Code for America Summit 2016

The sixth Code for America Summit took place November 1-3, 2016 in Oakland, CA. This annual conference is an opportunity for the civic tech community to meet, discuss, and take stock of the year’s successes and setbacks. Code for Germany also attended the summit, along with many other allies from the Code for All family. Here is our digest for those who couldn’t be there.

5 New Ideas

"The true measure of change isn't having better websites; it's about getting to better outcomes." -@pahlkadot #cfasummit

— Daniel Newman (@CreativeNewman) November 2, 2016

This - so much this #cfasummit pic.twitter.com/Cb2S0fFw5B

— Christopher Whitaker (@CivicWhitaker) November 2, 2016

"Technology cannot substitute for the awkward, the frustrating work of understanding another human being." #cfasummit @LoriBCollins

— Civic Tech Seattle (@civictechsea) November 4, 2016

Public servants want to help constituents, they just don't know how. @va1hamilton #cfasummit pic.twitter.com/oKh4L2szmo

— Anita Y Cheng (@anitaycheng) November 3, 2016

Technologists: public service has never been easier to do. Engage meaningfully in our democracy. https://t.co/voEEecKg45 #cfasummit

— Jennifer Pahlka (@pahlkadot) November 3, 2016

4 Not-to-be-missed Talks

• Marina Martin and how she innovated inside the line
• Moving from story to narrative by John Hagel
• Tim O’Reilly: A Conversation with DJ Patil
• Working Together to Reduce Racial Disparities

3 Useful Facts

94% of government IT projects over $10 million fail.

There are twice as many FTSE100 bosses called ‘John’ as there are women.

Food metaphors are surprisingly apt for describing agile and iterative development.

2 Cool Projects to Check Out

It takes over an hour on average to apply for food stamps in California. GetCalFresh is an attempt to shorten that process.

Mexico City’s new state constitution has been in part crowdsourced, thanks to an initiative by the Laboratorio para la Ciudad.

1 Big Announcement

Code.gov is a brand new website that collects and open sources government code. What an excellent idea!