Upzoned New York’s Bracket And The Politics Of Maintenance
Apr 22, 2026
Alexander Lazard, a municipal finance leader who runs public trust projects, and Edward Erfurt, a Strong Towns operations expert, unpack a March Madness-style contest for fixing NYC problems. They debate whether gamifying maintenance sparks real engagement or just PR, how 311 and voting reshape priorities, and which neighborhoods get left off the bracket.
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Maintenance As A Mobilizing Story
- Turning routine maintenance into a public contest can refocus civic attention and mobilize departments and residents.
- New York's bracket made small fixes visible and reframed maintenance as a community-prioritized agenda during the mayor's first 100 days.
Convert Contest Wins Into Operational Routines
- Use a contest to force internal change: convert popular small projects into routine work cycles.
- Make repainting benches or replacing nets part of an ongoing O&M schedule rather than one-off responses to votes.
Map Voters To Build Ongoing Engagement
- Track where engagement comes from and keep participants involved through completion and follow-up.
- Use submission software to map district responses, create heat maps, and build a cohort for ongoing input and projects.
