Tech Pilot Program Launching In Inwood, City Says

INWOOD, NY — A city program that explores how new technologies can solve problems facing communities will be launched in Inwood, the city announced Thursday.

The NYCx Co-Lab program will launch in Inwood later this year by meeting with community groups to create a "local advisory board" to identify the neighborhood's needs, the city Economic Development Corporation announced with City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez.

The program seeks to solve the neighborhood's self-identified needs using "innovative solutions" that connect through the cooperation of local residents, government, academia and tech entrepreneurs. The NYCx Co-Lab program is run by the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer.

"The future of our communities depends on all New Yorkers having fair and equal access to the benefits of technology, Jeremy M. Goldberg of the Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to expand NYCx Co-Labs in Inwood, an important and exciting next step in understanding the needs of our communities and making sure tech in delivered in a way that addresses those needs."

The city hopes to launch Inwood's first NYCx Co-Lab Challenge in early 2019. The challenge engages tech industry leaders to come up with solutions to the needs identified by Inwood's advisory board. The city will then select proposals with funding and access to city infrastructure and neighborhood spaces, according to a press release.

Inwood will be the second neighborhood to receive the NYCx Co-Lab program. The program was launched in Brownsville, Brooklyn in 2017. Current challenges in Brownsville include creating safer "nighttime corridors" and reducing waste in public spaces.

"Bringing NYCx Co-Lab program to Inwood will enhance the great work of our community organizations and existing STEM programs," City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement. "It will make the importance of STEM education much more tangible by finding ways to apply technology and innovative solutions to some areas where our community needs the most investment."

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