The Democracy Collaborative maintains an office in New York City, which is directed by Dr. Benjamin R. Barber, Kekst Professor of Civil Society and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland. The Collaborative's particular concerns include: global civil society and transnational democracy; citizenship and community service; the role of the arts in a democratic society; and fostering democracy in both physical and virtual communities.

Key projects administered from the New York office in conjunction with our Tawes Hall administrative offices in Maryland include the following:

The Agora Coalition: a not-for-profit coalition of professionals who work with local communities and developers to stem the spread of suburban sprawl by creating modern day "agoras", the archetypal public space or civic center. The Agora Coalition presents a marriage of idealism and real-world business practice led by three experts in their fields: Dr. Barber, Agora Coalition President Tracy Challenger, and the socially committed Seattle based developer Ron Sher. The Coalition provides a full range of planning, design, real estate development, and economic development consulting services. Our philosophy is to provide focused quality assistance that brings about concrete results which benefit the community and its citizens.

The Arts of Democracy: an initiative premised on the idea that art and culture are imperative to the sustenance and strength of democratic societies. Building upon Dr. Barber's report to former President Clinton's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (1997), this initiative explores the mutual responsibilities held between artists and society. In progress are a case study on Hip Hop's civic role in New York City; a project examining the role of the critic in the social contract between artists and citizenry; and an Arts of Democracy Theatre Festival tentatively scheduled for 2003/2004 at the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Center of the Performing Arts.

Democracy and Technology: a project to design and implement web-based deliberation and collaboration software based on the principles of participatory democracy in order to foster communication on a global scale. The result is a virtual space where communities can self-moderate discussions, configure agendas, debate and vote on issues, collaborate on documents, and teach one another in real time.

All of these activities are fully integrated with The Democracy Collaborative's work and administration at University of Maryland, and help to define the Collaborative's overall mission.