The greater Northwest and Cascadia region has been buzzing in the Internet era, brimming with innovative technology and civic engagement services. A number of governments throughout the region have already launched open government directives to much acclaim.
This week, a symnposium known as Open Gov West, presented by the City of Seattle and Knowledge as Power, will convene the leaders of the OpenGov movement to facilitate regional collaboration and share best practices across open government initiatives. The two-day event will begin with a work summit on the 26th to help governments address common challenges and solution-sharing. A second inspiring day of innovation, dubbed an “unconference” will take place on the 27th.
OpenGovWest will share the visions of a number of speakers: Andrew Hoppin (New York State Senate’s CIO), Sabra Schneider (King County Webmaster), Bill Schrier (Seattle CIO) and David Hume, Executive Director, (Citizen Engagement), among them.
Seattle City Hall is the conference venue, marking the first time City Hall chambers will be used to host a conference. With ticket prices that started at just $75 for two days and $30 for an unconference pass, Open Gov West is an accessible forum, even in these turbulent economic times.
Follow the conference on Twitter @opengovwest The conference hashtag is #ogw [24×7]
Amazon.com’s Relocation Expands in Westlake
Amazon.com has enlarged its footprint in the Seattle area by signing a long-term lease for 180,000 square feet of office space at 2201 Westlake from Vulcan Real Estate. Amazon plans to take occupancy in mid-2010.
Vulcan delivered the 318,880-square-foot speculative office building at 2201 Ninth Ave. in July of last year. The Westlake neighborhood has the distinction of being Seattle’s first mixed-use and high-rise residential building to attain LEED Gold certification.
Amazon’s lease brings the office portion of 2201 Westlake to full occupancy. The building also features about 25,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, as well as 135 residential condominiums. [24×7]
Get more info in the Seattle24x7 blog
