Category Archives: Writing

Originally published by the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation on Medium. A pandemic may seem like the worst time to fix slow-changing, infrastructural data challenges, but there is no better time to begin correcting systems that just aren’t working. Chief Data Officers (CDOs) manage critical data infrastructure that helps states innovate and makeContinue reading “Data is Critical Infrastructure for Disaster Recovery”

Last week, CityLab published a piece by Chilean journalists Juan Pablo Garnham and Nicolas Alonso connecting the Metro fare hikes in Chile to the structural instability and state oppression that the country’s residents have mobilized to protest over the last few weeks. When I first saw the headline about Chilean protests under the CityLab bannerContinue reading “Urbanists play an important role in city protests”

Originally published on the Sunlight Foundation blog. Anyone who has worked in social services will tell you that navigating bureaucratic government systems can often be the most time-consuming and soul-sucking part of the job. In her TED talk in 2015, Hillary Cottam, a social entrepreneur and design research expert, highlighted the ways in which social serviceContinue reading “Opening decisions in the social services ecosystem”

Authors: Katya Abazajian and Becca WarnerOriginally published in the Sunlight Foundation blog. In September 2018, the New York Times reported that a security breach at Facebook had exposed 50 million users to data theft. The breach of such a ubiquitous social media site, which houses a host of personal data from email addresses to credit cardContinue reading “Digital rights in the era of data collection and smart city tech”

Originally published on the Sunlight Foundation blog. Recent breaches of data privacy at Facebook have been flash points for discussion and potential Congressional action about how private companies are collecting, storing, and using our personal data. As tech companies around the world scramble to implement new privacy policies, repair trust in their products, and comply with new privacyContinue reading “Cities should be smart about smart cities agreements”

Authors: Katya Abazajian and Alex DoddsOriginally published on the Sunlight Foundation blog. As we all learn more about how personal data lives online and affects us offline, people are understandably asking questions about how municipal governments are collecting or protecting sensitive data. The City of Seattle in Washington, which has been recognized for excellence in open data,Continue reading “How Seattle, WA is balancing openness with privacy”

Authors: Katya Abazajian and Alex DoddsOriginally published on the Sunlight Foundation blog. Open data has become a crucial part of emergency response to natural disasters. This week, Hurricane Harvey is demonstrating how robust open data systems can help any city cope with and recover from disaster. The City of Houston worked with partners at Harris County to makeContinue reading “How Houston is using open data to handle Hurricane Harvey”

Authors: Stephen Larrick and Katya AbazajianOriginally published on the Sunlight Foundation blog. United States cities face a critical challenge when it comes to fulfilling the potential of open data: that of moving beyond the mere provision of access to data toward the active facilitation of stakeholder use of data in ways that bring about community impact. Sunlight has beenContinue reading “Connecting open data to residents’ lives”

Authors: Katya Abazajian and Kathy PettitOriginally published in Urban Wire By leveraging data and technology, a partnership of Boston organizations and local government leaders found a better way to connect young people to summer jobs. In July 2015, Boston’s mayor announced an increase in funding for summer youth employment. Boston’s Department of Youth Employment and Engagement preparedContinue reading “Boston organizations develop advanced algorithm to address city challenges”

Authors: Mary Bogle and Katya AbazajianOriginally published in Urban Wire Data provide the glue for a new alliance fighting student homelessness and promoting academic success at a Promise Neighborhood site in Boston. The Promise Neighborhood initiative, funded by the US Department of Education, aims to transform high-needs communities by supporting children from cradle to career. Promise NeighborhoodsContinue reading “Using data to make a difference for Boston-area students at risk of homelessness”