| « Ward Nights Shrink, but Moore Still Sees a Use | 49th Ward residents pitch ideas for capital improvements » |
Environment/Sustainability Fri Oct 05 2012
Urban Sustainability Hackathon
"The best app of all is the city," said panelist Andres Duany, co-founder of Congress of the New Urbanism, at the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT)'s Reinventing Chicago discussion last night. "The way it works -- its legibility, its grid, its ability to evolve independently -- could be very useful."
Last night's discussion kicked off the first Urban Sustainability Hackathon. The Hackathon is an opportunity to programmers to meet with urban thinkers and problem solve new digital tools for Chicago. Participating programmers will have access to CNT's data as well as 65 sustainability data sets from the City of Chicago.
Chicago Chief Technology officer John Tolva and CNT President Scott Bernstein were also on last night's panel. Tolva said the City is committed to making more data available. "What we've talked about is the economic development potential of this data. This is the basis of business, it is the basis of a whole range of apps that people have been making money off of. We see this as a raw material."
Hackathon programmers will compete to win Nexus 7 tablets, I-GO memberships, and a fundraising video for their app from Mothlight Pictures. Apps will be judged by representatives from Kellogg School of Management, Smart Chicago Collaborative, CityScan, and Hyde Park Venture Partners.
If you are interested in participating in the Hackathon sign up on the website and join CNT tonight at 7pm at TechNexus on 200 South Wacker Drive to meet other programmers and form your team for the weekend.
