The city of seven hills has much to offer, and with the right tools, all of its inhabitants can have the ultimate Worcester experience. At least, that’s the plan. Located between Boston and Providence, Worcester is the second largest city in Massachusetts. But even with its large population and nine colleges, Worcester has yet to reach its full potential.

Recently, many local companies and organizations, whether professional or student-run, have devised ways to make the city a more prosperous area. Many of these companies are still in the early stages of development but have already made great progress and received positive feedback from the citizens of Worcester.

In the Woo, there are various events, restaurants, shops and opportunities. However, many looking to improve the city say there is a lack of knowledge and accessibility to and from these places. A seminal part of this issue stems from the absence of information. Organizations that are cropping up not only want to create more events and happenings in Worcester but also publicize these events better.

Secret City Interactive is a newly designed organization that sets out to integrate social media with the happenings in Worcester to connect the historic and cultural neighborhoods with their diverse and vibrant communities. Mauro DePasquale, of Secret City, said, “Worcester is thriving with culture, yet it often gets a reputation as being a dead city. Secret City Interactive aims to impact this issue by connecting people with their city in a way that is entertaining, engaging and positive.” Secret City’s goals include increasing accessibility for pedestrians and helping citizens learn more about the city. DePasquale said, “Worcester has its fair share of hidden gems, forgotten history and stories to share. Secret City Interactive is a way for folks to share and discover interesting information and cultural happenings.”

Similar to the goals of Secret City Interactive, WooConnect is an up-and-coming mobile app for Worcester students, designed by Clark University students, Alex Turgeon and Abhijit Singh. This app, which plans to launch in the fall, is designed to connect students throughout the consortium. Their mobile app idea won the 2014 Eureka Contest at Clark. Turgeon said he noticed the “reoccurring theme that Worcester is doing a lot right but marketing in the wrong ways,” which is where he thinks WooConnect will come into play.

In the summer of 2013, Singh said, he and Turgeon “both worked at Clark for ITS and talked to a lot of people.” Singh noticed the lack of “cohesive collaboration” between companies in Worcester and wanted to find a way to give students the “tools to go out and explore.” Turgeon and Singh began brainstorming ideas for the app. Since it is a student-run company, Turgeon said WooConnect is “a learning as you go” process. Turgeon said he believes this app will help Worcester be “up and coming from a kind of industrial swamp” and become “something that will resonate in the city.”

Josh Croke and Kyla Pacheco are trying to support efforts to make Worcester a more livable city. They founded Action! Worcester, a company that combines the ideas of Worcester locals and students with plans of action. Pacheco, a career advisor at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, said “Worcester is not where we want it to be, and there’s a lot of room for improvement.” Pacheco believes that working “from the grassroots” is the best method for “cultural change.”

Croke, a recent Worcester Polytechnic Institute graduate, said Action! Worcester plans to increase the “interconnectivity between students and young professionals in Worcester communities,” as well as “connect students in the consortium,” which ultimately helps the city come “together as a community.” There is “an entrepreneurial buzz going on in the city,” and “connecting the companies together to facilitate great events is a primary way to increase livability,” Croke said.

Pacheco added that Action! Worcester has “a bunch of goals and a bunch of stuff coming up…it’s a matter of getting the message out.”

These three companies, as well as various others across the city, foresee positive changes and advances for Worcester within the next five to 10 years.

DePasquale said, “The amenities seem to be multiplying. …There are a lot of shared work communities and very positive movements. …There is a strong culture of very creative and proactive folks in Worcester, and there are a lot of really great projects under way.”

For more information, visit facebook.com/secretcityworcester or actionworcester.org.

 By Tricia Wise