OCL's Richard Gevers and Ella Alcock had the pleasure of attending TICTeC (The Impacts of Civic Technology Conference), an annual event organised by mySociety. We connected with like-minded organisations and civic-tech enthusiasts, doing commendable work in civic tech around the world. Together, we explored how civic tech can safeguard democracy and drive climate action, delving into themes like access to information, AI and democracy, and tools for citizen participation. We look forward to implementing the lessons we learnt in our practice going forward!
Open Cities Lab
Civic and Social Organizations
Johannesburg, Gauteng 2,426 followers
Empower | Inform | Participate | Include
About us
Open Cities Lab is a non-profit open and non-partisan organisation that combines the use of action research, co-design, data science, and technology with civic engagement to enable the development of inclusive cities and urban spaces. Open Cities Lab was established by a group of founding members who desire to serve the common good through the advancement of transparency. Our design methodology and implementation will always reflect these ethics with the user placed firmly at the centre of all important decisions. We work to build inclusion and participatory democracy in cities and urban spaces through empowering citizens, building trust and accountability in civic space, and capacitating government.
- Website
-
http://opencitieslab.org
External link for Open Cities Lab
- Industry
- Civic and Social Organizations
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2015
Locations
-
Primary
Get directions
173 Oxford Road
WeWork Offices
Johannesburg, Gauteng 2196, ZA
-
Get directions
153a Helen Joseph Rd
eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal 4001, ZA
-
Get directions
80 Strand Street
WeWork
Cape Town, Western Cape 8001, ZA
Employees at Open Cities Lab
-
Brian O'Leary
Part-time Data Scientist at Open Cities Lab.
-
Richard Gevers
Executive Director and Founder, Open Cities Lab | Co-founder, Tenji | Programme Director Africa Data Hub | Non-executive Director, Innovate Durban |…
-
Abigail Kemper
City Science Lab, UNITAC, Open Cities Lab
-
Bryden Neville
Trying to make a difference wherever I am.
Updates
-
Cities that work for persons with disability, work for everyone. Our partner, Amollo Ambole, shares an insightful article about navigating through Nairobi with partial blindness. Her story sheds light on the importance of inclusive urban design. 🔗bit.ly/3S9cVQY
-
-
Exciting news! 📢 OCL is growing and our Strategic Management Team has evolved to meet our rapid growth requirements. Introducing our Co-Leadership model: Richard Gevers as Chief Strategy Officer and Megan Wadge as Chief Executive Officer. This strategic move is designed to leverage their unique strengths for sustainable growth, strategic vision, and optimal operational performance. Join us in celebrating our new leadership team. 🔗 bit.ly/46fCZQu
-
-
We're excited to see the conversation around Open Source and Networked Cities gaining momentum #OSPOsforGood at the United Nations HQ! At Open Cities Lab, we're passionate about working with cities and local governments across Africa to advance urban data and digital practices.
Executive Director and Founder, Open Cities Lab | Co-founder, Tenji | Programme Director Africa Data Hub | Non-executive Director, Innovate Durban | Civic Tech Innovation Network Reference Group Member | he/him
Today I’m talking at #OSPOsforGood at the United Nations HQ about Open Source and Networked Cities. I’m keen to chat about the work of Open Cities Lab with cities and local governments in Africa, as well as regional community of practice of urban data and digital and the role of other stakeholders in future #opensource cities. We’ll cover the ecosystem needed for cities that will cool the earth, care for people and help them thrive. This means understanding the digital public goods and infrastructure needed, the capacity building and digital and data maturity needed within the local government space, strategy and policy interventions, the digital and data interventions we work on within the local governance space, and the roles of academia, the private sector, and others in this ecosystem. As OCL works to collaborate across Africa with great partners, I’ll touch on some of those experiences as well. Its great this is getting attention at this level and the content so far has been deeply insightful. Session Description: How are cities taking advantage of the open source revolution? Are cities the ones actually leading the way when it comes to open source policymaking and innovation? This thematic track will look at the role that local and regional governments are playing in driving policymaking around open source innovation, and influencing what happens at the national and global levels. In doing so, the sessions of the track will focus in particular on concrete applications of open source in cities, the role of OSPOs in cities, and the ways in which this level of governance is influencing open source ecosystems. In the interactive session, it will complement the stories of change brought forth by the panelists by inviting attendees to further share their lessons learned and experiences, with the goal of inspiring a future driven by local communities.
-
-
We’re excited to share that our CSO, Richard Gevers, is at the United Nations Headquarters, speaking at the OSPOs for Good Conference today! This high-level event is exploring how Open Source Programme Offices (OSPOs) are enabling global cooperation and driving positive change in shaping policies and achieving the SDGs. Stay tuned for updates, insights, and the live broadcast at 8PM CAT: https://bit.ly/45VJkjT United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology Bernardo Mariano Junior
-
-
Our team is growing! OCL is looking for a Product Manager in Digital and Data Strategy to join our team. Please only apply through the correct link in the role post: https://lnkd.in/duRJjiA3 #OpenCitiesLab #ProductManager #DigitalStrategy #DataStrategy
-
-
Our team is growing! OCL is looking for an Administration Lead to join our team. To find out more and apply follow this link: https://lnkd.in/dJ4PYmZ6 #OpencCitiesLab #AdministrationLead
-
-
Open Cities Lab reposted this
We're expanding! OCL is looking for a Development Lead to join our team. To find out more and apply follow this link: https://lnkd.in/g7jmWriA #OpenCitiesLab #DevelopmentLead
-
-
Celebrating a significant milestone! 🎉 Last week ETK had their FIRST Data Group Meeting! This steering team will play a crucial role in approving eThekwini’s data strategy and guiding it through the eThekwini processes. This milestone is the result of months of hard work from the eThekwini team with the support of Open Cities Lab's Urban Resilience Programme funded by the UK Government. We couldn’t be more excited to take this significant step forward - thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey! Watch this space for more! #OpenCitiesLab #eThekwini #CivicTech
-
*Applications Closed* Our team is growing! OCL is looking for an Operations Coordinator to join our team. To find out more and apply follow this link: https://lnkd.in/gKvy4rSi #OpenCitiesLab #OperationsCoordinator
-