Giving Compass' Take:

• During “The Equity Imperative,” an online forum the Urban Institute hosted this month, participants from government, nonprofit and private sectors shared how technology can aid COVID-19 recovery in communities. 

• How can donor investment help sectors with data research and increase access to tech resources? 

• Here are four ways that engineers are using technology to respond to COVID-19. 

The pandemic has forced an unprecedented reliance on digital services and innovation as many Americans work and learn from home and shop online. Most Americans say the internet has been an essential resource during the COVID-19 outbreak. But in 92 cities in 2018, at least one in five households had no broadband internet of any type, including cellular data plans. Low-income households and people of color are less likely than white people to have broadband and mobile access.

Cities are recognizing the gaps, and our recent survey of technology leaders in 11 cities found many are working to expand internet access and deliver information and services in new ways. For example, Pittsburgh created an online Housing Assistance Resource Portal to help residents find information about housing online. And in March, Aurora, Illinois, held its first virtual city council meeting, which had more than 220 times more participants than traditional, in-person meetings.

Technology will play a key role in recovery and a post-COVID-19 world. But for it to contribute to the development of truly equitable and inclusive communities, the public, private, and nonprofit sectors must all have a seat at the table. During “The Equity Imperative,” an online forum the Urban Institute hosted this month, experts shared what each sector can do right now to ensure technology helps reimagine communities, rather than exacerbate existing systemic racial and socioeconomic biases.

Recommendations for the public sector

  • Sharing policy and equity goals
  • Making data more accessible to residents, such as through user-friendly interfaces and easily understandable language.
  • Partnering with community-based organizations to determine resident needs and co-create solutions.
  • Adapting codes and regulations to ensure innovations are sustainable.

Recommendations for community-based organizations and nonprofits

  • Using city data to educate residents so they understand current utilization rates, city priorities, and service delivery levels.
  • Building capacity to be able to exert credibility in spaces of data, technology, and hardware.

Read the full article about technology assistance during the pandemic by Madeline Brown and Richard Ezike at Urban Institute.