Noteworthy News: November 19th-25th

Here are some of the most popular news and views from the past week:

• Government by (all) the people: Russia may sound an unlikely place for a bold experiment in participatory democracy. But Wikivote, an online forum where citizens collaborate in redrafting laws, seems to be enjoying unlikely early success there. (The Economist)

• Vision’s broad-based win reflects a changing city: Vision Vancouver’s decisive win for a second term marks a shift in the city’s political dynamic as profound as the one that Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts has created in her city. (Frances Bula, The Globe and Mail)

• What the viaducts and Eastern Core could look like: re:CONNECT, the City of Vancouver’s viaduct/Eastern Core proposal competition, which launched back in September, is now closed to pitches and open for voting. (OpenFile Vancouver)

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  Photo by Porfirio on Flickr

  A Twitter Guide to the *New* City of Vancouver: Twitter’s not all about what you ate for breakfast or how cute your cat can be. It’s also a good place to follow your local politicians and get the scoop about what’s going on in the city. (Deconstructed City)

• Social Spaces: Civic Engagement, Social Capital and Unemployment: Two recent studies in the US  show correlations between civic engagement and levels of unemployment. (Thriving Too)