More photos from the Idea-A-Thon will be shared here at a later date.

Panelists flyer for A Beautiful Oakland: A Civic Tech Idea-A-Thon, Tuesday, Sept 29, 1-5pm at Northeastern University Oakland, featuring Kristin Hathaway of the Department of Public Works, Brian Johnson of Aerbits, and Faith in Action East Bay

On Tuesday, September 29, OpenOakland and Northeastern University Oakland co-hosted A Beautiful Oakland: A Civic Tech Idea-A-Thon as part of Oakland Tech Week. Residents, students, technologists, and city leaders spent the afternoon at Northeastern’s Oakland campus generating ideas for tackling illegal dumping in Oakland.

Who we heard from

The afternoon opened with a panel of people working on illegal dumping every day:

  • Kristin Hathaway, Assistant Director, Oakland Public Works
  • John Brockett, Faith in Action East Bay

Panelist Brian Johnson of Aerbits was unable to join us due to a family emergency.

We were also grateful for remarks from Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, Councilmember Rowena Brown, and Councilmember Ken Houston.

Idea highlights

Idea-A-Thon attendees talking around a table covered in worksheets and Panel Notes cards, with other groups working in the background

Working in small groups, attendees brought creative, neighborhood-rooted ideas, including:

  • Scheduled bulky pickup, so residents can plan ahead instead of waiting on a request
  • A sticker campaign to raise awareness of the City’s existing bulky pickup service
  • Beautifying existing dump spots to discourage repeat dumping
  • Engaging youth as community advocates, and through paid employment opportunities

…and many more. Many of these ideas are exactly where civic tech can help, from making city services easier to find and use to helping residents and city staff share information about what’s happening on their blocks.

One group's idea canvas for the problem statement "How might we make legal disposal easier and more appealing than dumping?", with sticky notes clustered into themes like making existing service better, targeted education, beautification, lower cost, corporate responsibility, and enforcement

What’s next

We’re compiling the ideas generated at the Idea-A-Thon and will share them with the Oakland City Council and with Northeastern University faculty and researchers.

Get involved

OpenOakland is an all-volunteer civic technology nonprofit that has partnered with the City of Oakland since 2012. Our volunteers, including developers, designers, researchers, data folks, and product managers, build tools that make local government work better for residents. Learn how to volunteer or sign up for our newsletter to hear about upcoming projects and events.

Thank you to everyone who came out and shared their energy and ideas, and to Northeastern University Oakland for co-hosting!