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CURRENT PROJECTS
CPEC is involved in a wide range of public policy issues including
community development, housing, public health, early childhood,
regional indicators, government performance measurement and program
evaluation. A short description of some of our major projects
follows:
City Scan
The City Scan Project, which puts state of the art technology
in the hands of citizens, is considered a national model for
helping urban residents improve neighborhood quality of life.
City Scan trains city youth and adults to use handheld computers,
digital cameras and global positioning systems (GPS) to inventory
conditions such as graffiti, abandoned buildings, illegal dumping,
litter and many more. The information and digital photos are
preserved in a database for analysis, prioritization and communication
with city agencies. CPEC staff can also map the data to show
patterns in neighborhoods.
City Scan software is in use in ten other states around the country and
is growing rapidly. The software has also been used to conduct
surveys and capture respondents' answers in the field for analysis
without additional data entry.
The program is more than just a technology platform. City Scan
is designed to show the power of civic engagement and help residents affect real change in their neighborhoods.
Visit the City Scan website
CivicRADAR
Financed with a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation,
CPEC has developed the web-based e-government tool CivicRADAR .
CPEC offers CivicRADAR free of charge to any local government in Connecticut.
This
tool will allow citizens to make service requests on services such as
potholes, street lights, trash collection and virtually any other city
service directly to their local governments and follow
up on the status of those requests. CivicRADAR will therefore offer a
unique opportunity for high-level interaction between citizens and
governments while simultaneously providing governments a new way to
track internal workflows and the allocation of resources.
Visit the CivicRADAR web site
Local Learning Partnership
CPEC hosts the Local Learning Partnership (LLP) of the Making
Connections initiative in Hartford supported by the Annie E. Casey
Foundation. The LLP performs program evaluation, provides data
and policy research materials, manages resident surveys and tracks
overall initiative outcomes. CPEC staff has conducted an ongoing
evaluation over several years of efforts in Hartford to increase
utilization of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Visit Making Connection's website.
Performance Management and Municipal Services
Citizens and local government officials need better tools and
information to improve the quality of life in the communities they live
in and/or manage. Performance management is gaining ground in
government agencies across the nation as a way to truly improve
government performance.
CPEC has already worked with citizen groups in Hartford and
Stamford to help develop citizen satisfaction surveys. These surveys
are an excellent tool for gathering information regarding citizen
satisfaction with city services. Other cities in the nation are
effectively using satisfaction surveys to determine priorities and
improve city services.
PAST PROJECTS
Juvenile Justice Program Evaluation
In July 2000, CPEC was asked by the Connecticut State
Legislature to conduct a cost-benefit study of State funded juvenile
justice programs including the effects of these programs on recidivism.
In addition to requesting the cost benefit evaluation, the Act also
asked for an analysis of how programs address 12 key issues such as
integration strategies, victim's compensation and family involvement.
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