We all have that pothole on the way to work, unattractive vacant lot across the street, or overgrown playground that we wish would magically be taken care of upon waking up the next day.  However, most things in life are not magically taken care of, and most of us don’t make the effort to take care of them ourselves.  In the aforementioned cases the policy is usually to report hazards or unsightliness to the correct local government department and hope that it is taken care of within the next year.  Unfortunately, the steps for civic responsibility are often difficult or unclear and weeds end up remaining for much longer than necessary.

Anne Liu, 30, recognized this issue and decided to do something about it.  After working with Mayor Bloomberg’s Special Project & Analytics team, the City of Long Beach, California and the TSA, Liu gained some knowledge on working in government.  While in New York City she was inspired to develop a system that replaces or improves upon city call centers.  She calls it PublicStuff.

PublicStuff “aims to connect people with their local government with the goals of increasing civic participation, accountability, and efficiency in municipalities across the United States.”  Through their website or app residents can make real-time requests that are filtered to the correct government department.  Users are also able to  get community information, access neighborhood mapping tools, and network with their neighbors and leaders.

The service PublicStuff provides proves especially useful during natural disasters.  After Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, people in affected cities stumbled across PublicStuff and began to report specific problems.  This example shows great potential for growth and aid in the future.  Liu’s idea allows not only governments, but organizations to categorize, prioritize, and efficiently complete projects to build a better community.  She is innovative and inspiring because she used her experience in government and chose to do something about the little things the people complain about everyday.  With 200 cities and organizations using PublicStuff and that number growing all the time, this product could become a regular part of civic responsibility in the future.