution Mayor Andy Berke has proposed the “Citizen Data Scientist Challenge,” as a way to provide departments with meaningful information on […]

Jobs and Entrepreneurship | Andy Berke | Former Mayor | Chattanooga, TN