Why government organizations must build digital trust.

Today, my guest is Kate Burns. Kate is the Executive Director of MetroLab Network, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that connects local government organizations with universities to bring the latest in scientific research and innovation to the living lab of communities. MetroLab is a partnership ecosystem and runs projects to discover, implement, and scale innovative solutions for local government. Kate has a background in municipal government and in policy, and she's passionate about thriving cities and communities. She worked in Kansas City and Seattle, so understands the many different types of communities that are striving to adopt digital and innovative technology.

Kate and I decided to wrestle with a timely challenge for cities. The evolution of the digital town square. As social media platforms shift in ownership and purpose and as the audience starts to fragment across many separate platforms, it's becoming less clear where the digital town square will be in the future. What was once a common expectation—that journalists, administrators, politicians, and citizens could mingle freely and share ideas and concerns—seems to be eroding or at least changing.

Resource Links:

• Kate Burns LinkedIn
• MetroLab  LinkedIn | X
  • MetroLab Network, Data Governance Policy & Practice Guide
• Town and Gown Definition
• Ed Edelman Trust Barometer
• Kansas City Resident Satisfaction Survey Results
• Revenge of the Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell
  Amazon | Indigo | Kobo
• Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution, Janette Sadik-Khan & Seth Solomonow
  Amazon | Indigo | Kobo

Recorded in January of 2025

This is a show about the people that make digital public service work. If you'd like to find out more, visit northern.co/311-podcast/

We're going to keep having conversations like this. If you've got ideas of guests we should speak to, send us an email to [email protected].

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