Data-Smart City Pod

Moving the Needle with Better Metrics and Smaller Experiments

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 for

The 100th Episode Mailbag!

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

Serving the Whole Person in NYC

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

How Cities Scale Data Innovation Through Cultural Change

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

Good, Responsive Services Start With the Resident

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 f

Federal Data, Local Impact: What Cities Need to Know

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 decis

Building an AI-Ready City Government

City leaders are eager to deploy AI, but the real opportunity lies in preparation: building the right organizational structures, expertise, and culture first. Host Steph

Redesigning Broken and Legacy Systems to Unlock Innovation with Communities

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

The Promise and Peril of AI in Criminal Justice Systems

AI is being deployed across courts, police departments, and corrections systems. Without the right guardrails, it could amplify existing biases. But, with care and attent

Supporting Childhood Opportunity Starts With Environmental Justice

Lead pipes aren't just a water infrastructure problem—they're connected to poverty, violence, and lost opportunity. Milwaukee's mayor explains why removing them matters t

From Reactive to Preventive: How AI Transforms Public Works

Most cities respond to infrastructure problems after residents report them. What if they could detect and prevent them first, while serving every neighborhood fairly? Ho

Agentic AI Comes to City Hall

Why do cities struggle to adopt AI at scale despite exponential improvements in the technology? Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Boston CIO Santi Garces and Harvard Bus

How Cities Can Measure What Actually Matters

What does a city government owe its residents? Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO of Zencity, to explore how GenAI is fundamentally transforming the

Personalizing Government at Scale: Denver's AI Strategy

Host Stephen Goldsmith sits down with Suma Nallapati, Chief AI and Information Officer for the City and County of Denver, to explore how Denver is using generative AI to

AI Agents and Peak Academy: Brian Elms on Empowering Government Workers

Host Stephen Goldsmith sits down with Brian Elms, former director of Denver's groundbreaking Peak Academy and founder of Change Agents Training, to explore how generative

The DSCP Listener Survey

Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod For our first-ever listener survey, we want to hear what you like, who you want to hear from, and how we can better support you in your work.

Rethinking Government in 2026

Listener survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod In our end-of-year episode, host Stephen Goldsmith reflect on 2025's most promising advancements in local government and shares his

City Leadership in the AI Era

Listen to host Stephen Goldsmith speak with two leading voices at the intersection of local government, data, and AI: Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of What Works Cit

How GenAI Can Actually Boost Public Sector Creativity

This episode features Mike Sarasti, former Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Innovation and Technology in Miami and a leading advocate for government transformatio

What Mayors Need to Know About SNAP with Dr. Sara Bleich

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 Nutritio