Stephen Walter is a program director for the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics, Boston's civic R&D team. He helps lead efforts around experiments in civic engagement, storytelling, technology, and research collaborations.
Previously, Steve was the founding managing director of the Engagement Lab, an applied research lab for reimagining civic engagement in a digital era. There he led the design and development of online engagement platforms like Community PlanIt, digital games like Civic Seed, analog games like UpRiver, and initiatives like the UN Gamechanger Fellowship and Games for Social Change Program. His research appears in the books Civic Media: Technology, Design, Practice (2016, MIT Press) and Meaningful Inefficiencies: Civic Innovation in an Age of Distrust (forthcoming, Oxford University Press). He’s also worked with the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre, the United Nations Development Programme, the US Department of State, and the PBS television shows Frontline and Nova.