Will Nextdoor Build a Private City Services Layer for Seattle?

01 Jan 2016

Dumped furniture, increasing crime, and a rapidly growing set of frustrated homeowners, with perceptions that sharply rising property taxes aren't balanced with expected services, have me wondering if a startup or company like Nextdoor will go for a private services angle.

I'm curious if there is a viable opportunity to Uber-ize a private layer of city services:

  • Build a crowdfunding platform to put money into escrow for services like trash disposal and private security
  • Find contractors to perform said tasks
  • Publicly shame the city. Blogging, hiring lobbyists to attend council meetings, etc.
  • Work legal angles to sue the city to reimburse homeowners for having ponied up their own cash

What would have come out of the Bay Area when property values were first skyrocketing decades ago if apps and crowdfunding sites existed?


Categories: business