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Manor, Texas: Government Evolution or Fad Solutions in the QR Code-Connected Town

by Matthew Zuras on September 2, 2010 at 01:43 PM

google streetview image of jennie lane smartpark qr code
Ponder, for a moment, this photo of a field in Manor, Texas. Outside Jennie Lane SmartPark, which is also the home to the town's farmers' market, hangs a large QR code that directs both residents and curious passersby to this website, which gives a brief history of the land and its re-dedication from "park" to "SmartPark." The SmartPark now boasts free Wi-Fi and "technology training classes," all a part of Manor's government tech upgrade that began back in 2008.

With an estimated population of 5,468, Manor is still a small town. But its upgrade -- including services like a redesigned city website, a Web app for reporting street and water issues called SeeClickFix, and a crowd-sourcing website for new ideas called Manor Labs -- has made news as representing the evolution of local government into the Internet age. Manor will be hosting a two-day tech conference later this month called manor.govfresh, where city officials will meet with other municipal governments about its programs, and will even give another town -- De Leon, Texas -- a "Gov City 2.0 Makeover."

Although Manor may have suffered the same financial constraints as many small towns since the start of the recession, it does maintain nearly double the median household income of De Leon, which has been hit even harder by the economy; the town of 2,433 had to lay off one of its five police officers, and postpone the promotion of a part-time government employee to full time. Manor's "makeover" is intended to lower De Leon's costs in the way that it did its own -- by reducing the number of calls about public projects (as citizens look up the information with the many posted QR codes), and by moving its utility payments online.

The question is whether or not, at the cost of fewer government personnel, this is the right direction for towns like Manor and De Leon. QR codes are, after all, just bar codes with an education; but the citizens of Manor (or, at least those participating in Manor Labs) seem to have quite a zeal for posting the codes. The "Highest Rated Idea" listed on the Manor Labs page suggests printing t-shirts with "a large 'Smart Code' on the back" and placing the QR signage at local businesses in a sort of scavenger hunt for a proffered prize. Is Manor setting itself up to be the City of Barcodes?
qr code outside bloor house
As we dive headlong into new technology, we have to question its long-term effects. While QR codes have become one of the latest fads in mobile technology, we wonder if Manor's QR program actually encourages more dialogue with local government, as opposed to simply providing faster access to government websites, while bolstering barcode blight. While Manor Labs is a dynamic and innovative way to encourage citizen participation, we can't help but note that the postings of new ideas have dropped sharply in recent months. Is the fad over?

For now, we'll take Manor at its word when it says that its 2.0 incarnation makes the city more economically stable and open to citizens' ideas. But should it serve as a positive example for other small towns stuck in the pre-digital era? Automating services like utility payments is a smart move that more local governments need to adopt, but barcodes seem less a long-term solution and more a fleeting curiosity.

Tags: barcodes, de leon, DeLeon, local government, LocalGovernment, manor, manor labs, manor.govfresh, ManorLabs, QR code, QrCode, recession, seeclickfix, texas, top

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