README

###Community Engagement Playbook ####by Lena Geraghty and Katherine Klosek with contributions from Kristen Ahearn, Matt Pazoles, Eric Reese, and Rebecca Williams

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####Want to learn how to engage your community?

Now more than ever, cities are working to get data and information in the hands of residents to help them stay informed and make decisions, frequently in the form of open data, performance indicators, and strategic plans. Residents can interact with the data to understand progress in priority areas, analyze data, and create tools of their own. Government data affects and informs a large variety of stakeholders but is often requested, accessed, and used by a small core community of people. How can a city move past the “usual suspects” and ensure the data it shares reaches everyone who may be interested?

To assist cities in elevating community engagement efforts, the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, a partner in the What Works Cities initiative, has created this playbook. By learning from the experiences of other cities and following best practices developed by the Center, cities will gain a greater understanding of community engagement.