Editing Raleighpedia:Roadmap

This page outlines the phased development of Raleighpedia, including content priorities, editorial standards, and planned technical improvements. The roadmap documents the project’s direction and scope rather than serving as a commitment to specific features or timelines.

Raleighpedia is being developed incrementally, with an initial emphasis on establishing a reliable factual foundation for civic reference.

== Phase 1: Foundation (Jan-March 2026) ==

The foundation phase focuses on establishing core infrastructure, editorial standards, and baseline civic coverage.

=== Priority pages (foundation) ===

The following pages have been identified as priority reference articles due to their recurring role in public decision-making and frequent appearance in official records:

'''City governance and structure'''
* [[Raleigh City Council]] & member pages
* [[Wake County Board of Commissioners]] & member pages
* [[Raleigh Planning Commission]]
* [[Wake County Planning Commission]]

'''Planning and land use'''
* [[Raleigh Comprehensive Plan]]
* [[Wake County Comprehensive Plan]]
* [[Dorothea Dix Park Master Plan]]
* Major area plans and corridor studies

'''Parks, public assets, and neighborhoods'''
* [[Dix Park]]
* [[North Hills]]
* [[Glenwood South]]

'''Elections and referenda'''
* Municipal elections in Raleigh [[2026 Election]], [[2025 Election]]
* [[2022 Raleigh Parks Bond Referendum]], [[2020 Raleigh Affordable Housing Bond Referendum]]

=== Editorial work ===

* Creation of standardized citation templates for common source types (meeting minutes, staff reports, government documents): [[Template:Cite web]], [[Template:Cite minutes]], [[Template:Cite govdoc]]
* Development of a documented source hierarchy for civic content
* Protected pages
* [[Raleighpedia:Style Guide]]
* [[Special:Specialpages]] - For things like maintenance, lists of pages, and user management.

=== Technical work ===

* Mobile-friendly layout using MediaWiki and Minerva
* Sitewide CSS standardization
* File uploads and citation of primary government documents

Editing remains restricted during this phase while baseline content and standards are established.

== Phase 2: Expansion of coverage (March-December 2026) ==

This phase focuses on expanding topic coverage once foundational standards are in place.

=== Planned content areas ===

* Additional boards and commissions
* Departmental programs and initiatives
* Infrastructure projects and facilities
* Long-term capital and maintenance programs
* Historical of contemporary institutions
* Note of pages of interest: [[Raleigh Tax Increment Reimbursement Program]], [[Capital Area Greenway Master Plan]]

=== Improvements ===

* Increased cross-linking between related civic topics
* Expanded use of uploaded primary documents as cited sources
* Improved categorization, portals, and navigation

== Phase 3: Structured community participation & tools (2027?) ==

This phase introduces community participation under defined standards. It also explores more tools to organize civic data (e.g. voting history database).

=== Participation model ===

* Account creation for approved contributors
* Emphasis on sourced, non-original research contributions
* Clear separation between encyclopedic content and discussion

=== Governance ===

* Published editorial and sourcing policies
* Documented dispute resolution processes
* Page protection for high-traffic or frequently cited articles

== Phase 4: Reference and archival role ==

Longer-term development emphasizes Raleighpedia’s role as a civic reference and archival resource.

=== Objectives ===

* Maintain stable, citable reference pages for civic institutions and decisions
* Preserve primary documents used in public decision-making
* Support downstream use by researchers, journalists, and automated systems

=== Potential enhancements ===

* Structured data for timelines, decisions, and civic entities
* Improved discoverability through search and indexing
* Clear licensing and reuse guidance

== Scope and limitations ==

Raleighpedia is not intended to function as:
* A news site
* A platform for advocacy or opinion
* A directory of private businesses or services
* A real-time reporting platform

Coverage decisions prioritize public relevance, sourcing quality, and long-term reference value.

== Updates ==

This roadmap may be updated periodically to reflect completed milestones, revised priorities, or technical changes. Substantive revisions will be documented on this page.