NYU-2026 PIT-UN Tech for Change Urban Informatics for Safe, Just, and Thriving Communities Hackathon
Join us for a three-day "Urban Informatics for Safe, Just, and Thriving Communities Hackathon" featuring keynote speakers, information sessions, and hands-on workshops—all designed to prepare you for team-based hackathon competition. This event is hosted by Debanjan Roychoudhury, Adjunct Faculty member at the Center for Urban Science + Progress at NYU Tandon, and the Public Interest Technology-University Network (PIT-UN).
This hackathon aims to familiarize participants with data-driven approaches to solving community challenges around public safety, justice, and equity. It also aims to propose asset-based, neighborhood-specific solutions for cycles of low expectations, violence, and incarceration. Community partners and participants will also learn about civic tech and participatory governance while building networks across sectors for employers and emerging talent.
Overview
The NYU-2026 Tech for Change "Urban Informatics for Safe, Just, and Thriving Communities" Hackathon invites participants from all backgrounds and levels of (lived) experience with tech and data to assist in building civic tech tools to design and reimagine systems of safe, just, and thriving neighborhoods for tomorrow. The hackathon will consist of several "tracks" consisting of data projects that will be contributed to and worked on by diverse teams of budding data scientists, including students, faculty, community members, continuing learners, loved ones, civic leaders, engineers, designers, planners, healthcare workers, and more.
Certificate of Completion, Judging, and Prizes
Participants who complete all three days of workshops, seminars, and hands-on projects for submission to award consideration will receive a digital badge from PIT-UN and NYU Tandon School of Engineering to be displayed on personal websites, social media, and for applications to employers.
Hackathon submissions will be judged across three categories: impact, imagination, and innovation. The top-ranking teams in each individual category will receive a prize for that category, and the team with the highest overall score will be announced as the winner of the hackathon.
Prizes will be announced soon.
Theme
Data projects will revolve around the intersection of safety, justice, and the myriad attributes of what it means for a community to thrive. Guided by complex systems thinking and an ecological framework — meaning that safety and justice are elements of society that touch upon, and are impacted by, other aspects of community planning and institutional inequity — projects will take on different approaches to improving and building on community-based efforts to addressing intersecting crises of incarceration, violence, safety, and well-being. Intentional curricular programming and hands-on workshops are designed and offered to train participants in data collection, analysis, and visualization toward pitching and proposing real-life solutions and approaches to longstanding cycles of poverty and punishment. We hope you will join us in unpacking the ubiquity of how "urban informatics" can be understood and utilized to uplift and empower civic engagement and participatory governance, both locally and around the world.
Schedule
This three-day, in-person event will take place at 370 Jay Street, Room 1201. Stay tuned for the full schedule, which will include workshops, talks, and more.
Thursday, March 5: 5:00 – 7:30 PM EST
Friday, March 6: 1:00 PM – 5 PM EST
Saturday, March 7: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST
Eligibility
This hackathon is open to students, faculty, community-based organizations, individuals with lived experience of the criminal legal system, or who identify as justice system impacted in any way, city workers, continuing learners, general public, loved ones,and anyone without a technical background but with curiosity about the intersections of tech, governance, transparency, equity, and justice.
Participants without a valid NYU ID must complete advanced registration via Luma to ensure building access prior to the event. Your name as registered via Luma must match the name on a government-issued photo ID in order to access 370 Jay Street.
Speakers
Speakers will include Debanjan Roychoudhury, Gianna Campa, Aunray Stanford, Jerome Louison, Manny Patole, Prince Mapp, Ketan Sinha, Nathaniel Evans, Abhishek Kumar, Snigdha Anantharaju, Nissim Ram, Peter Dixon, Jarrell Daniels, and Luisa Portugal.
Additional speakers and the full schedule will be announced soon.
Project Tracks
Community Partner-led Tracks
Project Restore BedStuy — Everyday Peace Indicators of Safety and Well-being
Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies at NYU’s Center for International Cooperation (CIC)
Office of the New York City Public Advocate — Youth Detention
Kings Against Violence Initiative — Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Resource Mapping
Man Up Inc. — Crisis Management System (CMS) Credible Messenger Canvassing
NYU Researcher-led Tracks
Civilian Complaint Review Board — Police Misconduct Allegations
District Attorney — Mass Conspiracy Indictments
Gender-based Violence and Policing
Visitor Information
This event will be held in the CUSP Learning Commons, located on the 13th Floor of 370 Jay St. Please visit the NYU Tandon website for directions and a campus map. Advance registration through Luma is required for campus access at NYU for external guests.