Book Talk: “The Urban Commons” By Dan O’Brien

By Doruntina Zeneli

On Wednesday March 27, Dan O’Brien, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Urban Affairs and Criminology Northeastern University, spoke about the current 311 system in Boston and illustrated data trends that showcased how Bostonians interact with their neighborhoods and local governments. In his new book, The Urban Commons: How Data and Technology Can Rebuild Our Communities, he explored theories of custodianship and territoriality.

O’Brien provided a brief overview of the 311 system, which takes requests by residents within cities in regards to potholes, broken street lights, fallen trees and other neighborhood issues. In addition, the ideas of custodianship and the urban commons are related to the 311 system by enabling a collaborative effort by residents to maintain their local community. As a result, they are considered as “caretakers of the public space.” According to O’Brien, it is fascinating that it takes infrastructure maintenance for people to make a collaborative effort and be more empowered to report these neighborhood issues.

What is the main motivation behind the inclination by residents to act as custodians in their local communities? O’Brien explained that “people are motivated by civic disposition…those who vote or volunteer are people care about their surrounding area and will most likely use 311.” He goes on to explain the notion of territoriality and how people are motivated by their concerns for a given space.

People like spaces that are consistent, therefore, 311 reports are directly correlated with this theory. However, in consolidating 311 report data, O’Brien was able to develop insights and found that 82 percent of people did not call beyond two blocks of their home and the median distance was only 7 meters. Although people care about their local communities, a neighborhood issue beyond their surrounding area is unlikely to be reported.

Lastly, a common theme of this talk was the degradation of local governments and how it can impact the likelihood of utilizing the 311 system. In neighborhoods where the trust of the local government is limited, 311 calls are less likely. As a result, there continues to be a divide between constituents and representatives leading to less calls to 311 by residents.

Click The Urban Commons to download slides from the talk.