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Data-Smart City Pod

Data-Smart City Solutions

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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22 episodes
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Avg 23 min
English

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#100
Wednesday · 29 min
The 100th Episode Mailbag!
It'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 technology — from a 1970s bot that shattered assumptions about poor people using tech, to why AI alone should never drive government decisions, to the importance of bench marking the status quo.
#99
August 12 · 17 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.
#98
July 29 · 36 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
#97
July 8 · 21 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, clinical psychologist, professor, and 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-c
#96
June 17 · 30 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 r
#95
May 27 · 28 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.
#94
May 13 · 26 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.
#93
April 22 · 27 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
#92
April 8 · 17 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 ex
#91
April 1 · 21 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 rea
#90
March 11 · 34 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. 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.
#89
March 4 · 16 min
How Cities Can Measure What Actually Matters
What 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 epis
#87
February 4 · 25 min
Personalizing Government at Scale: Denver's AI Strategy
Host 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
#86
January 21 · 24 min
AI Agents and Peak Academy: Brian Elms on Empowering Government Workers
Host 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 discus
#85
January 5 · 1 min
The DSCP Listener Survey
For 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 bit.ly/datasmartpod. 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!
#84
Dec 17, 2025 · 16 min
Rethinking Government in 2026
In 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 AI to drive real change. Goldsmith discusses why a problem-first approach to AI implementation matters, how cities can rebuild public trust through better community listening, and why government processes must fundamentally transform—not just be overlaid with new technology. Drawing on decades of experience, he explains h
#83
Nov 19, 2025 · 24 min
City Leadership in the AI Era
Listen 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 Carrie Bishop, who leads data and AI initiatives for the Government Innovation team at Bloomberg Philanthropies. Haynes and Bishop share advice for mayors on leading AI‑driven culture change, choosing meaningful use cases, and making data central to how modern cities solve problems. They explore how cities can use data a
#82
Oct 29, 2025 · 24 min
How GenAI Can Actually Boost Public Sector Creativity
This episode features Mike Sarasti, former Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Innovation and Technology in Miami and a leading advocate for government transformation, in conversation with host Stephen Goldsmith. They unpack how GenAI and rapid process mapping are revolutionizing public sector efficiency, not by shaving seconds off legacy workflows, but by making space for human creativity and curiosity. Mike shares real-world examples and explains how city leaders can democratize AI tools
#81
Oct 8, 2025 · 21 min
What Mayors Need to Know About SNAP with Dr. Sara Bleich
In 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 Security and Health Equity. Dr. Bleich breaks down major recent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—including historic budget cuts and stricter work requirements—and what they mean for the children and families utilizing this program. She shares actionable guidance for mayors and city leaders, inclu
#80
Oct 1, 2025 · 24 min
Charles Waldheim on the Future of the American City
In this special episode, Harvard Kennedy School Professor Stephen Goldsmith and Harvard Graduate School of Design Professor Charles Waldheim co-host a podcast crossover. Pr. Waldheim, host of the Future of the American City podcast and Director of the Office for Urbanization, speaks with Pr. Goldsmith about neighborhood regeneration, community-driven adaptation, and how to incorporate data into established decision-making routines.

Showing 1–20 of 22 episodes