Before we talk in detail about design and content frameworks and how they apply to a municipal website development, we should define what a “framework” actually is in web development. A framework is,
“A set of tools, libraries, conventions, and best practices that attempt to abstract tasks into generic modules that can be reused. The goal here is to allow the designer or developer to focus on tasks that are unique to a given project, rather than reinventing the wheel each time around.”
So basically, a web development framework is a blueprint that can aid in the development of a website. The primary reason for the use of frameworks is to decrease the overall cost of development by incorporating greater efficiencies into the development process.
In the case of a municipal website development, there are certain elements in the design and in the content structure that can be extrapolated into a group of unique frameworks. For example, municipalities often share similar corporate and political structures and all municipalities share the same desire to keep their rate payers, residents and partners informed.
The Municipal Content Framework has been developed to reflect the unique political and corporate structures of municipalities and to provide rate payers and residents with the information they need and desire. The Municipal Content Framework eliminates the often redundant and costly planning stages of a municipal website development and it also ensures that a proven and reliable content structure is applied to all new developments.