Transformational delivery of public services...

South Africa, Johannesburg
Originally uploaded by Mistifarang

(Pikitup truck (lorry) with company logo. Flickr image by Mistifarang.)



This is a recurring item. There aren't tons of examples. See the discussion in this blog entry, "Prototyping and municipal capital improvement programs," as one example. I am big now on the design method rather than the more structured and less innovative "rational planning" method.

I frequently mention how Arlington County created the "Commuter Store" to market transit, and how they combine the design method, branding, and social marketing to push optimal behavior and service delivery. I like the Live Baltimore resident attraction program.

The Idea Store, the recasting of the traditional public library, by the Tower Hamlets Borough in London, is another example I discuss from time to time. Her*itage and His*tory has an entry on it, "A Place to Store Ideas."

In the vein of thinking about branding, or at the very least, using opportunities available to cities, I think about the opportunity presented by garbage trucks which could also be thought of as moving billboards, rather than staid orange and white trucks. The City of Johannesburg runs its waste removal service as a publicly owned business, called Pikitup. See the old blog entry, "Every Litter Bit Hurts." Pikitup is conceptualized as a company focused on environmental management, not merely the removal of "solid waste."

Artist Desiree Bender in front of a recycling truck that she painted. (April Saul / Staff Photographer) Philadelphia Inquirer.

In an ongoing public art project, the City of Philadelphia allowed a recycling truck to be painted in a manner designed to promote recycling, which was done by Desiree Butler and the award-winning Mural Arts Project. Thus far they have painted a handful of trucks using different designs, with 60 children from 4 city recreation centers.

While I might suggest limiting the number of designs and being sure to include specific messages, contact information and a distinct high quality logo and brand identity for the project, this is a step forward in any case.