Press Release Archives - 574-96 Electronic Town Hall

Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: November 7, 1996

Release #574-96

Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958, Deirdra L. Picou (212) 788-2971 or,
Karen Hinton (202) 708-0614 (HUD)

MAYOR GIULIANI AND U.S. HUD ASSISTANT SECRETARY CUOMO OPEN "ELECTRONIC TOWN HALL ," UNVEIL NEW COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM

NEW YORK CITY -- Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Assistant Secretary Andrew Cuomo today unveiled a new HUD designed communications system that will change the way local and Federal governments and residents communicate with each other. Joining the Mayor at the unveiling ceremony were Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Planning Fran Reiter and Department of City Planning Director Joseph B. Rose.

The "Electronic Town Hall," officially opened for the first time on HUD's Internet site, is designed to help residents obtain geographically-coded information on hundreds of Federal projects across New York City and comprehensive plans on how HUD dollars will be spent. The "Electronic Town Hall" also allows residents to comment on the plans, as well as public policy issues.

This new communications and technology system, Community Connections, is an initiative of the Federal "reinventing government" effort and has been three years in the making. The system provides a new way for HUD to communicate with its clients -- more than 1,000 cities and counties across the country -- and it creates a new electronic communications system between residents and government. It replaces over 1,000 pages of paperwork with an on-line computer mapping system.

Mayor Giuliani said, "Community Connections puts the City's Consolidated Plan on the Internet. This will allow all New Yorkers and the world to have access to the details of New York City's extensive and innovative programs in the areas of affordable housing, homeless housing, supportive housing services and community economic development programs."

"The goal of our efforts is to make government work better and strengthen the people's trust in government's ability to make a real difference in their lives. Opening lines of communication, closed for decades, is the first step," said Assistant Secretary Andrew Cuomo, who oversees HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development.

"We are here today to announce a joint first step on the bridge to the 21st century by going On-line on HUD's Internet Homepage," said Fran Reiter, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Planning. "Mayor Giuliani has continually pushed for the development of initiatives which will streamline government and improve the quality of services for New Yorkers."

"The City of New York is pleased to enter into this relationship with HUD to utilize technology to inform the public of the use of the Federal funds in the City," said Joseph B. Rose, Director of the Department of City Planning. "Better information will improve citizen input into City government by increasing the interaction between City Officials and their constituents."

The HUD office of Community Planning and Development has been recognized by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government as a leading example of successful government reinvention. Community Connections has been named a 1996 winner of the prestigious Innovations in American Government Awards competition that drew 800 entries from all levels of government across the country. Community Connections also recently won a Federal Technology Leadership Award sponsored by Government Executive magazine.

Community Connections provides detailed information on the more than $360 million in economic and community development grants and loans awarded by HUD's Office of Community Planning and Development to the City of New York on an annual basis. Funding descriptions are combined with data on unemployment, income levels, and population descriptions. Stored in databases and displayed on intricate, street level maps, this system is available immediately through the Internet or a telephone call to HUD.

HUD is making the databases and the computer mapping software, as well as lesson plans, available free of charge to all of the middle and high schools in New York's Empowerment Zone. The lesson plans focus on civics, neighborhood development, and economics and are designed to encourage students to question government use of tax dollars and develop activities and projects students think are best for their communities. (Lesson plans are included in press packets.) HUD is also working with libraries, non-profit groups, and community organizations on making the system available to residents.

The address for this new HUD Internet site is http://www.hud.gov.