Stay Connected“Making Smart Communities that are Accessible, Liveable and Sustainable for All”
The Smart Community Podcast is a hub where Smart and exciting people from all around the world come to discuss all things Smart City, Smart Town, Smart Region – anything that makes a place more liveable. Together we can create the Smart Community Collective.
Disclaimer: All content is representative of personal opinion only and is not associated with any company, organisation or government agency.
In this episode of the Smart Community Podcast, host Zoe Eather is back in the hot seat! In celebration of this being episode 150, Zoe and producer Ellen Ronalds Keene sat down for a chat where she answers questions from you, the audience of the Smart Community Podcast. We can't believe we're at 150 episode and it's fitting that this celebratory episode is the first episode of 2020. 2019 was a whirlwind year and 2020 is shaping up to be just as exciting. Zoe answers 3 questions today from the many that were sent through via LinkedIn and email. Thank you to those of you who submitted questions! We will be doing more 'AZA' episodes this year so we can answer more of your questions throughout the year. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it. Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @SmartCommHQ The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.
In this episode I have a really great conversation with Nathaniel Mason, the Team Leader of Business Solutions at the City fo Tea Tree Gully in South Australia. This episode is personal opinion only and does not represent any government or agency. Nathaniel is a member of LGITSA, the Local Government IT Association of South Australia. Nathaniel and I met at the LGITSA conference in 2019 where I spoke about my Churchill Fellowship and shared learnings for local government. In this episode, Nathaniel tells us about his varied background beginning in customer service and hospitality but ending up in IT and local government. He shares with us his passion for volunteering and why he believes getting involved in contribution and collaboration is so important to our Smart Communities. Nathaniel tells us what a Smart Community is to him and why he feels it is so important in this ever-changing world. We discuss the impact of policy and the concept of Continuous Improvement, and how this is not new but is finding new focus in the Smart City movement. We also talk about the fact that awareness is still growing and the concept of Smart Communities is still gaining traction in the general population. Nathaniel then tells us about some of the projects he's currently working on and why information sharing is the real key to integrating across disciplines, industries and agencies, as well as how important it is for regional areas in order to continue to be creative, resilient and resourceful. We finish our chat discussing the emerging trend of changing local government models where information sharing is more supported and expected. As you know, this month has been all about regional perspectives, and it's such a big topic that we're extending this into January as well so stay tuned for more conversations from local government and regional champions soon! I also want to say Happy New Year and stay tuned for a special episode next week, being that it will be our 150th episode! As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it! Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with Nathaniel via LinkedIn Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @SmartCommHQ The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.
In this episode, I have a great chat with Paolo Galelli, Building Energy Efficiency Engineer at BuildTech s.r.l. and Research fellow at the University of Genoa in Italy. Paolo shares with us what sparked his interest in Smart Community concepts and why he feels they are so important, especially for engaging with young people. Paolo tells us about how he sees Italy embracing Smart concepts, and the reason he thinks his town, Sestri Levante, is a great example of a Smart Community. We then discuss the ways that proactive participatory approaches to engagement are even more important in small and regional towns than in metro areas. Paolo tells us about the app he is working on called Nassa that helps engage young people and how they've integrated across governments and disciplines. We finish our chat discussing the emerging trend of the different and often technologically-driven ways young people engage in community and civic life, and how Paolo and his team have used that to their advantage. This episode is part of my spotlight on the regions in December, so we hope you enjoy this perspective from a regional town in Italy. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it! Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with Paolo on LinkedIn or via email paologalelli@gmail.com Connect with Nassa Sestri on Instagram @nassa_sestri , Facebook @nassasestri or LinkedIn Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @SmartCommHQ The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital
In this episode of the Smart Community Podcast, I have a great chat with Karen Corr, a Community Engagement and Development Specialist and the Founder and Executive Director of Make a Change Australia. Karen and I met when we were on a panel together. We were talking about liveability at the Bendigo Invention and Innovation Festival earlier in 2019. In this episode, Karen shares with us her journey from being a Water Engineer to becoming passionate about culture change and how that led to her work with Make a Change Australia. We discuss the power of engaging with the "Smartness" of people that live in regional communities and harnessing their local knowledge for ownership of Smart solutions. Karen and I chat about why liveability is so important, and the need for equity of access to liveability, connectivity and accessibility solutions in small towns and regional areas. Karen tells us about the Ramp Up Resilience project that she's been working on, and it is just a brilliant example of how to integrate across disciplines, industries and sectors. Karen explains how much time and energy authentic integration and engagement actually takes, and why she should be investing in that more. We finish our chat discussing the emerging trends of changing the language we use to engage with currently unheard voices in our communities, and also of flipping the engagement conversation on its head so that it's community-led not government-led. This episode is part of the Spotlight on the Regions that we're focusing on for December. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it. Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with Karen via LinkedIn, or with Make a Change www.makeachange.org.au or @MakeaChangeAus on Facebook and Instagram Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @SmartCommHQ The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.
In this episode of the Smart Community Podcast, I have a great chat with James Peet, the Chief Digital Officer at Moreton Bay Regional Council in South East Queensland. James tells us about his background in architecture and passion for using technology to help make things better, and how that has led him to his role in local government. James and I discuss what really sparked his interest in the Smart Community space and why he sees the concept as so important, firstly because digital disruption is happening and we need to keep up, but also because of the benefits and efficiencies it can provide in local council for things like asset maintenance. James then shares how he sees his region embracing these concepts, and a number of the projects he is currently working on. James and I then talk about the importance of having both an OT (operational technology) as well as an IT team, and why councils need to be planning for those skillsets now. We finish our chat discussing the big opportunities to further integrate across levels of government and the private sector, as well as the emerging trend of data standards and whether they're even necessary. This episode is part of MOVE-ember, as we move from old ways of doing things to new ways, particularly in local government. As always, we hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it! Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with James via email James.Peet@moretonbay.qld.gov.au Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @smartcommpod The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.
In this episode of the Smart Community Podcast, I have a brilliant conversation with Chad Randando, director for the not for profit Startup Status, Managing Director Australia for the Global Entrepreneurship network, and current PhD researcher exploring the connection between entrepreneur ecosystems and community resilience. Chad and I discuss his varied background that spans the US Navy, manufacturing, innovation hubs and a stint as a radio DJ, and how some of those experiences sparked his interest in the Smart Regions and Smart Communities space. We talk about the different types of resilience that communities, especially regional communities, need in this ever changing world and the importance of asking the question 'Who is not in the room?' When it comes to Smart initiatives. Chad tells us how he sees Australia currently embracing Smart concepts, and the need for bottom up approaches driven by the regions rather than top down solutions handed to them. Chad shares with us a bit about the projects he's working on, including his PhD into the role of innovation ecosystems in developing community resilience. We finish our chat discussing why collaboration over competition should be an emerging trend. This month, in December, we are shining a spotlight on the regions. As always we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it! Connect with Chad via LinkedIn, visit the Startup Status website or email chad@startupstatus.co Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @SmartCommHQ The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.
I'm back with another bonus episode of the podcast that brings together multiple guests answers to the question "Where to next with Smart Cities and Communities?" And this time I'm sharing with you the answers from MOVE-ember guests, plus a number of our guests from earlier this year: Scott Shepherd in Episode 139 Rachel De Sain in Episode 142 Samson Williams from way back in Episode 107 Kylie Nixon in Episode 97 Prugya Maini 109 And David Catalovski from Episode 140. The theme of the month, MOVE-ember has been about moving from old ways of doing things to new, in healthcare, in local government, in transport and mobility and in human behaviour. The themes in this mix of guest answers are similar. Whether it's in data governance and privacy, or investment in infrastructure and new frameworks and policies for government and how they interact with citizens and private companies, these guests agree that we need to be considering the opportunities and the dangers of this hyperconnected society we now live in, and then re-imagining how we do things in response. Ultimately, its about making the places we live, work and play more accessible, liveable and sustainable for all, and isn't that what we wall want? I hope you enjoy these guests' reflections on where they see Smart Cities and Communities heading in the future, and as always we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it. Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @SmartCommHQ The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.
In this episode I share with you the overview of my findings from my Winston Churchill Fellowship, which I undertook earlier in 2019 by visiting 7 countries around the world to investigate the integration of Smart Mobility to enable more liveable Australian communities. This will be the first in a series of episodes about my findings. There's so much to say so today is just the overview and I'll be back diving a little deeper into some of the topics in another episode soon. If you can't wait for that, then you can of course read my whole report, which you can find via the link in the show notes and the description of this episode. Also, just a little update for you all - as you may know if you've been following us on the socials, My Smart Community has had a beautiful visual rebrand in the last month. We've got a new website that now combines my consulting work, which I used to do under the name Zemcon, with the podcast and the other things on offer at My Smart Community. So, the podcast url hasn't changed - you can still find us there at mysmart.community but our social media handles have. We are now @SmartCommHQ - that's Comm with 2 Ms. It's been an exciting year of growth here at SmartCommHQ with a bigger team and more ways to engage in our Smart Communities. I can't wait to see what 2020 has in store! In the meantime, enjoy this episode about my findings from my Winston Churchill Fellowship, and as always, we hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it! Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @SmartCommHQ The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital
In this episode I have a brilliant conversation with Rachel De Sain, Founder and lead Advisor at Codesain. Rachel tells us about her background across a range of digital transformation and innovation disciplines, and her passion for using technology to make healthcare better. Rachel and I talk about what digital transformation really means-it's not just making your paper forms into online forms!-and why it's so important that we develop Smart concepts to really rethink how we deliver services to the community. Rachel shares with us some of the projects she's currently working on, and why she moved out of Sydney to find more liveability regionally. We have a really great conversation about the impacts of commuting on health and wellbeing, and why we should be focusing more on this and not just on the problem of congestion. We discuss how technology can help us fail in safer, faster ways and why we need governments that are more risk-tolerant to allow this iterative approach. Rachel and I talk about how we can better integrate by of having a whole of government approach to data sharing to drive better, more efficient use of public investment and the use of life flow analyses to have a more citizencentric approach. We finish our chat discussing the emerging trend of being interface agnostic when it comes to content, strategy and governance to facilitate accessibility, plus the wellbeing impacts of our always-connected world not just on our kids, but on the grown ups too. As always, I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it! Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with Rachel via LinkedIn or at https://www.codesain.com.au/ Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @smartcommpod
I'm back with another bonus episode of the podcast that brings together multiple guests answers to the question "Where to next with Smart Cities and Communities?" And this time I'm sharing with you the answers from a number of our guests from earlier this year: E108 Abel Immaraj E95 Natalie Malligan E119 Aileen Gemma Smith E92 Chris Cooper E112 Flora Salim E98 Jacob Baskin E86 Joaquim Alvarez There are a few main themes that come up over and over again in the podcast, and these are reflected here in the various guest answers. The three themes that Abel mentioned of trust, engagement and partnerships are common threads throughout these clips. I always ask guests how we can better integrate across disciplines, etc, and many of these guests mention the need to continue working together, communicating and breaking down silos in order to solve the problems our communities are facing. The other interesting theme from this selection of clips is the idea of the interaction between human behaviour and technology. We always talk about the technology sector moving people's behaviour but Chris shares a great example of people's behaviour moving the technology sector, with the example of how SMS was adopted. Jacob also makes this point about us being proactive and setting the rules of the game for technology, rather than letting the technology guide our decisions. We've put this selection together with the theme of MOVE-ember, so moving from now to what's next for Smart Cities and Communities. I hope you enjoy these guests' reflections on where they see Smart Cities and Communities heading in the future, and as always we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it. Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect via LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook @smartcommpod The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.
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