Podcast
Data-Smart City Pod
Hosted by Data-Smart City Solutions · EN
As the central resource for cities on the intersection of government, data, and innovation, the Data-Smart City Pod from Data-Smart City Solutions at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University features leaders and experts in governance, innovation, and research.
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Building an AI-Ready City Government
1w ago00:28:38Summary readyCity leaders are eager to deploy AI, but the real opportunity lies in preparation: building the right organizational structures, expertise, and culture first. Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Teddy Svoronos, senior lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, about how to structure your city government for Agentic AI, why small, empowered teams work better than broad rollouts, and what mental models and skills leaders actually need to manage this new relationship with AI tools. In this episode, you'll learn: Why creating a data-driven culture before AI deployment is the critical first step How to start with a small, driven team to stress-test AI capabilities in your organization What "cognitive debt" means and why managing it prevents costly AI mistakes Why domain-specific expertise becomes more important, not less, as AI gets more powerful How to balance the tension between AI utility and maintaining organizational control What guardrails, monitoring, and evaluation mechanisms cities need in place from the start Guest: Teddy Svoronos – Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa About Data-Smart City Solutions Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.
SummaryRedesigning Broken and Legacy Systems to Unlock Innovation with Communities
3w ago00:26:11Summary readyCity leaders want to innovate, but most are stuck solving yesterday's problems with yesterday's tools. Real breakthroughs come from fundamentally changing how governments listen to communities. Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Dr. Francisca Rojas, executive director of the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins, about how technology and design are helping cities understand what residents actually need—and why legacy systems are the real barrier to change. In this episode, you'll learn: How Savannah used digital mapping to uncover flooding problems FEMA data missed by listening to residents Why the Maryland Community Business Compass uses AI to democratize information for small businesses How digital twins help communities imagine and approve projects like affordable housing before they're built What Baltimore learned by reframing vacant housing as both a rehabilitation problem and a prevention problem Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa About Data-Smart City Solutions Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.
SummaryThe Promise and Peril of AI in Criminal Justice Systems
Apr 2200:27:10Summary readyAI is being deployed across courts, police departments, and corrections systems. Without the right guardrails, it could amplify existing biases. But, with care and attention, there are opportunities to improve the experience of people within these same systems. Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Dr. Andrea Headley from Georgetown University's Evidence for Justice Lab about what governments need to know about AI in criminal justice, how to identify and reduce bias, why transparency matters for public trust, and the devastating consequences when humans aren't in the loop. Guest: Dr. Andrea Headley – Associate Professor, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy; Director, Evidence for Justice Lab References: The Justice and Artificial Intelligence Tracker Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa About Data-Smart City Solutions Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.
SummarySupporting Childhood Opportunity Starts With Environmental Justice
Apr 800:17:41Summary readyLead pipes aren't just a water infrastructure problem—they're connected to poverty, violence, and lost opportunity. Milwaukee's mayor explains why removing them matters to public safety and economic mobility. Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson about how his city is accelerating lead pipe removal, creating family-supporting jobs, and why environmental justice is central to breaking cycles of poverty and incarceration. In this episode, you'll learn: Why lead exposure affects public safety, not just health How lead removal becomes an economic development opportunity for neighborhoods Why early interventions in kids' lives prevent long-term harm How Milwaukee prioritizes removal in the most under-resourced neighborhoods What federal funding will enable Milwaukee to remove 5,000 lead pipes in a single year Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa About Data-Smart City Solutions Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.
SummaryFrom Reactive to Preventive: How AI Transforms Public Works
Apr 100:21:34Summary readyMost cities respond to infrastructure problems after residents report them. What if they could detect and prevent them first, while serving every neighborhood fairly? Host Stephen Goldsmith sits down with Daniel Pelaez (CEO of CYVL), Khahlil Louisy (Public Innovation Institute), and Mike Dennehy (former Boston Public Works Commissioner) to explore how artificial intelligence and computer vision are revolutionizing infrastructure management, closing equity gaps, and helping cities shift from reactive operations to predictive maintenance. In this episode, you'll learn: How computer vision detects infrastructure problems before citizens report them Why traditional complaint-based systems can miss concerns in lower-income neighborhoods How natural language queries democratize access to infrastructure data for city managers Why a "multi-modal" approach combining AI, citizen input, and external data delivers better equity outcomes What cities can expect from predictive infrastructure systems Paper referenced: When Residents and Algorithms See Different Problems Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa About Data-Smart City Solutions Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.
SummaryAgentic AI Comes to City Hall
Mar 1100:34:42Summary readyWhy do cities struggle to adopt AI at scale despite exponential improvements in the technology? Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Boston CIO Santi Garces and Harvard Business School Professor Mitch Weiss to explore the "growing gap" between AI capability and organizational adoption. Plus, hear how the city of Boston improved user satisfaction 3x with an AI-powered web search, why MCP servers are powerful and transparent tools for government, and how to move from pilot to production. Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa About Data-Smart City Solutions Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.
SummaryHow Cities Can Measure What Actually Matters
Mar 400:16:43Summary readyWhat does a city government owe its residents? Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO of Zencity, to explore how GenAI is fundamentally transforming the way cities measure, understand, and respond to resident needs. For decades, performance management in government has relied on operational metrics like crime numbers, pothole repairs, traffic flow. But what happens when the data looks good, yet residents feel less safe? When efficiency improves, but trust declines? In this episode, Feder-Levy argues that citizen satisfaction and perception should be the true North Star for city government. Using social sentiment analysis, AI-powered data agents, and real-world examples, he explores how GenAI is cutting response times, revealing hidden patterns, and closing the gap between statistics and lived experience. Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa About Data-Smart City Solutions Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.
SummaryPersonalizing Government at Scale: Denver's AI Strategy
Feb 400:25:00Summary readyHost Stephen Goldsmith sits down with Suma Nallapati, Chief AI and Information Officer for the City and County of Denver, to explore how Denver is using generative AI to collapse bureaucracy and make government fundamentally more responsive to residents. Nallapati discusses Denver's Sunny AI platform, why combining the CIO and AI officer roles eliminates unhealthy friction between innovation and caution, and why the real opportunity of GenAI lies in freeing public servants from repetitive tasks so they can focus on the human connection that drew them to public service in the first place. Nallapati emphasizes that AI is a tool in government's toolbox—one that succeeds only when paired with ethical frameworks, transparency, and a relentless focus on resident outcomes rather than technology for its own sake.Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpodMusic credit: Summer-Man by KetsaAbout Data-Smart City SolutionsData-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.
SummaryAI Agents and Peak Academy: Brian Elms on Empowering Government Workers
Jan 2100:24:34Summary readyHost Stephen Goldsmith sits down with Brian Elms, former director of Denver's groundbreaking Peak Academy and founder of Change Agents Training, to explore how generative AI is transforming government's most successful employee empowerment model. Elms explains how Peak Academy has saved governments over $50 million by teaching frontline workers to become problem solvers in their own services, and why unlocking employee potential matters for everyone in a government organization. They also discuss how AI agents augment this work, with Elms recommending eliminating useless work first, then layering on performance management and AI tools to help subject matter experts — not just executives — drive continuous improvement from the ground up.Take the survey at bit.ly/datasmartpod.Music credit: Summer-Man by KetsaAbout Data-Smart City SolutionsData-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on Twitter.
SummaryThe DSCP Listener Survey
Jan 500:01:00Summary readySurvey: bit.ly/datasmartpodFor our first-ever listener survey, we want to hear what you like, who you want to hear from, and how we can better support you in your work. Your answers will help us understand our audience better and create more useful episodes for you. Thanks for taking a few minutes to share your thoughts!Music credit: Summer-Man by KetsaAbout Data-Smart City SolutionsData-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on Twitter.
Summary