Community Hierarchy of Needs
Communities have responsibility to ensure every resident is able to live their best life.
At WeAccel, we understand it is the responsibility of every government organization to invest first in the basic needs of their residents. The benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion will only be realized when communities ensure these values are reflected in their investments.
The world is changing fast. The biggest global shifts in history are forcing communities to face - and fund - aging infrastructure in the face of increasing demand for even newer, greener solutions. Additionally, disadvantaged communities, especially communities of color, historically have been deprived of equitable access to infrastructure, education, and other basic human services needed to live their best lives.
WeAccel’s Community Hierarchy of Needs provides every community with a new perspective and approach to civic investment and budget prioritization.
Linked with WeAccel’s Neighborhood and Industry Action Council community-engagement initiatives, this approach provides a community engagement and investment framework that has been adopted by Global Communities Technology Challenge and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Developed by Deborah Acosta and Ann Marcus, Smart City Diaries (c)
Building Communities - not from the internet up - but from People up.
Developed by Deborah Acosta and Ann Marcus, Smart City Diaries (c)
As noted in NIST’s Special Publication 1900 / NIST SP 1900-207 ipd “Global Community Technology Challenge (GCTC) Strategic Plan 2024-26 - Smart City Infrastructure Program”, the Community Hierarchy of Needs is a way of “developing a model of community functions….[that recognizes] city needs and aspiration are built on a foundation that provides for the most basic services.”
WeAccel’s Community Hierarchy of Needs, developed on the principles championed by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, enables your community to prioritize projects and funding based on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.
““....the current goal for the GCTC - and for smart city planning in general—is no longer to focus on the integration of new technologies, or even the collection and management of big data, but rather the use of digital resources, information, and capabilities to achieve measurable improvements in security, livability, and quality of life for all residents, and to aid in establishing trusted relationships between government, private sector enterprise, organizations and citizen groups, and the communities that define a smart city.””
