If you grew up in the Northeast or California, you tended to say "soda." In the Midwest, Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest, it was "pop." In the Deep South, have a "Coke." And Arizona? Most likely, "soda."

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One of my favorite maps of all time is the "The Great Pop vs. Soda Controversy." Did you know there are regional differences to how Americans refer to carbonated soft drinks? Ask yourself the question, "When I was growing up, did I say 'pop,' 'soda,' 'Coke,' or something else?" Then look at the map with the thousands of red, green, blue, and pink dots.

The reason I bring this up is that I'm wondering how many people FROM THROUGHOUT THE CITY are participating in MyPlanPHX. Similar number-crunching and mapping capability would assist city officials to determine what areas are not as "vocal" as others and what actions could be taken before the October 30 deadline to encourage greater and more widespread participation.

To date, 425 ideas have been submitted, 400 minds are now mixing, and 1,400 comments have been made. The numbers are impressive, but if these numbers represent individuals by and large from a few parts of town, that says to me there is room for improvement. A real-time online map of the number of IDEAS BY ZIP CODE would help spur "get out the vote" efforts in underrepresented areas. No names, no street addresses, just ideas by zip code.

Voices from all parts of our city need to be heard.