Data-Smart City Pod
by Data-Smart City Solutions
Latest episode
Exclusive: Environmental Equity Starts at the Hyperlocal Level
Exclusive: Environmental Equity Starts at the Hyperlocal Level
About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 102 episodes
- Exclusive: Environmental Equity Starts at the Hyperlocal Level · 26 min · Episode 103Recorded live at the Harvard Kennedy School, this exclusive episode features Mayor Van Johnson and Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, who spoke at our recent Data to Action capstone…
- Recast - What Mayors Need to Know About SNAP with Dr. Sara Bleich · 22 min · Episode 102In this episode, host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Dr. Sara Naomi Bleich, professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and former USDA Director of Nutrition…
- Moving the Needle with Better Metrics and Smaller Experiments · 24 min · Episode 101Most cities operate on assumptions that were handed down years ago and consider frontline workers as executors of top-down decisions. In this episode, San Francisco's former…
- The 100th Episode Mailbag! · 29 min · Episode 100It's our 100th episode! And we're flipping the script: Stephen Goldsmith is the guest, not the host. And he shares stories that completely reframe how cities should think about…
- Serving the Whole Person in NYC · 18 min · Episode 99How do you lead 16 agencies and serve 8.2 million people without losing sight of the individual? NYC's Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga shows what happens…
- How Cities Scale Data Innovation Through Cultural Change · 37 min · Episode 98Data innovation isn't about buying better tools. As Dallas and Cleveland show, it's about how leaders listen, support risk-taking, and work alongside agencies. The result? A…
- Good, Responsive Services Start With the Resident · 21 min · Episode 97Good services don't start with the city's org chart or budget lines. They start by understanding the resident's actual journey — and all the hidden time, paperwork, and friction…
- Federal Data, Local Impact: What Cities Need to Know · 31 min · Episode 96City leaders are on the front lines of data use, but most lack visibility into the federal data landscape, what's available, what's changing, and how federal policy decisions…
- Building an AI-Ready City Government · 29 min · Episode 95City leaders are eager to deploy AI, but the real opportunity lies in preparation: building the right organizational structures, expertise, and culture first. Host Stephen…
- Redesigning Broken and Legacy Systems to Unlock Innovation with Communities · 26 min · Episode 94City 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…
- The Promise and Peril of AI in Criminal Justice Systems · 27 min · Episode 93AI is being deployed across courts, police departments, and corrections systems. Without the right guardrails, it could amplify existing biases. But, with care and attention…
- Supporting Childhood Opportunity Starts With Environmental Justice · 18 min · Episode 92Lead 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…
- From Reactive to Preventive: How AI Transforms Public Works · 22 min · Episode 91Most cities respond to infrastructure problems after residents report them. What if they could detect and prevent them first, while serving every neighborhood fairly? Host…
- Agentic AI Comes to City Hall · 35 min · Episode 90Why 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…
- How Cities Can Measure What Actually Matters · 17 min · Episode 89What 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…
- Personalizing Government at Scale: Denver's AI Strategy · 25 min · Episode 87Host 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…
- AI Agents and Peak Academy: Brian Elms on Empowering Government Workers · 25 min · Episode 86Host 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…
- The DSCP Listener Survey · 1 min · Episode 85For 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. Take the survey at…
- Rethinking Government in 2026 · 17 min · Episode 84In our end-of-year episode, host Stephen Goldsmith reflect on 2025's most promising advancements in local government and shares his vision for how cities can harness generative…
- City Leadership in the AI Era · 24 min · Episode 83Listen to host Stephen Goldsmith speak with two leading voices at the intersection of local government, data, and AI: Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of What Works Cities and…
