Northbroadband Design Challenge: urban farming network and viral couponing tool pitched at Temple event [VIDEO]

Temple business students walked their portion of North Philadelphia last week looking for inspiration.

Sixteen cross-disciplinary groups, including MBA students and undergraduates, were charged with sustainable solutions to impact Temple and its adjacent neighborhoods for the better. It was the second Northbroadband Design Challenge, as part of the school’s Design Week first held last year by its new Center for Design and Innovation.

Following a compressed bit of field research, their groups spent Thursday developing clear pitches to be judged by a tech-focused crew of judges. Many of the of the 16 projects involved technology as tools for solutions, including the second place idea that could be best described as a viral couponing tool.

Some components of the ideas will be developed, either by the students or by being pitched to interested technologists at upcoming hackathons, said organizer Youngjin Yoo.

The business school again organized its inciteXchange, a one-day conference around urban innovation held Friday to close out the week. Below, see the presentations by the top three winners and the address Mayor Nutter gave the more than 100 students, faculty and judges.

[Full Disclosure: This reporter was a judge for the design challenge.]

First Place: Philadelphia Urban Farming Association education network

Second Place: Broad Buddy viral couponing tool

Third Place: Small Spaces for Big Ideas storefront sharing for entrepreneurship and art

The honorable mention presentation can be seen here.

Before the winners were announced, Nutter arrived and addressed the group.

“I figure if I come to this event enough,” Nutter said, drawing laughs from the crowd. “I’ll come to understand what it is you people are doing.”

[tech]vzxGzQbUk5Y[/tech]