Interfaces and Collaboration in Municipal Communication

Abstract

Municipal communication is facing great challenges due to extensive changes in the media and the public: For example, the number of media channels to maintain is increasing and the target audience is becoming more diverse. Therefore, municipal administrations have to handle a tremendous increase and differentiation of communication activities. So, the coordination of the communication of departments and interfaces is becoming an important challenge of the present and future.
The rising relevance of communication activities is opposed by a relative low number of research reports, especially in the area of municipal communication. This study is going to reflect on conditions and possibilities of municipal communication management and to identify action recommendations to meet the requirements of organization and implementation of communication in the context of these permanent changes.

Method

For exploration of processes, potential and problems in municipal communication, qualitative interviews with experts from science and practice will be conducted in a first step. In a second step, selected cases for future-oriented, municipal communication will be analysed, which were revealed by the interviews. Beside the analysis of documents, further interviews with representatives of the particular administrations are conducted. The gained insights will be discussed with the representatives of practice in a workshop and concrete action recommendations will be derived.