Neighborhood Coordination

The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog recently asked about local neighborhood associations “What does it take to get more to volunteer and make a difference? … Can we organize and unite to be a more productive group?”

While SH was writing specifically about Seminole Heights neighborhood associations, this morning an idea occurred to me about a step towards organizing all the neighborhood associations in the Tampa Metropolitan Area.

I’m not the first to think of creating a virtual space bringing neighborhood associations together. Tommy Duncan at Sticks of Fire put together this helpful list of neighborhood associations, and the city has posted this map. But what seems to lacking is a way for these disparate groups, who all share similar interests and problems, to communicate with each other.

Here’s my suggestion. Some enterprising person(s) should compile an email list of all the neighborhood association board members and email them regularly to ask about what’s happening in their neighborhood, then post that information to create a single place where people can see if the challenges they are facing are shared across the metropolis, or are unique to their corner of the world. This also provides a common area for comments, and getting feedback from people outside your neighborhood who may have faced related problems in the past.

This is actually an ideal project for a site with a deep interest in hyperlocal blogging, social networks, and named Re/Creating Tampa, but right now my to-do list is jaw-droppingly long. And since I think it’s a good idea, and good ideas need to be shared, I’m throwing it out there to see if it might spark someone else’s interest.