Reno, Nevada, joins cities that use blockchain to improve record keeping

Blockchains are perhaps most associated with cryptocurrencies and other innovations that are often assumed to be flashy or new, but an increasing number of municipalities are embracing projects that use technology for more basic needs.

Austin, Texas, piloted a blockchain platform that securely stored identifying documents for people experiencing homelessnessso that local service providers can easily access this information. Chicago Cook County and South Burlington, Vermonthave each tested blockchains used to house property records.

A blockchain reminiscent of online editing software such as Google Docs, it is a decentralized network that allows multiple users to access the same information at the same time. An important difference, however, is that the technology behind such a network creates a permanent record of the data whose history cannot be deleted or changed.

“Cities that use NFTs and cryptocurrencies are definitely worth exploring,” said Brooks Rainwater, a senior executive in the National League of Cities and director of the organization’s Center for City Solutions. “But truly, I think the underlying blockchain technology is likely to be much more useful to most cities as they think about how this type of technology can really drive record keeping and other storage solutions they may have.”

Among the cities that take advantage of the technology is Reno, Nevada, which announced in early June plans to launch what is described as a first of its kind blockchain registration system, called “Biggest Little Blockchain”, in an effort to increase transparency and accountability.

BlockApps, a New York-based blockchain software company, is building Renos’ system for free given interest in the project, according to BlockApps sales director Jeff Powell. This is the first time the company has collaborated with a municipality.

The Renos Register of Historic Places, a list administered by the city’s Development Services Department, will be the first registration system to use the technology, according to the city. In principle, only information related to changes made to these buildings will be available on the blockchain, according to Nic Ciccone, project manager and public relations officer at Reno’s city manager’s office. But Reno hopes to expand the system to include other city posts, such as maintenance work, permits and licensing, according to the city’s press release.

“Registration is one of the major uses of blockchain technology,” said Ciccone. “I’m very proud of our city to move forward with this endeavor … This really brings the blockchain back to what it originally was, and it’s just a ledger. And that’s what we’re using it for, for its intended purpose. »

Such a system can improve the efficiency of the approval process for modifications of historic buildings, as each entity involved in that process will be able to access the same database at the same time. Ciccone also identified the immutability of the blockchain as a way for Reno to become increasingly transparent and accountable to its citizens. Not only will anyone be able to see information about changes in historic buildings through a web portal, they will also know that the data is as accurate and complete as possible.

Many cities, including Reno, have experimented with the more well-known blockchain uses. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve has proposed sell a non-fungible token on the blockchain in an attempt to save a local 50-foot sculpture of a humpback whale made of steel and stained glass, called the “Space Whale.”

Miami Rep. Francis Suarez and New York City Rep. Eric Adams have both said they would accept paycheck and bitcoin. Meanwhile, Williston, North Dakota, is home to a digital currency machine at its international airport that accepts cryptocurrencies as payment for city bills.

However, Reno’s recent blockchain efforts and other similar initiatives typically use private blockchains and are therefore not subject to the volatility common to public cryptocurrency and NFT networks, according to Powell. They also do not use the large amount of computing power required by cryptocurrencies and NFTs, which means that their environmental impact is lower.