ABOUT

Alicia Rouault is co-founder of a civic technology startup called LocalData and a 2012 Knight News Challenge Data winner. Alicia is exploring data visualization and interactive application development in cities as a Research Assistant at the Civic Data Design Lab, a new lab at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning under professor Sarah Williams. 

Alicia was selected as a 2012 Code for America Fellow. In partnership with the City of Detroit's Mayor's Office Alicia worked to connect citizen groups and government on the design and deployment of TextMyBus, Apps for Detroitand LocalData to address civic issues through digital means in Detroit.

Prior to CfA, Alicia worked as a Research Fellow with the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development and SFMade to develop a national urban manufacturing toolkit supported by the Clinton Global Initiative.

On the East coast, Alicia worked as Assistant Editor of Urban Omnibus, where she wrote and curated content showcasing the work of urban planners, citizens, designers and technologists on city systems. In recent past, Alicia has worked in community development with the City of Newark’s Division of Planning and Economic Development, Pratt Center for Community Development and Citizens Committee for New York City.

Alicia has written for various journals and blogs including MIT CoLab Radio, Urban Omnibus, MultipliCITY journal of City and Regional Planning of the Pratt Institute, Code for America and SPUR's The Urbanist. Find her writing here.

Alicia holds a dual B.A. in Political Science and Ethics, Society and Law from the University of Toronto. She has studied City and Regional Planning at the Masters level at the Pratt Institute and UC Berkeley and is currently completing her Masters at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has interest in human-centered design, post-industrial waterfronts, data visualization, community advocacy and the intersection of planning and technology.