Communities wake up to new disruptions each and every day. The good news is that local governments that plan and prepare for disruptive change have the ability to persevere and recover rapidly.

Inspired by the 2016 ICMA Annual Conference track, "Building Stronger Communities during Disruptive Change," ICMA is building on that theme with centralized resources that focus on planning and preparedness for the disruptive challenges that local government leaders and their staffs face. 

ICMA.org/DisruptiveChange will feature a mix of weekly posts as well as larger pieces authored by local government and industry experts including how-to tips, best practices, checklists, ebooks, and other resources that can enhance local government service delivery during disruptive or challenging times.

Read How to Prepare For and Recover From Community Crisis Like a Pro, a post inspired by a conference educational session presented by panelists Pamela Hylton, assistant city manager of Richmond City Heights, Missouri, and Jerry Newfarmer, president and CEO of Management Partners.

Content topics initially posted on ICMA.org/DisruptiveChange include:

• Crisis Communication. The world has seen an acceleration of both natural and human-caused crises. Sound crisis communications practices can go a long way toward helping citizens and local government personnel understand and deal with dangerous situations in a timely and prudent manner. Content will offer strategies to help readers translate information about a hazard into language their citizens, personnel, and the media will clearly understand.
• Public Safety.From the uncertainty that first responders face when called to a potential terrorist attack to the major upheaval communities are confronting when residents take to the streets in emotionally charged protests, these are difficult times for local government. Content will explore successful strategies for keeping residents safe and improving community relations.  
• Community Engagement. Local governments need to recognize the importance of engagement work as well as the need for effective plans for engagement and ways to measure the results of their efforts. Content will give readers hands-on information on how local government staff can build upon or expand their understanding and skills of civic engagement, a series of steps local governments can take to bring about a higher level of engagement with their citizens using a combination of existing and emerging technologies, and how a community can determine the outcomes of all its engagement efforts.
  
  

[Take a look at ICMA.org/DisruptiveChange] 

WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO ICMA.ORG/disruptivechange? HERE'S YOUR CHANCE TO LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

We are always searching for success stories on crisis communication, public safety, and community engagement. If you have a great story to tell, please email sferrigno@icma.org.