gathering community feedback on development projects via technology platforms

Click on this link to read the entire Washington Business Journal article by Katie Arcieri.

The products here from Imby and CoUrbanize would seem to be a potential good use for DC development projects.

By Katie Arcieri  – Staff Reporter, Washington Business Journal

Oct 18, 2018, 2:38pm EDT Updated Oct 18, 2018, 3:05pm 

When JBG Smith Properties began planning Crystal City's Central District, the developer wanted feedback from a broad segment of the community on the multifaceted project — not just the typical handful of citizens who have the time to testify at public hearings.

      

JBG Smith (NYSE: JBGS) Executive Vice President Andrew Van Horn said the company found a fix: Boston-based CoUrbanize, whose technology platform allows developers to gather feedback from community members via text, social media and comments posted in online forums. 

       

"With a project of this scale and this much potential development, we really wanted to find new opportunities to access community members who couldn't show up at board hearings and wait six hours to testify," Van Horn said. 

       

And it's not just JBG Smith. A growing number of developers across the region are turning to startup companies like CoUrbanize and D.C.-based Imby Community to gather public support early in a project's planning process and avoid costly delays if an appeal is filed.

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