The Urban Loop: Recent Episodes
Rohan Dasika
The Urban Loop podcast brings you interviews with professionals in the Smart City field to share stories about their journey to where they are today and the larger real-world impact of their work.
Guests include technologists, urban researchers, leaders of city government, and impactful changemakers, to name a few.
Find out more at www.theurbanloop.com or follow us on Twitter @the_urban_loop
The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes of this podcast and many others at www.billionorbustmedia.com.
Ben Volkow is the CEO & Founder of Otonomo, an Israel based startup building the future of connected car data. Otonomo is building a platform to collect, cleanse, secure, and standardize OEM car data from over 18 million vehicles. Third party service providers then deliver innovative smart city, traffic, fleet management, and mapping services for other companies and customers.
Internationally recognized by various industry groups along with OEM support from some of the world’s largest automakers, Ben and Otonomo are on a mission to create a mobility ecosystem that uses data to make every driving experience truly rewarding.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- Otonomo and interesting use cases for car & traffic data
- The role that Otonomo fills in the connected car ecosystem
- How Otonomo has helped transform legacy automakers into technology players
- Data security and privacy for the end consumer
- And finally Ben’s entrepreneurial journey and his advice for future entrepreneurs
Season 3 is in the works, to be returning early 2021 - thank you all for the support thus far! None of this would be possible without this community.
Ben can be reached at the following: LinkedIn
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-26-ben-volkow
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
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Curtis Rogers is the Co-Founder of Parkade, an app that helps tenants in the same building share and rent parking. Parkade helps put your unused parking spots to good use. As for visitors to your apartment or condo, Parkade helps make visiting seamless, with finding parking just an afterthought.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- Residential parking and why it’s such an exciting space
- The growth of Parkade and the initial MVP
- Thoughts on how mobility and transportation is moving away from cars, in general.
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on finding problems within your cities and building some great products to solve them
Curtis was also an early employee at Zimride (before it was called Lyft!), so we dive into some of those experiences and how Parkade was born out of a large-scale parking experiment at Lyft HQ.
A book that’s played a pivotal role in Curtis’s world view about the role of mobility was The High Cost of Free Parking, by Donald Shoup. Check it out!
Let’s dive in!
Curtis can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-25-curtis-rogers
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
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Khristian Gutierrez is the Chief Revenue Officer at Passport, a leader in payments in the city space. Passport provides the only end-to-end digital operating system for mobile parking payments, parking enforcement, digital permitting, and micro-mobility. Nearly a 1000 cities and universities across the US work with Passport to make parking as simple and delightful as possible.
Most recently, Passport partnered with Google Maps to enable mobile payments directly from the maps app itself! Parking is an area that has long been troublesome for citizens and difficult for cities to manage as effectively as possible - Passport aims to solve both those problems.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- The current parking ecosystem in cities, and why parking is such an exciting opportunity
- How Passport aims to make parking seamless for cities, for citizens, and for businesses
- The Passport operating system, which enables a comprehensive platform for city leaders to manage all the available parking and their costs
- Some interesting stories and guiding principles from the early days of building Passport
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
What stood out the most to me is how intentional Khristian and Passport are as a whole in working with cities as true partners, enabling better operations, insights, and convenience for all involved - enjoy the show!
Khristian can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-24-khristian-gutierrez
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Phil Beecher is the President and CEO of the Wi-SUN Alliance, a global alliance developing and promoting inter-operable Internet of Things wireless standards for smart city infrastructure.Phil and the Wi-SUN Alliance have pioneered the Smart Utility wireless network (IEEE 802.15.4g), bringing together the best of reliability, bandwidth, and latency to deliver a robust network paired with industry backing and a marketplace of third party components and compatible products.
An early engineer on Bluetooth and Zigbee protocols amongst others, Phil dives deep into the Wi-SUN protocol comparing and contrasting this to the several other popular IoT wireless standards.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- Why the Internet of Things is necessary to realize the promise of Smart Cities
- The benefits that the Wi-SUN standard provides for smart city infrastructure
- The process, conversations, and debates behind developing a standard
- How wireless networks and their development has changed over time
As a communications engineer myself, it was a delight to learn about the Wi-SUN protocol from a wireless technology pioneer. Hope you enjoy the conversation!
Phil can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-23-phil-beecher
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
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Dr. Paul Van Buskirk is a legendary political figure from the city of Cohoes, NY responsible for founding the Cohoes Citizen Party in 1963 to defeat the Albany political machine, New York’s most corrupt machine.
Today, he is the Founder and Chairman of Metro Forecasting Models, which helps several Southeastern US states predict population growth and movement, to accurately build infrastructure.
His latest book, Big Mike, Uncle Dan and Me is available now, where he discusses his journey, learnings, and lessons.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- The social and economic climate when living under a corrupt political machine
- What led Dr. Van Buskirk to start the Citizens Party of Cohoes in 1963
- How they effectively organized in a short time to defeat the political machine
- Why engagement in local politics is so low and why it’s important to correct that
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
Dr. Van Buskirk helps compare political organizing then and now, and his learnings and lessons are just as valid today and especially relevant during an election year.
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-22-dr-paul-van-buskirk
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
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Jessie Feller Hahn is the Executive Director of Meeting of the Minds, a global leadership network and knowledge sharing platform, comprising tens of thousands of leaders in the urban sustainability and technology space.
Previously she worked on the Tri-State Region’s 4th Regional Plan through the Regional Planning Association, a historic planning organization from the times of Rockefeller and Robert Moses which was involved in projects like bringing the very first bus station to NYC.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- Best practices for enabling effective sharing of knowledge, models, and ideas across industries
- How to enable resilience and sustainable growth in cities
- The paradox that leaders face between long term and short term thinking
- How the pandemic has reshaped city priorities
- Some interesting thoughts on the future of dynamic street management
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
Jessie is someone who routinely sits down with some of the most influential minds in Smart Cities, and we can all learn a lot from her insights into city planning and operations. Hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did!
Jessie can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-19-jessie-hahn
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Chris Davis was most recently the VP of Smart Cities at CIMCON Lighting, who headed their expansion into building Smart City platforms. A recognized expert in Smart City technology deployments, Chris has traveled the world to speak at several international conferences. Furthermore, Chris has headed divisions at Schneider Electric and has mentored several early stage clean energy companies.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- Why cities usually start Smart City projects with connected lighting
- The enormous energy and cost benefits of smart & connected lighting
- What typical engagements between cities and companies look like
- Commonalities between Smart City projects across the globe
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
Chris is someone that has worn many many hats over his career, and I enjoyed this opportunity to learn a lot about the business of Smart Cities from him - hope you do too!
Chris can be reached at the following: LinkedIn
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-20-chris-davis
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Marc Morial is the President and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, serving over 300 communities and helping improve the lives of over 2 million people nationwide. Under his tenure, the organization built stronger roots through its vast economic and educational programs. Marc also served as the Mayor of New Orleans, from 1994-2002, helping reduce violent crime and police corruption by over 60%.
Marc’s latest book, The Gumbo Coalition, is a wonderful read into several of Marc’s unique experiences and the leadership lessons that guided him to success. The Gumbo Coalition is more than just the title of his book - it’s a movement to help leaders unite their teams to create meaningful change in the world.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- The Black Lives Matter movement and how to harness the positive change we see into sustainable legislative and community led change
- How voter suppression is disproportionately targeted towards communities of color
- Marc’s time as Mayor of New Orleans and his specific actions that helped reduce crime
At a troubling time like this - Marc’s message of hope shines through, and I hope that you walk away from this conversation as inspired as I did!
While you’re here - here’s a list of orgs that need donations and petitions that need to be signed! Thanks for your support! https://blacklivesmatter.carrd.co
Marc can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-19-marc-morial
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Dr. Jennifer Clark is the Author of Uneven Innovation and a Professor at the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University. As an expert in urban and regional economic development planning, she has taught at Cornell University and the Georgia Institute of Technology in addition to providing expert testimony before the US Congress and consulting on several committees for the Canadian, UK, and US governments.
Her latest book, Uneven Innovation, details how the changing relationship between technologies and cities contribute to existing inequalities present around us. The real challenge is not in the technology, but really in understanding the city, embracing its local uniqueness, and in representing the city’s residents appropriately.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- How the privatization of public services will lead to a weakened public sector and promote uneven development across the city
- How tech companies often expect the city to subsidize R&D and deployment costs and the questions it raises on data ownership
- How cities need to enhance their in-house capabilities to evaluate and diffuse new solutions and act as an independent entity in new developments
- Civic discourse and how the newer models of participatory planning should be built to be inclusive of all communities
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
It’s rare to be able to read a great book and have the opportunity to speak with the author herself - I hope you learn as much from this conversation as I did!
Dr. Clark can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-18-dr-jennifer-clark
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Amos Meiri is the CEO and Co-Founder of Colu. Popular across Israel, and soon to be coming to the US, this Tel-Aviv based startup enables the coordination of infrastructure to reduce chaos, drive engagement with local business, and incentivize positive behavior through the distribution of a unique City Coin that can be spent across the city.
Featured on Forbes, Colu has helped bring communities and local businesses to the forefront of the conversations around Smart Cities, along with creating a platform where cities can directly connect with its residents and businesses.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- How Colu incentivizes positive behavior and the larger effects this has on communities and businesses
- The 3 levels of engagement - Awareness, Soft Engagement, User Action
- How cities have been leveraging Colu’s platform to reinforce communities during the time of COVID-19
- Cryptocurrencies and their potential in transforming a city’s relationship with its residents
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
Amos’ belief that a truly ‘smart’ city starts from the communities really shines through his work with Colu - enjoy the show!
Amos can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-17-amos-meiri
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is physician, epidemiologist, public health expert, progressive activist, and political commentator. Previously as the Health Commissioner for the City of Detroit, tasked with rebuilding the health system, Abdul oversaw one of the fastest municipal public health turnarounds in American history, making Detroit a national leader in public health and environmental justice. In 2018, he ran for Governor of Michigan on an unapologetically progressive platform, advocating for universal health and debt-free tuition. Endorsed by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, his ideas have gained in popularity across the country.
Abdul’s latest book, “Healing Politics” on our society’s underlying “epidemic of security” is now available. A highly relevant read in a time like this, Abdul dives into how problems of healthcare are inherently problems of politics and inequality.
We dive into…
- America’s lackluster COVID-19 response and what needs to be done to curb the worst-case scenario
- Our society’s underlying “epidemic of insecurity”, leaving people at the edge of our economy, while selling our necessary public infrastructure to the highest bidder
- How universal healthcare could have prevented societal ripple effects of this pandemic
- And lastly, what you can do to help while at home
In a time of crisis, bold leadership from people like Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is what we need. Hope you find this as inspiring as I did!
Abdul can be reached at the following: Website, LinkedIn, Twitter
He also hosts a podcast, America Dissected - give it a listen!
Stay safe!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-16-dr-abdul-el-sayed
The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Andrew Watkins is the President and COO of Marketplace.city, a Chicago based startup building a marketplace to connect leading smart technology providers to governments, worldwide. What began with the question, “Why don't public sector buyers have a better way to discover and acquire technology solutions?" blossomed into a robust marketplace serving over 60 cities and hundreds of vendors.
Marketplace.city has been recognized by The World Economic Forum, Governing Magazine, State Scoop, and was awarded the Innovative Idea Award at the 2017 Smart City Expo World Congress.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- How tech procurement currently happens in most city governments
- The gap that Marketplace.city fills, enabling this process to happen faster and more effectively
- The team’s (Chris Foreman, Cameron Koczon) journey through building this company
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
For all the budding smart city entrepreneurs out there, this one’s for you - some great stories and advice on building a successful civic-tech oriented startup!
Andrew can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-15-andrew-watkins/
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The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Governor Martin O’Malley served as the 61st Governor of the State of Maryland and was a 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate. During his tenure as governor, he introduced and drove a revolutionary style of leadership centered on data-based decision making through the use of Esri GIS (Geographic Information Systems) models. Under his leadership, Maryland had transformed from one of the poorest performing states to one of the strongest, recovering 100% of the jobs lost during the 2008 recession, having the best public schools in America, and seeing a reduction in crime by 43%.
Governor Martin O’Malley recently authored a book, Smarter Government: How to Govern for Results in the Information Age, providing a deep look into the behind-the-scenes leadership and vision needed to implement a revolutionary method of governance. He’s additionally given several talks and lectures about these topics at TED and at Esri Summits.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- Martin O’Malley’s tenure as the Mayor of Baltimore (1999 - 2007) where he first introduced CitiStat to help make the city a safer place
- How he expanded that to StateStat as Governor (2007 - 2015) and drove inspiring results across all departments in the state, several of which were hailed by President Barack Obama
- The necessary leadership strategies and actions to build an entrepreneurial organization driven by results and transparency
- The Governor’s 2016 Presidential campaign and some of his thoughts on the 2020 Democratic primary elections
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space within government
I certainly wish we had more time to dive into the Governor’s leadership, but this was a fascinating conversation to look into the processes that drive leadership and change from the top-down!
Governor Martin O’Malley can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-14-martin-omalley
The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
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Ellen Hwang is currently a Program Director at the Knight Foundation and was previously the Director of Smart City & Municipal Innovation for the City of Philadelphia, where she helped drive an initiative to lay out the City’s first ever Smart City roadmap.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- Ellen’s journey, from her time at Temple University to the Knight Foundation today
- How SmartCityPHL, the first Smart City Roadmap for Philadelphia, came into existence and all the joys and challenges during the journey
- How the City of Philadelphia determined the City’s guiding principles for executing on this vision
- How the Knight Foundation, a key player in supporting community orgs, is promoting and laying out a vision for Open Data
- And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
This was an inspiring conversation, seeing Ellen’s love for her city shine in her tireless effort to build a thoughtful vision for Philadelphia’s future. Enjoy!
Ellen can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-13-ellen-hwang
The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Kelly Kang was most recently the Program Manager at Techstars Detroit, the premier accelerator for helping founders build businesses across mobility, transportation, and city infrastructure.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- Kelly’s journey and how she found herself in a mentorship role with Techstars
- Some of the most impactful mobility problems being tackled
- Strategies for startups to succeed in the mobility world
- As always, advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space, including attending local meetups such as Planet M Mobility
I walked away from this conversation, inspired by the hardworking founders and mentors of Techstars and hopeful for a bright future for mobility startups!
Kelly can be reached at the following: LinkedIn
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/episode-12-kelly-kang/
The Urban Loop podcast is brought to you in partnership with Billion or Bust Media. You can find the latest episodes and show notes at our website and socials below.
The Urban Loop: Website, Twitter
Billion or Bust Media: Website, Instagram
Your favorite podcast is back!
Season 2 of The Urban Loop returns this week, presented in partnership with Billion or Bust Media.
This season is going to be filled with eye-opening interviews with city leaders, civic technologists, and leading urbanists. Beyond that, we're planning on bringing forth a variety of content, including a weekly news roundup and insightful deep-dives into pertinent Smart City related topics.
As always, would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and ideas on our website or on Twitter!
Thanks for listening, stay tuned!
In Episode 10, the final for Season 1, I’m joined by Jordan Davis. Jordan is the Director of Smart Columbus where she leads the City and the Columbus Partnership in bringing together the right partners and kickstarting pilot programs that help the city advance towards the grand vision of a connected city. Smart Columbus was born out of the very first USDOT Smart City Challenge and the City has been leading the country by example in setting the right foot forward in the creation of a smart city.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- How large-scale systems thinking is integral to projects of this size and vision
- Smart Columbus OS and the foundations of Smart Columbus
- Successful pilot programs that were deployed, including the very first autonomous shuttle by May Mobility
- As always, advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space
Jordan is a guest I’ve been very excited about and waiting to talk to for a very long time now, and this interview on her work and the progress Columbus has made was truly an inspiration to say the least!
Thank you all for sticking with me over the past few months, this has been an incredible journey. After listening to this interview, please visit www.theurbanloop.com or find us on Twitter @the_urban_loop to fill out a short survey on your thoughts so far! Season 2 is on it’s way!
Jordan can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter,
Smart Columbus: Website, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/ep-10-jordan-davis/
Nigel Jacob is the Co-Founder of the Office of New Urban Mechanics, a civic innovation incubator and R&D lab within the City of Boston. Nigel’s work is dedicated to making urban life better through human-centered design and innovative applications of technology. The Office works with universities, startups, and other city departments to design innovative ideas around education, transportation, housing, and city research.
Nigel is currently a board member for organizations like Code for America and coUrbanize. Overall, his work has led to him being named the Public Official of the Year in 2011 and a White House Champion of Change in 2012.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- How an R&D lab within the city government can lead to rapid innovation and growth
- The impact that human-centered design can have on government services
- Nigel’s background as a software engineer and how he transitioned his career into urban technology
It was truly a privilege to have the chance to talk to and learn from Nigel. I hope you feel the same - Enjoy the show!
Nigel can be reached at: Twitter, LinkedIn
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/ep-9-nigel-jacob/
Janna Smith is the Transportation Technology Project Manager for the City of Los Angeles. Janna works at the crossroads of technology and policy, leading efforts around data sharing and Smart City pilot programs in implementing LADOT’s Transportation Technology Strategy.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- How LA is betting on Data, Mobility, and Infrastructure as a service
- Best practices surrounding on collecting and maintaining transportation data
- How to best separate the signal from the noise as an elected official or a technologist
Janna brings deep knowledge and experience to leverage the best in technologists and policy makers.
This was a great conversation, I hope you learn a bit and enjoy the chat!
Janna can be reached at the following: Twitter, LADOT
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/ep-8-janna-smith/
Danielle DuMerer is the CIO & Commisioner of the City of Chicago, where she helps the City leverage data and technology to improve city service delivery and oversees the implementation of large-scale smart city initiatives.
In this conversation, Danielle gives us insight into...
- Improving the efficacy and accessibility of gov’t services
- How Chicago operates their incredible Open Data platform and collaborates with the city’s active civic tech community, in the form of Chi Hack Night and the Chicago Design System
- The Array of Things program, which is Chicago’s massive Internet of Things sensor deployment
It’s amazing to see how Danielle is helping Chicago lead in civic technology while ensuring that all advancements remain accessible to every single one of the city’s residents. This was a great conversation, I hope you learn a bit and enjoy the chat!
Danielle can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/ep-7-danielle-dumerer/
Kathleen Baireuther is a Sr. Mgr in Ford Mobility’s City Solutions, where she works closely with cities to identify significant mobility pain points and translate those into practical, real-world projects. Kathleen’s expertise in mobility and energy across both the public and private sector helped provide a lot of insight into challenges we’re facing around new technology, new business models, and new systems.
In this conversation, we dive into…
- How to test ideas and run pilot programs successfully in the context of cities
- What do new business models in the mobility space look like
- What accessibility and equity mean with new mobility
- Where the data to enable smart mobility comes from and how it’s organized
Kathleen can be reached at the following:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-baireuther-91300b3/
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/ep-6-kathleen-baireuther/
Jon Allan is the Director of the Office of the Great Lakes, where he has led the efforts to protect, restore, and sustain the Great Lakes watershed since 2012. Before that, he was deeply involved with Environmental Policy at Consumers Energy, one of Michigan’s largest utilities. Over the course of his career, Jon has led negotiations on several landmark legislation and agreements, including the Great Lakes Compact and the Michigan Water Strategy.
Jon’s expertise around aquatic systems and his drive to make a difference in natural resource governance are truly remarkable. In this conversation, we dive into the intersection and integration between ecological, economic, social and cultural value related to natural resources.
Jon can be reached at the following:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonal/
Office of the Great Lakes: https://www.michigan.gov/ogl/
Enjoy the show!
See more at www.theurbanloop.com/ep-5-jon-allan/
Dr. Glaeser is a Professor of Economics at Harvard University and is one of the world’s foremost authorities in urban economics. His contributions to the field have been nothing short of tremendous, having published deeply insightful works around the issues of affordable housing, city growth, and the role that cities play in transmitting ideas.
His book, The Triumph of the City, does a wonderful job in making his research available and accessible to the general audience. What he does uniquely is to make the argument that much of what is thought of as "obvious" for urban public policy is not truly beneficial. The city brings people together for close contact and can succeed if and only if the city is built around the power of people, human contact, creativity, and collaboration. His TED Talk on this topic is a neat summary of the book’s driving points.
Dr. Glaeser also teaches a free course on EDX, called CitiesX, with over 180 videos, giving students a far-ranging look at the past, present, and future of cities by exploring both policy and economic frameworks.
We talked lots about housing policy, preventing urban sprawl, how cities should encourage new development, and ultimately the environmental and economic ramifications of it all. Towards the end, Dr. Glaeser gives some fantastic, motivating advice to all students considering a career in the field of urban economics or urban development.
Dr. Glaeser can be reached at the following:
Website: scholar.harvard.edu/glaeser
Triumph of the City: amazon.com/Triumph-City-Greatest-Invention-Healthier/dp/0143120549
CitiesX Course: edx.org/course/cities-x-past-present-future-urban-life-3
Ted Talk: youtube.com/watch?v=ILDwnzQNlGc
Enjoy the show!
See more at theurbanloop.com/ep-4-dr-edward-glaeser/
Kristin Musulin is a Senior Editor at Smart Cities Dive, a publication under the larger umbrella of Industry Dive. This publication strives to provide industry leaders with insights and information of the latest happenings in their field.
This was a fascinating conversation. Kristin has had the chance to see a wide variety of trends shape up over the years and shared her insights and learnings with us. We talked lots about journalism, electric scooters, and how tech companies can responsibly work with the government.
Kristin can be reached at the following:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristin-musulin-84b0238a/
Twitter: twitter.com/kristinmusulin
Enjoy!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/ep-3-kristin-musulin/
John Tolva has worn many hats over the course of his life. He is the founder of Cityfi, a strategic urban consultancy. He works at the intersection of technology and public policy, bridging the gap that He also leads the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance and was previously the Chief Technology Officer of the City of Chicago.
John is incredibly knowledgeable about the role that technology plays within a public institution and offered some valuable insight in how both technologists and public officials can experiment with and integrate technology into daily operations. We talked a lot about how his work in Chicago and now in Colorado has influenced his views on how technology can best be leveraged for the greatest public impact.
John can be reached at the following:
Website: ascentstage.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jntolva/
Twitter: twitter.com/johntolva
Enjoy the show!
See more at https://www.theurbanloop.com/ep-2-john-tolva/
Introduction to the show, the host, and what you can expect from The Urban Loop Podcast.