Google Sidewalk Labs: How does Technology Enrich the Public Realm?

Faculty House, Columbia University

Sidewalk Labs is a new type of company founded by Alphabet Inc./Google, that works with cities to build products addressing big urban problems. This event is free and open to the public.

Rohit Aggarwala, Chief Policy Officer, Sidewalk Labs
Noelle Francois, CEO, Heat Seek NYC
Miguel Gamiño Jr, Chief Technology Officer, The City of New York

Rohit Aggarwala is an experienced executive and thought leader in sustainability, environmental, and urban issues. A member of the team building Sidewalk Labs, an urban innovation firm founded by Dan Doctoroff and Google, he is also the co-chair of the Regional Plan Association’s Fourth Regional Plan for the New York metropolitan area and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Noelle Francois has a background in social justice, with a focus on housing policy and community development. Heat Seek NYC is a civic hacking project turned nonprofit tech startup, aimed at keeping the heat on for thousands of New Yorkers each winter. Noelle leads efforts to forge partnerships with community organizations and tenant advocates to ensure that Heat Seek’s sensors go to tenants who need them the most.

Miguel Gamiño Jr. previously served the City and County of San Francisco as Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Executive Director of the Department of Technology. Prior to joining San Francisco in July 2013, he served the City of El Paso, Texas as the Chief Information & Innovation Officer, and Director of the Department of Information Technology Services. In that role he co-founded, along with the Washington, D.C. CTO, the Council of Global City CIOs.

This event is sponsored by the NASDAQ Educational Foundation which awarded Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) a multi-year grant to support initiatives in entrepreneurship and public policy.