Arlington's Changing Story: Civic Engagement in Arlington County, Virginia

Abstract

This report describes an assessment of civic engagement practices in Arlington County, Virginia - the processes, the results, and the themes that emerged. The report also contains recommendations for improving these practices as well as methods for evaluating them in the future. The method used to accomplish these goals was to engage citizens in in-depth conversations about the way public life is conducted in Arlington. Special emphasis was placed on listening to “underengaged” groups as well as active citizens and county employees. Three “touchstone” themes emerged from the assessment: civic community, inreach, and democratic governance.

Keywords: civic engagement, civic governance, collaborative governance, civic organizing, inreach, Arlington County Virginia, civic conversation

JEL Classification: K00, K10, K30