IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.
goldsmith_headshotweb

Stephen Goldsmith

Stephen Goldsmith is the Derek Bok Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and director of Data-Smart City Solutions at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. He previously served as Deputy Mayor of New York and Mayor of Indianapolis, where he earned a reputation as one of the country's leaders in public-private partnerships, competition and privatization. Stephen was also the chief domestic policy advisor to the George W. Bush campaign in 2000, the Chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the district attorney for Marion County, Indiana from 1979 to 1990. He has written The Power of Social Innovation; Governing by Network: The New Shape of the Public Sector; Putting Faith in Neighborhoods: Making Cities Work through Grassroots Citizenship; The Twenty-First Century City: Resurrecting Urban America; The Responsive City: Engaging Communities through Data-Smart Governance; and A New City O/S.

In Georgia, The Ray is a smart highway corridor and test bed for technologies that can make the most of roadways. GIS is helping map underutilized resources to demonstrate the potential of existing infrastructure.
A citizen-centric parking payment platform in Austin, Texas, that works with connected vehicles’ in-dash systems and better manages curb space is a lesson for other cities on how to power ahead.
The Biden administration’s proposals to increase funding for physical assets like roads are essential, but should not overshadow the need for digital infrastructure to maximize technology, equity and transparency.
Building on its existing 5G small cell networks with AT&T and Verizon, San Jose, Calif., asked the companies to shift expansion to neighborhoods of high need, creating a “virtuous cycle” to boost connectivity.
Philadelphia’s unique model for data and GIS governance, combining the roles of GIS lead and chief data officer, offers an example for other cities looking to get more out of existing data systems.
Officials predict city budgets will be cut anywhere from 15 to 40 percent in the next year. The best way to do more with less is to use data as a tool to find out what works and where there’s opportunity to save.
From fast-paced development and a focus on equity to GIS work and contact tracing, the pandemic showed that, despite challenges, digital services are crucial to making government work well today.
A few years ago, the role of chief data officers was relegated to the most innovative and forward-thinking cities. Now, CDOs are actively shaping the environments around them with data science.
Though meant to make decisions around criminal justice, policing and public service easier, some are concerned algorithms designed by humans come with inherent bias and a need for oversight.
The thriving Canadian municipality of Mississauga is harnessing innovative technology and stakeholder buy-in to become a model for connected communities.