Kristene Unsworth is an Assistant Professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Her research, as well as her teaching, focuses on information policy and ethics. Andrea Forte is an Assistant Professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She studies and designs technologies that support collaboration, cooperation, and learning in a variety of contexts. Richardson Dilworth is an Associate Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Center for Public Policy, at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. His research and teaching both focus on American urban political development, urban environment policy, and community economic development.

• Introduction – Urban Informatics: The Role of Citizen Participation in Policy Making 1. From Design Fiction to Design Friction: Speculative and Participatory 2. Technology-Enabled Participatory Platforms for Civic Engagement: The Case of U.S. Cities 3. Potential and Challenges for Social media in the Neighbourhood Context 4. The Digital Divide in Citizen-Initiated Government Contacts: A GIS Approach 5. Does Anything Ever Happen Around Here? Assessing the Online Information Landscape for Local Events 6. Goals, Challenges, and Capacity of Regional Data Portals in the United States: An Updated Understanding of Long-Standing Discussions

Kristene Unsworth is an Assistant Professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Her research, as well as her teaching, focuses on information policy and ethics. Andrea Forte is an Assistant Professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She studies and designs technologies that support collaboration, cooperation, and learning in a variety of contexts. Richardson Dilworth is an Associate Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Center for Public Policy, at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. His research and teaching both focus on American urban political development, urban environment policy, and community economic development.

• Introduction – Urban Informatics: The Role of Citizen Participation in Policy Making 1. From Design Fiction to Design Friction: Speculative and Participatory 2. Technology-Enabled Participatory Platforms for Civic Engagement: The Case of U.S. Cities 3. Potential and Challenges for Social media in the Neighbourhood Context 4. The Digital Divide in Citizen-Initiated Government Contacts: A GIS Approach 5. Does Anything Ever Happen Around Here? Assessing the Online Information Landscape for Local Events 6. Goals, Challenges, and Capacity of Regional Data Portals in the United States: An Updated Understanding of Long-Standing Discussions

Kristene Unsworth is an Assistant Professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Her research, as well as her teaching, focuses on information policy and ethics. Andrea Forte is an Assistant Professor in the College of Computing and Informatics at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She studies and designs technologies that support collaboration, cooperation, and learning in a variety of contexts. Richardson Dilworth is an Associate Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Center for Public Policy, at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. His research and teaching both focus on American urban political development, urban environment policy, and community economic development.

• Introduction – Urban Informatics: The Role of Citizen Participation in Policy Making 1. From Design Fiction to Design Friction: Speculative and Participatory 2. Technology-Enabled Participatory Platforms for Civic Engagement: The Case of U.S. Cities 3. Potential and Challenges for Social media in the Neighbourhood Context 4. The Digital Divide in Citizen-Initiated Government Contacts: A GIS Approach 5. Does Anything Ever Happen Around Here? Assessing the Online Information Landscape for Local Events 6. Goals, Challenges, and Capacity of Regional Data Portals in the United States: An Updated Understanding of Long-Standing Discussions