Who reaps the benefits of smart management of neighborhood complaints?: Impact of online participatory forums on neighborhood equity

Abstract

Online platforms have been increasingly in use for reporting neighborhood issues. SeeClickFix is one of these tools implemented, through which citizens can report non-emergency maintenance issues, such as potholes, noise complains or illegal graffiti, to the local governments. In this paper, we analyzed SeeClickFix data to examine whether there were any variances across neighborhoods in their issue-reporting patterns and the likelihood of their problems being acknowledged and resolved by the government. Our findings reveal that higher-income neighborhoods are more likely to report issues and experience higher response rates. Walkability was also associated with more reporting. We additionally conducted street observations to confirm that socioeconomically more stable neighborhoods have a higher tendency to report issues. These findings carry important implications for who takes advantage of the technology designed for civic engagement and, as a result, reaps the benefits for improving their living environments. Future research and practice will need to consider these implications to achieve neighborhood equity in the era of rapid technological advancements and remote service deliveries.