Z8B5-Airborne-CityLink

CityLink reconnects cities by helping residents discover and create local events, volunteer drives, and sustainability projects—making communities more inclusive, safe, and united.

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Inspiration

Cities are growing faster than ever — yet, while we’re more connected online, we’ve become increasingly disconnected from the people right around us. Community events, volunteer drives, and local updates are scattered across countless apps, leaving residents feeling detached and uninformed. We wanted to build something that makes cities feel smaller, smarter, and more connected again.

What it does

CityLink is a smart, inclusive web platform that unites residents, organizations, and local authorities in one hub. It helps people: Discover & create local events – from park cleanups to workshops and cultural meetups. Stay informed with AI-driven alerts on safety, sustainability, and accessibility. Track real impact through dashboards showing volunteer hours, trees planted, and CO₂ saved. Engage inclusively through multilingual, accessibility-first design that ensures everyone — newcomers, seniors, or residents with disabilities — can participate.

How we built it

Frontend: Next.js + React (Tailwind CSS) for responsive UI. Backend: AWS Lambda + DynamoDB for scalable, serverless data handling. Auth: Amazon Cognito for secure email and Google login. Map Integration: Google Maps API for location-based events and pins. AI Tools: OpenAI API to generate event summaries and tag suggestions. Data Pipeline: AWS API Gateway for real-time community alerts.

Challenges we ran into

Frontend: Next.js + React (Tailwind CSS) for responsive UI. Backend: AWS Lambda + DynamoDB for scalable, serverless data handling. Auth: Amazon Cognito for secure email and Google login. Map Integration: Google Maps API for location-based events and pins. AI Tools: OpenAI API to generate event summaries and tag suggestions. Data Pipeline: AWS API Gateway for real-time community alerts.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a working, end-to-end prototype in under a day. Created an interface that’s both modern and inclusive, supporting multilingual participation. Designed a data-driven impact tracker to visualize real contributions (volunteer hours, sustainability stats). Formed a cross-disciplinary team that combined civic design, software engineering, and environmental innovation.

What we learned

The importance of human-centered design — accessibility isn’t a feature, it’s a foundation. How open data and AI can empower cities when used responsibly. The challenge and value of creating a unified civic platform that balances inclusivity, safety, and technology. Realized that sometimes, the hardest part of smart-city innovation isn’t code — it’s building trust and community adoption.

What's next for CityLink

Mobile version with location-based notifications and quick event creation. Municipal partnerships for verified community and emergency data feeds. Blockchain-based verification for organizer authenticity. Expanded AI insights, summarizing neighborhood trends and sustainability progress. Launch pilot in Calgary, then scale across major Canadian cities.

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