Civiclab

Overview

Civic Lab

Civic Lab

Civic Lab works with teams from around the region to design and launch pilot projects that address regional challenges through action at the local level.

Year 1: Smart Mobility

Year 2: Commercial Corridors

 

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Housing Series Workshop 1

Housing Series Workshop 1
Setting the Stage

How we got here and where do we go next: History of Exclusionary Zoning + Meaningful Engagement in New Virtual Era

To set the stage for the remaining workshops, this agenda will cover the historical policy decisions like zoning that local governments have made over time and how those decisions have implications for our work today, including practices that perpetuate racial and class disparities. How do we facilitate change that is meaningful to our communities and involve them in the process (in a likely virtual setting)?

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SACOG Launches Commercial Corridors Task Force

January 28, 2020: Commercial corridors in the Sacramento region  have been hit hard by changing consumer preferences, a lack of diverse housing options, and the rise of auto-oriented uses. Many of our region’s commercial corridors struggle with vacant or underutilized lots and lack the density or mix of residential and commercial uses that support a sense of place that can attract more people.

News

Civic Lab Year Two Graduation Marks New Phase for Projects

October 31, 2019: Today the 12 Civic Lab Year Two teams graduated in a special ceremony at the SACOG board meeting. But the end of the formal part of the program does not mean the end of the road for the teams, who are working on pilot projects designed to bring new life to tired commercial corridors. 

News

Transforming Government One Pilot Project at a Time

April 11, 2019: SACOG’s innovation accelerator Civic Lab was today presented with an Outstanding Achievement in Innovation award by the Alliance for Innovation. The presentation was at the Alliance’s Transforming Local Government Conference in Reno.

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It Takes a Village to Raise a Main Street

Civic Lab’s year two teams are tackling the complex problems around bringing life back to tired commercial corridors and main streets.  

Twelve teams from four counties are focused on commercial strips in their communities that need a boost — from major thoroughfares such as Folsom Boulevard and Del Paso Boulevard — to traditional main streets in smaller communities such as Isleton and Meadow Vista. The challenges faced by some of these commercial areas are myriad — from the decline of bricks-and-mortar retail in the face of online shopping to absentee landlords to a lack of housing to missing civic services.