This weekend, Boston’s online permitting and licensing system could get a whole lot more modern. Coders, hackers, urbanites, policy professionals and more will descend upon the Innovation District’s District Hall to participate in the city’s inaugural HubHacks hackaton to find viable solutions in digitizing the antiquated permitting system.
Starting Saturday, August 9 and going through Sunday, HubHacks will bring together some of Boston’s most forward-thinking minds to overhaul a system that’s caused countless headaches for people – whether they’re trying to build a brand new business or properly license their pet.
A source close to the hackathon confirmed with BostInno that four able-minded judges will preside over the event, all of whom bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the two-day code collaboration session.
These advisors will help guide participants in building effective and applicable programs and applications intended to streamline the entire system with a new API built by city officials to the benefit of us all. Currently, just some 12 permits are accessible online, though Bostonians file innumerable applications for over 40 different permits citywide.
To that end, participants will try to develop easier ways for permit-seeking individuals or organizations to find out which specific permits they need for any particular endeavor, what their address of record is, whether or not a specific permit is available online, and where exactly they are in the process.
So without further ado, here are the four judges of the first ever HubHacks event (descriptions courtesy of the City of Boston):
Harlan Weber, Brigade Captain, Code for Boston
Harlan is a tireless advocate for civic projects and development to better the city. As one of the leaders of the Code for Boston chapter of Code for America, Harlan and his organization have been generous with their service and commitment to the city. Harlan will be a great resource to teams looking from his own experience in design and brings with him an understanding of some of the needs of users looking for permits and licenses. He also works alongside a cadre of Code for Boston volunteers who have worked with the City to understand the new API and test it during the lead-up to the event.
Doug Williams, VP Engineering, RunKeeper
Doug has been mainstay at some of the most important Boston tech companies over the last decade, including RunKeeper, ZipCar, and Pearson Education. As one of the engineering leads and developers at these consumer-focused technology companies, not only will Doug help participants think about the ways Bostonians interact with the Permitting system, he’ll be able to provide great guidance on user experience and quality.
Korinn Koslofsky, owner of Ula Cafe
As a business owner in a rapidly developing area of the City, Korinn will be able to provide guidance to participants on a system that makes sense to people like her as they work to grow and develop their properties for customers and citizens.
James DiSabatino, owner of Roxy’s Grilled Cheese
James has had plenty of experience with a variety of Permitting requirements. From being an instrumental force in driving the City to find places for food trucks to developing his own brick-and-mortar store following that success, James is the type of small business owner who recognizes the myriad permits available for any project or lunch stand as participants look to create hacks that will help people like him.
Image via District Hall
