Data-Smart City Pod

Latest Episodes:

Recast - What Mayors Need to Know About SNAP with Dr. Sara Bleich Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

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, including how to minimize harm from SNAP reductions and what city officials can do to ensure residents maintain access to essential nutrition support.

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 Twitter.

Moving the Needle with Better Metrics and Smaller Experiments Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Most 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 Chief of Strategy and Performance Jessica MacLeod shows what happens when you treat them as problem-solvers with lived expertise and new ideas. Add visible systems mapping, permission to experiment, and data that has narrative, and suddenly government can move at the speed of actual change.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why frontline stories unlock patterns dashboards miss—and make data actually meaningful
How mapping hidden assumptions lets you test what actually works versus what you've always done
How brighter lights reduced drug complaints 54% in one park, then scaled across the city
Why small experiments at every level create change makers faster than top-down mandates
Why empowering staff to solve problems (not interrogating them on numbers) unlocks actual performance change

Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod

Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa

About Data-Smart City Solutions

The 100th Episode Mailbag! Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

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.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How to separate the AI hype from actually helpful AI uses (hint: it starts with a question).
Why Goldsmith rejected patronizing attitudes around technology adoption, and proved detractors wrong.
The distinction between "residents" and "customers," and how that changes everything about how you budget and design.
How to give public servants back time and respect, rather than saddling them with meaningless tasks and paper pushing.
Why your old, top-down performance management system is dead and why you need a new, democratized model.

Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod

Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa

About Data-Smart City Solutions

Serving the Whole Person in NYC Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

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

How Cities Scale Data Innovation Through Cultural Change Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

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

Good, Responsive Services Start With the Resident Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

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

Federal Data, Local Impact: What Cities Need to Know Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

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

Building an AI-Ready City Government May 27, 2026

Show notes

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

Redesigning Broken and Legacy Systems to Unlock Innovation with Communities May 13, 2026

Show notes

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

The Promise and Peril of AI in Criminal Justice Systems Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

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: