Whether you're curious about code complaints or wondering what's under construction in your neighborhood, the City's new Open Arlington website offers a variety of searchable data to help citizens know more about their community.
Open Arlington is intended to serve as a central clearinghouse for accessing, visualizing, and interacting with public open data sets. The website, which launched this month, is designed to make it easier for users to find and even download information, ranging from active zoning cases to permits the City of Arlington has issued during the past three years.
"Open Arlington provides the public with the same information we as a city use to make decisions. When we are reviewing building permits or code complaints, citizens are seeing the same data. Making this information more readily available and consolidated in one place means citizens don't have to figure out which city department to contact to get their questions answered," said Elaine Dennehy, Planning Manager of Research and Analytics for the Community Development and Planning Department. "The information is right at their fingertips."
The website aligns with the City Council Priority to Put Technology to Work. Besides increasing transparency for citizens, the site is also expected to improve efficiency and time management for city staff, she said.
The site aims to answer common questions that citizens may have about their neighborhood. Searchable information includes:
- Garbage and recycling pick up days
- City Council district boundaries
- Nearby parks and library branches
- Gas wells
- Hike and bike routes
- Neighborhood Network
- Annual inspection scores and basic property information for apartment communities
- Updates on street construction, park investments and other capital improvements funded by bond money
Other features on Open Arlington includes apps that allows users to explore transformational construction projects within the city, such as Champions Park and Texas Live!, the University of Texas at Arlington's Science and Engineering Innovation Research Building, and the Downtown Library.
More data, such as public safety, capital project elements and community features, will be added to the Open Arlington site over the coming year, Dennehy said.
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