The term maker city has emerged recently to describe the rise of participatory/DIY activities, from coding to 3D printing, that engages citizens & local government in developing solutions for social issues and creating economic impact. We are seeing more spaces (coworking, fab labs, incubators, etc) proliferating, but they generally are not focused on social solution design and development. This session will establish the context for the maker cities futures conversation and panelists will provide their perspectives from industry, disaster zones and African social enterprise communities. Our group ideation and mapping exercise will be guided by the question “ What is required to develop a global purpose driven maker city ecosystem by 2025?”
Topics to be covered:
Evolution of Maker City - What are the root and genealogy of the movements that are converging in the modern maker city? What cities are defining the space now? What is the future of maker cities?
Social impact meets the Maker movement - Where are these movements intersecting and what are the outcomes? How can we increase the “collisions” between these communities?
How is 3D printing driving advanced manufacturing, aiding in disaster response and developing markets in Africa?
Background:
Maker Faire:
Maker Faire celebrated it’s 10th year in the Bay Area in 2016. A record 215,000 people attended the two flagship Maker Faires in the Bay Area and New York in 2014. Also in 2014, 119 independently-produced Mini and 14 Featured Maker Faires occurred around the world, including Tokyo, Rome, Detroit, Oslo and Shenzhen. Make Media is develops web content, video and Make Magazine covering developments in the Maker Community.
White House Nation of Makers Initiative:
Launched in 2014, the Nation of Makers initiative, an all-hands-on-deck call to give many more students, entrepreneurs, and citizens access to a new class of technologies – such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and desktop machine tools – that are enabling more Americans to design, build, and manufacture just about anything. The initiative garnered commitments from 100+ Mayors, Federal Agencies, schools, NGO and corporations to advance the Maker ecosystem.
