Article Summary
Fourteen teams recently competed in a Seattle climate hackathon, with the goal of winning a share of $10,000 in prize money and the chance to make a difference in the fight against climate change. The grand prize went to YIMBY AI, a group developing a machine learning and AI tool to make it easier for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units and multifamily buildings on their property. This type of infill development can help provide housing, increase density, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The event was held at the Seattle Climate Innovation Hub, a new downtown venue and partnership between the City of Seattle, the University of Washington, 9Zero, and VertueLab. The hackathon was organized by 9Zero and drew participants from diverse backgrounds, with the goal of tackling the urgent issue of climate change.
What This Means for You
- If you’re a homeowner interested in building an accessory dwelling unit or multifamily building, YIMBY AI’s tool could make the process easier by providing regulatory information and enabling you to envision the addition of new units.
- If you’re concerned about climate change, the Seattle climate hackathon and the work of the winning team, YIMBY AI, show that there are people and organizations working on creative solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- If you’re in the Seattle area, the Seattle Climate Innovation Hub could be a valuable resource for learning about and getting involved in climate-related efforts.
- In the future, we can expect to see more hackathons and other events focused on finding innovative solutions to climate change.
Original Post
Fourteen teams assembled this week to compete in a Seattle climate hackathon and the chance to win a share of $10,000 in prize money.
The $5,000 grand prize went to a group called YIMBY AI, which is building a tool using machine learning and AI to make it easier for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or multifamily buildings on their property.
The team talked about how so-called infill building helps provide housing and increases density, which lowers greenhouse emissions through reduced transportation and land conservation.
Their platform would enable users to envision the addition of new units and provide local regulatory information for permitting.
“The problem with infill development is that it’s hard for a family that is looking to build an ADU for grandma to move into the backyard, or converting a home into a duplex to generate additional income,” said team lead Chris Esh in his pitch to judges on Friday. “It’s really an impossible task for most homeowners to truly understand the complexities of zoning and building codes.”
About 80 people participated in the event, which was held at the recently launched Seattle Climate Innovation Hub, a downtown venue that is a partnership between the City of Seattle, the University of Washington, the climate community organizer 9Zero, and a climate tech investment nonprofit called VertueLab. Microsoft and Amazon were lead sponsors of the event.
The teams coalesced a couple of weeks ago, and met over three days this week to flesh out their ideas and pitch to a panel of judges. 9Zero members organized the hackathon.
“We need to crank the startup culture for climate stuff in Seattle, and I feel like this helps us to get a lot more reps in,” said Lowell Bender, general manager for 9Zero in Seattle. “I want to have every day be a hackathon at 9Zero.”
Key Terms
- Climate hackathon
- Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
- Infill building
- Machine learning
- AI
- Seattle Climate Innovation Hub
- 9Zero
ORIGINAL SOURCE:
Source link
