Civic Tech - Making Technology Work for People

by Andrew Schrock

The term “Civic Tech” has gained international recognition as a way to unite communities and government through technology design. But what does it mean for our shared future? In this book, Andrew Schrock cuts through the hype by telling stories of the people and ideas driving the movement. He argues that Civic Tech emerged in response to inequality and persistent social problems. The collaborative approaches and early successes of “techies” may not be easy solutions, but they exemplify a powerful political alternative. Civic Tech draws our attention to the challenges of public ownership and democratizing technology design—vital goals for the years ahead.

124 pages, ebook

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Chelsea Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so this is a biased 5 stars.. I have been part of the civic tech movement in Los Angeles for a while now, where Andrew Schrock is based. I also was the administrator for the LA City Geohub for ~3 years, which gets a shoutout in this book.

In any case though, I thought it was an inspiring, well-articulated, realistic look at the history and possibilities of civic tech. At its core, civic tech is about "informational transparency and democratic participation." Civic technologists see technology design as a way to lower the bar for residents to participate, whether that means signing up for government programs or getting their voices heard.

I appreciated the analogy to the development of fire departments. Indeed, this is the underpinning for the term "brigade" used by Code for America!

The Civic Tech Principles
1. Design locally first
2. Hack infrastructure, not technology
3. Open data can improve communication
4. Organize around public problems
5. Change government for the better

[Dean Newby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read about a topic I knew only a little about - would be interesting to read an updated version considering the last 4 years!