@datasmartcities
Highlighting cities solving problems and engaging communities with data. Directed by Stephen Goldsmith @goldsmithongov.bsky.social at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. Listen: #DataSmartCityPod https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/
There's a performance measurement paradox in government: the data & stats tell one story, but residents report something different.
Listen to @eyalfeder.bsky.social explain why citizen satisfaction & perception should be the true North Star for city leaders datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/cities-measu...
What if transit agencies planned around how people actually move, not just where buses already go?
@metrolosangeles.bsky.social is using #GIS & rider behavior to improve routes, pricing, and access.
datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/gis-la-metro...
What could your city’s transit system learn from this?
As we continue focusing on mayors that are driving climate action fwd, we're sharing this piece from last year's AAMA conference. Featuring @mayorbmscott.bsky.social & Mayor Paul Young, this article outlines steps for addressing environmental harms. datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/news/2025/06...
"Sometimes it can be a process flow, it can be an automation or it can be AI purely...it's a combination of all of these that are resulting in faster issuance." Suma Nallapati on #AI, permit reform, and process improvement.
https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/personalizing-denver-ai
"GovTech Singapore has transformed how the government collaborates and experiments; by building common platforms and embedding technical teams inside ministries and agencies, it facilitates horizontal collaboration that feels unusually spontaneous in a bureaucracy." https://ow.ly/30Nb50YcR1T
"If I'm ordering something off of Amazon, I don't care which department does what, I just want my shoes on my porch by tomorrow afternoon. So that's the kind of expectation users have when they're interacting with government." Suma Nallapati
https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/personalizing-denver-ai
"Singapore’s success shows how investing in in-house technical capacity can create a more coherent, coordinated digital infrastructure."
Check out our new piece by @goldsmithongov.bsky.social and Juncheng "Tony" Yang: datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/boosting-dig...
Not sure where to start to unlock the productivity of your team in order to be more responsive to your residents? Check out the advice Brian Elms shares with Stephen Goldsmith on the #DataSmartCityPod 🎧
https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/ai-agents-peak-brian-elms
What if your city's data is missing an entire perspective? 📊
New research on smart city equity shows that when resident 311 reports meet computer vision data, the two systems see almost entirely different problems: less than 10% overlap.
Neither is wrong, just different.👉 https://ow.ly/939J50XXmLy
Today's episode of the #DataSmartCityPod features Suma Nallapati, Denver's CAIO.
Nallapati and host Stephen Goldsmith discuss:
🌞Sunny the AI-powered chatbot
📃Freeing employees from tedious paperwork
🧰How #AI is just one tool in a bigger toolbox
datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/personalizin...
"The mid-level management...is one of the hardest jobs to be in, you get pressure from the people below you and you get a ton of pressure from the people above you....[knowing] how to calm those two pressure valves is a tremendous asset." https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/ai-agents-peak-brian-elms
Congrats to our colleagues at the Center on the Developing Child! They recently hosted an Extreme Heat & Early Childhood roundtable in Baltimore, exploring actions that align w/ the city goal of reducing infant mortality. ow.ly/Zulp50Y1mjG
Learn more about our joint partnership: ow.ly/1gmE50Y1mib
New research shows only 7.9% overlap between neighborhood 311 reports & computer vision detections. Residents see acute daily problems. Algorithms see technical deterioration. Together they reveal a new equity dimension. https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/residents-algorithms-see-different-problems
We have Brian Elms on the #DataSmartCityPod!
Hear directly from the former director of the @cityofdenver.bsky.social's famous Peak Academy, a program that host @goldsmithongov.bsky.social considers one of the most effective initiatives in government. datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/ai-agents-pe...
3/🧵
This has implications far beyond potholes: think air quality, extreme heat, or any diffuse urban health challenge where harms are invisible in day-to-day experience.
Who gets heard—and who stays invisible—is a question of equity.
Full article: datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/residents-al...
2/ 🧵
🔎: Residents and algorithms are looking at fundamentally different problems.
⚖️: 311 data can show biased inputs, but algorithms are disconnected from residents' lived experiences.
💡: Neither reactive resident reporting nor systematic monitoring is sufficient alone.
1/🧵 New research from @khahlil.bsky.social compares 187,000+ 311 reports with 4,856 pavement defects detected by Cyvl computer vision, uncovering a critical challenge for cities, & an opportunity to use technology to complement civic inputs. datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/residents-al...
Can historical data help identify & prepare for days w/ a high likelihood of asthma attacks?
See how the Houston Health Department is helping at-risk residents by sending messages that alert them to days w/ a higher risk of asthma attacks.
https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/local-tools-healthy-air
"The city officials have lots of data and very little context, and the community has a lot of context and very little access to the data; put them together, we should have a better solution." Stephen Goldsmith on the #DataSmartCityPod https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/rethinking-gov-2026
We'd love to hear from you! 👉👉bit.ly/datasmartpod
Please check out our listener survey for the #DataSmartCityPod and take a couple minutes to let us know what you like, who you want to hear, and how we can bring you an even better podcast in 2026 ⚡
“When it comes to children and the effects of air pollution, the timing really matters.”
See how cities are meeting this challenge head-on, even with limited federal funding, to protect communities. https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/local-tools-healthy-air
"These digital tools can't be cute things that we use on top of a legacy government. We need to change the legacy government dramatically..." Stephen Goldsmith on the #DataSmartCityPod https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/rethinking-gov-2026
We're sharing 3 key takeaways from our recent Community Data Health Initiative's Air Quality Learning Cohort meeting! datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/local-tools-...
Participants came together to share how local leaders are leveraging existing power and innovative mechanisms to protect residents.
As we close out 2025, we're sharing our most popular articles and episodes from the last year. datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/the-top-ten-...
We're honored to serve as the central resources for city leaders, especially during challenging times, as these are also moments of great promise and potential.
“Buildings form the foundations of cities, and how well the buildings perform will determine how well a city performs.”
https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/indoor-air-mayors
New EOY ep! @goldsmithongov.bsky.social talks 2025's most promising advancements & how cities can harness tools like GenAI for real change in 2026. He also shares his hopes for next year: difficulties ahead, but also the potential for groundbreaking change. datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/rethinking-g...
ICYMI @goldsmithongov.bsky.social wrote about how new technologies like #GenAI are shaping the future of parks and recreation!
datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/shaping-futu...
Most air pollution exposure happens indoors, not outside - and kids in older, underfunded schools pay the price. datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/indoor-air-m...
Local leaders can support better ventilation, filtration, & monitoring to protect health & support learning.
#IndoorAirQuality #HealthySchool
“Good data practices lead to accessible data,” Keegan Clifford, GIS Coordinator, Montgomery Parks https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/digital-accessibility-mont-parks
“Previously, only one person could review physical plans at a time; now all 10 team members can review the digital submission simultaneously.” Michael Shannon, city of San Antonio
https://datasmart.hks.harvard.edu/san-antonio-permitting-service
