Before 311, Chicago had dozens of phone numbers, smaller call centers, and a variety of access points for city services. At best, this led to confusion. At worst, it prevented people from accessing the information and services they needed.
In 1999, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley created 311 as a consolidated and comprehensive way for city residents to access all city services with just two simple and easy-to-remember numbers — 911 for emergencies and 311 for everything else.
Baltimore was the first city to create a 311 system — back in 1996 — but Baltimore saw 311 as a non-emergency crime number intended to free up 911 for emergencies.
Mayor Daley and his team re-imagined 311 a hub for all city services, dramatically enhancing the 311 model to expand its impact. Under Mayor Daley's leadership, 311 became both a single access point for all non-emergency city services and a transparency and customer service tool, which allowed citizens to access city services and information more easily. Now, the volume of requests and response times of several departments can be found online.
"Prior to calling 311, if you had a problem with a cab driver or a broken street sign, you needed a PhD in public administration to figure out which agency would handle your complaint," one analyst wrote in an article published as Mayor Daley was finishing his final term in office. "With 311, residents easily accessed city government and gave the mayor information about what services they needed in their neighborhoods. Centralizing the request intake facilitated better focus on service delivery and prioritization. Daley was 'crowd sourcing' before anyone knew what that meant."
311 made government more accessible, productive, and efficient. Today, city officials can provide work orders to crews more efficiently, and can track the speed of service more effectively. Officials also can allocate resources based on citizens' demands.
Here are three examples of 311's impact:
It prevented flooding. During a heavy rainstorm in 2001, the Department of Sewers used "Water in the Basement" reports submitted to 311 to pinpoint areas of heavy flooding and adjust the sewer system to improve drainage. In future storms, the city made preemptive adjustments to prevent flooding.
It helped to keep residents healthy. In 2003, more than 260 Americans died from the West Nile virus, but there were zero fatalities in Chicago. The city prevented the virus from spreading by tracking 311 reports of dead birds — since birds are more susceptible — and using the information to spray strategically for mosquitos and remove standing water.
It helped improve emergency response times. Before Chicago created the 311 system, 911 received more than 32,000 calls on a very rainy day in 1997. During the 2001 rainstorm, 311 received almost 50,000 calls in a day, while 911 received only 19,000, just slightly more than average. This shift helped emergency officials respond more quickly.
311 made government more accessible, productive, and efficient. Today, city officials can provide work orders to crews more efficiently, and can track the speed of service more effectively. Officials also can allocate resources based on citizens' demands.
Here are three examples of 311's impact:
It prevented flooding. During a heavy rainstorm in 2001, the Department of Sewers used "Water in the Basement" reports submitted to 311 to pinpoint areas of heavy flooding and adjust the sewer system to improve drainage. In future storms, the city made preemptive adjustments to prevent flooding.
It helped to keep residents healthy. In 2003, more than 260 Americans died from the West Nile virus, but there were zero fatalities in Chicago. The city prevented the virus from spreading by tracking 311 reports of dead birds — since birds are more susceptible — and using the information to spray strategically for mosquitos and remove standing water.
It helped improve emergency response times. Before Chicago created the 311 system, 911 received more than 32,000 calls on a very rainy day in 1997. During the 2001 rainstorm, 311 received almost 50,000 calls in a day, while 911 received only 19,000, just slightly more than average. This shift helped emergency officials respond more quickly.
It was clear from the start that 311 was a win for citizens and for government: for a relatively minor up-front investment, 311 gave citizens greater access to city services and it helped government become more responsive and efficient.
Since it's been a while, we have hard evidence of replicability: more than 70 other U.S. cities — from big ones like New York City to small ones like Somerville, MA — have implemented their own 311 systems since Chicago led the way in 1999.
