Welcome, 2017! After a blissful 2016 celebrating civic tech in all areas, we’re excited to launch into the new year with some great events this month.
Our top picks this January:
January 4, 11, 18, 25 — Weekly Civic Hack Night
Join neighbors, government employees, designers, coders, students and more! Code for San Francisco’s weekly hack night is focused on civic tech and making government services better in San Francisco. We hack/build and learn together every Wednesday evening.
January 9 — The Past and Future City
As our cities continue to grow, the potential to use historic buildings becomes greater than ever. The new book The Past and Future City addresses how historic preservation can go beyond the physical renovation and activation of old buildings and address issues like affordable housing, inequality, sustainability and displacement. Join us for a discussion about the changing role of preservation in our cities with the book’s author, Stephanie Meeks.
January 10 — Reforming Parking in Downtown Oakland
Oakland has been hard at work updating and improving parking policies. The city recently completed a Downtown Oakland Parking Study, as well as an update of citywide parking requirements in the zoning code. Join us for an update on the implementation of parking reforms and how they relate to the city’s broader transportation and planning priorities.
January 11 — Public Places for People
With its parklets, plazas and interactive sidewalk installations, San Francisco is a leader in the tactical urbanism movement and continues to make strides in enabling innovative use of public space. Come hear about a number of projects that the city is undertaking — including the Stockton Street Winter Walk, new work by Groundplay, the landmark Places for People ordinance and the Planning Department’s tactical urbanism program — that set the standard for citizen-driven urban public spaces.
January 12 — 1st Civic Hack Night of 2017
Woohoo! Join Code for San Jose for our first civic hack night of the year.
We’ll be in our usual location and the usual time.
We look forward to meeting new members, spinning up new projects, and making progress on existing projects with everyone who comes!
Pizza and drinks will be provided.
Bring a laptop if you have one.
January 17 — The Future of Locationing: Where Are We Headed?
What is your exact location and how sure are you? Until recently, the margin of error was fairly substantial, but new technology is now making it possible to answer these questions with unprecedented precision. In addition to being able to pinpoint you on a map, these innovations are also shaping the next generation of automated transportation and navigation. Panelists at the leading edge of technology and mapping will discuss where we are headed.
January 18 — Transformation of Tech | Networking Mixer 2017
Transformation of Tech in 2017! Kick-off 2017 with a BANG. Join us at Tech in Motion’s Tech Mixer 2017. Network with the Tech in Motion crowd of entrepreneurs, CTOs, CEOs, IT professionals and tech aficionados.
January 18 — SF Beta: FinTech Edition
SF Beta is the Bay Area’s premier startup mixer.
On Wednesday, January 18, we’re showing San Francisco the money, with an event focused on the future of finance, and the amazing powers unleashed by the convergence of innovation, experimentation, and the fledgling spirit of capitalism.
We invite you to join the next generation of FinTech startups at this exclusive evening-only event.
January 19 — How to Use Technology Mindfully with David Levy and Sergio Rodriguez-Castillo
Do you control your digital devices, or do they control you? From email to smart phones, social media to Google searches, digital technologies have transformed the way we learn, entertain ourselves, socialize, and work. Despite their usefulness, these technologies have often lead to information overload, stress, and distraction. In recent years many of us have begun to look at the pluses and minuses of our online lives and to ask how we might more skillfully use the tools we’ve developed.
In this conversation, David M. Levy—who has lived his life between the “fast world” of high tech and the “slow world” of contemplation—shares tools and insights for being more relaxed, attentive, emotionally balanced, and effective while online. You’ll leave with some simple strategies for opening up new avenues of self-inquiry and making meaningful, powerful changes.
January 19 — Innovative & Creative Thinking Workshop
Genius insights and creative ideas can be generated by anyone. In this workshop, you will learn the instruments and techniques that will help you unleash your creative potential and generate creative and innovative ideas for your business.
You’ll learn techniques for innovative and creative thinking and decision making and practice applying them to solving your problems, designing innovative products, models and solutions.
These skills will help you foster a culture that sparks inspiration and drive innovation in your team or organization.
January 24 — Transit Maps: Past, Present and Future
January 26 — Transforming SF: The Future of Work
What are the social and economic impacts of technology, robotics and AI on work and employment? Will human beings be completely replaced in the work force? What new jobs will be created and which industries most effected? What will we do with time on our hands and how will we “earn a living”? Two experts in this field will sort out these complicated dynamics, dispel misconceptions, and offer both the short and long view.
This conversation includes artist, inventor and robotics guru Professor Ken Goldberg, UCB, Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and Director of the CITRIS “People and Robots” Initiative; and economics expert Professor Emeritus John Zysman, UCB, Department of Political Science and Co-Director , Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE).
Product Hunt and AngelList are teaming up! Learn more about the new project at their regular meetup.
January 31 — Conscious Entrepreneurship: Building a Business From the Inside Out
A simple idea, trusted and developed, can change the course of our lives and that of society. Every great company and invention came, at first, as an idea. Taking these ideas and bringing them into the world is what entrepreneurs have always done.
This takes awareness, confidence, and developing great teams. Today more than ever there is a new brand of entrepreneurs seeking to lead companies with mindfulness and social intelligence.
Join us for this meetup at LinkedIn San Francisco where we will take a deep dive into the art of conscious entrepreneurship – how we can create successful & innovative companies that align with our greater purpose.
