CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 11, 2023 — coUrbanize, a technology company that facilitates community engagement for proposed planning and real estate developments, was named to the GovTech 100 for the eighth year in a row.
The GovTech 100 is an annual list compiled and published by Government Technology as a compendium of 100 companies focused on, making a difference in, and selling to state and local government agencies across the United States.
This honor follows several others coUrbanize received in 2022, including GlobeSt.’s 50 under 40, ConnectCRE’s Women in Real Estate, and GlobeSt.’s Women of Influence, all for founder and CEO Karin Brandt.
Developers and municipalities use the coUrbanize platform to encourage community feedback on proposed projects. The feedback influences project plans and ultimately speeds up the approvals process.
Another highlight of 2022 was a 50% increase in the number of comments posted on project sites in aggregate, year over year. The total number of comments posted during 2022 totaled 16,233, with an average of 92% positive or neutral comment sentiment. The high quality of the feedback resulted in project teams incorporating meaningful changes into project plans, which in turn resulted in more on-time approvals.
“It’s no surprise that the growth in participation coincides with an important trend – a decline in NIMBYism,” says Brandt. She points to a coUrbanize survey published in September of 2022, which revealed that most respondents supported affordable housing.
“The fallout from COVID and the ongoing housing crisis have made people attuned to issues of equity and inclusivity,” Brandt notes. “Project planners and developers want to address these issues and so do communities. Engagement allows both ‘sides’ to work together toward these goals, and that is what’s driving demand for our platform.”
She concludes: “We expect to see further declines in NIMBYism in 2023 along with increasing interest in engagement efforts. That’s good for coUrbanize’s business, of course, but also for our mission – to empower more people to shape the future of where they live and work.”
About coUrbanize
coUrbanize gives people a way to share their feedback and have a voice in a development or public planning process without having to go to a meeting – by simply posting a comment online or texting in their ideas — and having a two-way dialogue with the project team. More than 550 development and real estate teams have used coUrbanize to scale public outreach in a more inclusive way, have more productive conversations with the community, and ultimately build critical support for their projects. For more information, please visit cour.loc.
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