Much has been said in the last week about the ongoing meltdown of cryptocurrency, driven by an uncertain economic outlook and rapidly increasing inflation. Over the last seven months, Bitcoin, for example, has dropped to $21,000 from its $64,000 high. But while crypto markets might be in retreat at least for the moment, the underlying technology that’s underpinning the digital currency boom is marching steadily forward—with practical applications for local governments.
In 2017, for example, Cook County, Ill. began real-world experimentation with blockchain, the transaction tracking technological foundation of all cryptocurrencies, as a way to transfer and track property titles and other public records, based on past reporting by American City & County (AC&C). In a 2018 report from the Illinois county’s Bureau of Technology, the board explained its reasons for implementing the pilot project: “By design, blockchains are inherently resistant to data modification; once recorded, the data in a block cannot be altered retroactively. This increases security.”
And in Austin, Tx., homeless people are able to get a digital identity that’s stored via blockchain so they don’t have to carry around a physical identification card, according to Lena Geraghty, director of innovation and sustainability at the National League of Cities’ (NLC) Center for City Solutions and author of the recent report “Cities and the Metaverse.” Geraghty previously spoke to AC&C about the report’s findings.
Most recently, Reno, Nv. launched America’s first-ever resident-run blockchain app that creates “a single ledger, documenting consecutive transactions in a designated process,” according to a statement from the city about the project. The app, called The Biggest Little Blockchain, is built on BlockApps’ blockchain platform, STRATO. The data is viewable by anyone who has the app.
“Once the technology launches later in the summer, the public and all relevant…
