TOPP is a technology-driven social enterprise. Our projects leverage the Web to create a more open, engaged society.

Open Source for Government

With open source, public agencies can become more effective while saving billions of dollars. We help governments get the most out of open source. More…

Technology for Civic Empowerment

The Web can be a powerful tool for change. Our work helps neighbors, advocacy groups, and citizen journalists make an impact. More…

Transportation Reform

It is time to put pedestrians, bikes, and transit first. We engage the public in shaping smart cities. More…

Our Projects

Livable Streets Initiative

The Livable Streets intiative is reversing decades of automobile-dominated urban planning. This work is creating healthier, more sustainable, people-oriented neighborhoods.

Streetfilms produces fun and educational videos on urban transportation issues, from bus rapid transit in Bogotá to bike sharing in Paris. More than two million people have watched Streetfilms online, and Livable Streets advocates have used Streetfilms to change policies in dozens of cities. Case Study: Ciclovía.

Streetsblog - New York

Streetsblog New York covers sustainable transportation and city planning issues. In just two years, the blog has exploded to 125,000 monthly readers, creating a strong community that has redirected transportation policy in New York City. Today, Streetsblog is daily reading for mainstream journalists, policy makers and the public.

Streetswiki

Streetswiki is a community-created encyclopedia of transportation. Using Streetswiki, advocates can compare the world's best bike-sharing programs or describe traffic calming measures in their neighborhoods.

OpenGeo

OpenGeo makes geospatial information more open: available, accessible, and useful on compelling platforms. This team builds open source geospatial applications for clients around the world. OpenGeo's business model is aligned with its social mission: our software competes in the market expanding access to geospatial tools and data.

Livable Streets Education

We help teachers and schools weave ideas about urban livability and advocacy into their curriculum. Livable Streets Education connects the classroom to lively topics like environmental stewardship, traffic calming, engaged citizenship, and safe routes to schools.

OpenPlans

OpenPlans is community network and toolbox for social change. Features include groups, blogs, wikis, mailing lists, and file storage. It is powered by OpenCore software. This software runs sites like the European Social Forum and LivableStreets.com.

UncivilServants.org

This website invites people around the New York to post photos that document rampant abuse of city parking placards. The site and related coverage of the problem resulted in broad reforms. Learn how in the Parking Reform case study.

Streetsblog Network

The Streetsblog Network connects local, grassroots transportation reform advocates with one another and with the inside-the-Beltway national campaign. With more than 200 quality blogs on sustainable transport, smart growth, and livable streets issues, the network reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each week.

GothamSchools

GothamSchools is a news source and online community for teachers, parents, policy makers, and journalists interested in learning about what works and what doesn’t in NYC schools. By offering a critical eye on education research and reporting, and by creating a forum for conversation, Gotham Schools is helping New Yorkers create better schools. Over the past year, Gotham Schools has broken numerous stories while earning its reputation as a stellar niche news provider.

Streetsblog - Los Angeles

Streetsblog's LA affiliate covers mobility, sustainable transport, and related issues in and around the City of Angels.

Streetsblog - San Francisco

Launched in January 2009, Streetsblog San Francisco covers transportation and urban sustainability news across the Bay Area.

TOPP Labs

TOPP Labs is the TOPP division that works on civic technology initiatives. This group produces the technology that powers the Livable Streets Initiative, Community Almanac, and Gotham Schools.

Community Almanac

Community Almanac is a tool for capturing the heart and soul of a community through collaborative storytelling. A partnership with the Orton Family Foundation, the Community Almanac will be rolled out in several small towns across the US during the summer and fall of 2009.

The Open Planning Project