The Aspen Forum for Community Solutions commissioned Jill Blair and Malka Kopell to write a paper in an effort to understand how we can best employ 21st century capacity, technology and resources to advance equity and enable those who have historically been on the margins of society to be more fully at its center. This report provides clear direction for doing so, positing three keystones for building a healthy and effective 21st century civic infrastructure –
• Engaging all sectors;
• Enlisting all voices;
• Creating vertical and horizontal thoroughfares for the exchange of information and practice.
It is our hope that these keystones will inspire conversation and self-examination across communities, causing us to ask the questions: how well are we doing and what can we improve?