About Planning Labs

Open by Default

Planning Labs is committed to openness and transparency, and all activities will be open by default. We will adopt the open source policy of 18F as a foundational set of principles to build upon.

Build With, Not For

Planning Labs is a design partner, working closely with our colleagues in visioning and agile development. Collaborators are expected to provide resources for the duration of a product build, and will be heavily involved in sprint planning, testing and acceptance.

Ship Early, Ship Often

Planning Labs’ preferred projects will yield a minimum viable product in 4-6 weeks, providing a rapid cadence and the opportunity to work on diverse projects and problems across the agency.

Document and Disseminate

Planning Labs will place a high priority on documentation and outward messaging in support of its mission to promote modern technology best practices, and will manage its own content to include general information about the team’s mission and work program, blogging, docs, and social media engagement.

Godfrey joined labs in May 2019. Previously he delivered spatial web applications for Oregon Metro's various departments like Parks, Property & Environmental Services, and Planning, and also for the City of Salem. For the past decade he has had an interest in urban planning and creating software to help improve the built environment.

David joined Planning Labs in 2020. Previously he planned and executed digital marketing campaigns for some of the world's most recognizable brands.

Natasha joined Planning Labs in June 2021. Previously she designed marketing assets across platforms for NYC Department of Finance and NYC Department of Social Services. She is passionate about human-centered design and innovation within City government.  

Chris developed the concept for Planning Labs in 2017, after leading the development of modern, open mapping applications in DCP’s Capital Planning Division. He is an urbanist, open data advocate, civic technologist, and a former Code for America Brigade leader.

Andy joined the founding team of Planning Labs in July, 2017 after implementing New York City Council’s plan for digital inclusion and open government. As Design & Creative Director at OpenPlans, he built collaborative mapping services and other civic engagement tools.

Julia joined Planning Labs in January 2019, after over three years working in internet advertising. She's passionate about civic tech, and looks forward to learning from the team and building open solutions to empower New Yorkers.

Hannah joined Labs in Sept 2018, after working for two years in NYC Planning’s Capital Planning division where she led planning/process reforms focused on siting City facilities. She also developed core NYC Planning databases and product managed the creation of the NYC Facilities Explorer.

Taylor joined Planning Labs in June 2018, after creating data visualizations as a Fellow for the Pratt Center for Community Development. Originally introduced to mapping as an environmental geologist, she now works as a developer and web mapper focused on open data and city planning issues.

Rahul Alexander joined Labs in April 2019 after work as a design and UX Consultant for various non-profits and startups. He has a background in education and has collaborated on numerous projects at the intersection of public space, design, and technology.

Jonathan joined Planning Labs in Oct 2018. He began his career as a developer in a number of agencies. In 2012, he founded the Code for America brigade in Grand Rapids, Michigan and had his first taste of public service with the city's Downtown Development Authority. He believes in bold and transformative public servants.

Kate joined Labs in August 2019. She previously built transportation and wayfinding tools with Conveyal and her own consultancy, Route. She is passionate about proactive government and multimodal cities. Kate teaches design and cartography at Pratt's Spatial Analysis and Visualization Initiative.

Brandyn joined Labs in November 2019, after working as a developer for the City of St. Paul. He previously helped co-organize MaptimeNYC, where he fell in love with web mapping and open source communities. Brandyn teaches data literacy and visualization at the School of Visual Arts.

Matt joined Planning Labs as a founding member in July, 2017 after creating digital solutions for the City of Boston’s Summer Youth Employment Program. He also helped establish the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s Digital Services division, the first of its kind in regional planning.

Nneka joined Planning Labs in March 2020. Her previous work includes conducting user research to understand how building environments influence social behavior and developing new tools to help communities develop/manage self-organized infrastructure systems. Nneka is passionate about increasing social impact through civic technology and empathetic design.