Data-Smart City Pod

Hosted by Data-Smart City Solutions

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Aug 2026

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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.

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August 12, 202617 min

Serving the Whole Person in NYC

How 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 when a leader moves beyond the binary of efficiency vs. compassion, using data and local insights to get both right. In this episode, you'll learn: Why a structured system for serving people from birth through end-of-life means better, consistent care. How to use neighborhood-level data and geographic targeting to serve people before they hit crisis. How to get the right processes in place before feeding data to an AI. The importance of early intervention with babies and children. Why ensuring equal access to good care is so personal for DM Arteaga, and how she honors her father's legacy by doing so. Guest: New York City's Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga 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.

July 29, 202636 min

How Cities Scale Data Innovation Through Cultural Change

Data 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 culture where innovation thrives, and scales. Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Brita Andercheck, Chief Data Officer in Dallas, and Liz Crowe, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer in Cleveland, about how they drive transformative change across city governments. From reporting structures to how you listen to agencies to going out into the field yourself, they share the unglamorous work that actually drives transformation. In this episode, you'll learn: How to strike the balance between centralization and decentralization Why a problem-first approach beats technology-first Why data teams should measure their ROI The importance of collaboration and relationships How to create psychological safety so teams "fail smart" Guest: Dr. Brita Andercheck – Chief Data Officer and Director of the Office of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence, city of Dallas Dr. Liz Crowe – Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, city of Cleveland 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.

July 8, 202621 min

Good, Responsive Services Start With the Resident

Good 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 that comes with it. Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Dr. Kim Leary, director of the Good Services Lab at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, about how listening is an active skill, why selection bias shapes who gets heard, and how cities can use AI and resident-centered design to create services that actually work for everyone. In this episode, you'll learn: Why "good services" means residents can find, understand, and use them without insider knowledge How selection bias shapes civic engagement and why mayors must ask "who's not in the room?" How AI can help identify missing constituencies and unnoticed solutions in comparable cities Why organizing around the resident's journey changes service delivery How to measure progress at baseline, midpoint, and endpoint to track what's actually improving Guest: Dr. Kim Leary – clinical psychologist, professor, and director of the Good Services Lab at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University 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.

June 17, 202630 min

Federal Data, Local Impact: What Cities Need to Know

City 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 affect local outcomes. This gap delays emergency response, misdirects resources away from high-need neighborhoods, and undermines AI systems that depend on accurate data and community trust. Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Denice Ross, Director of Federal Data Policy at the Federation of American Scientists, about the relationship between local and federal data, what city CDOs should prioritize, and why cities have untapped power to shape federal data policy. In this episode, you'll learn: The often-hidden relationship between local data needs and federal data infrastructure How to identify and access the federal data your city should be using Why now is the time to prepare for Census 2030 and protect funding How community participation in data decisions prevents disparities and builds legitimacy for AI systems How local data leaders can advocate effectively during federal policy windows Guest: Denice Ross – Director of Federal Data Policy at the Federation of American Scientists; former United States Chief Data Scientist 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.

May 27, 202628 min

Building an AI-Ready City Government

City 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.

May 13, 202626 min

Redesigning Broken and Legacy Systems to Unlock Innovation with Communities

City 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.

April 22, 202627 min

The Promise and Peril of AI in Criminal Justice Systems

AI 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.

April 8, 202617 min

Supporting Childhood Opportunity Starts With Environmental Justice

Lead 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.

April 1, 202621 min

From Reactive to Preventive: How AI Transforms Public Works

Most 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.

March 11, 202634 min

Agentic AI Comes to City Hall

Why 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.

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