Metro21: Smart Cities Institute Podcast

In this podcast episode, Karen talks with Professor Kristin Hughes of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Design about how employing design-research methods that combine hands-on learning and creative thinking helps communities to identify factors of motivation and agency, while supporting distinct individualized learning styles.

In this podcast episode, Karen talks with The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission's Executive Director Vincent Valdes, an experienced and impassioned Mobility Innovator exploring and leading the development of new practices and technologies that will result in better transportation for all travelers.

In this podcast episode, Karen talks with Sean Qian, the Henry Posner, Anne Molloy, and Robert and Christine Pietrandrea Associate Professor jointly appointed at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, as well as the founder of the Mobility Data Analytics Center. Hear Sean discuss how leveraging technology can provide resources to disadvantaged communities through transportation and mobility data!

In this podcast episode, Karen talks with Julie DeSeyn, the Chief Program and Policy Officer of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. She oversees many grant-making and initiatives such as the 2-1-1 Helpline that seeks to provide help for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Hear Julie discuss how our most vulnerable populations are vital to restoring our cities!

In this podcast episode, Karen talks with Lee Branstetter, who recently worked on a comprehensive and impressive research project with us here at Metro21, where he and his colleagues developed an app to helped disadvantaged workers get to their jobs through ridehailing (like using Uber or Lyft). We will get the latest updates from Lee about this on today’s episode. Check it out!

In this episode of the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute Podcast, Karen Lightman interviews Dr. Alexandra Chouldechova, a professor at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Chouldechova is the Estella Loomis McCandless Assistant Professor of Statistics and Public Policy, and her work focuses on algorithmic fairness in areas such as child welfare, criminal justice, healthcare, and financial services. During this friendly, half-hour conversation, Dr. Chouldechova touches on a range of topics from using algorithms to help make child welfare decisions, to predictive policing. She posed a range of questions like “who determines what is fair?” and “How can we make algorithms and technology work for as many people as possible?” Dr. Chouldechova recognizes that algorithms are not created in a vacuum and describes how she believes problems of algorithmic discrimination can be alleviated.

This episode of Metro21's podcast features the inaugural Executive Director of Allies for Children, Patrick Down. Host Karen Lightman and Dowd sit down to talk about child equity, COVID-19, and the current civil unrest flooding the nation. Check it out!

In this podcast, Metro21 Executive Director Karen Lightman sits down with Brett Crawford and Jenee Iyer from the Arts Management & Technology (AMT) Lab at Carnegie Mellon University. They discussed several topics related to their Metro21 project: Public Art & IoT. They talked about their inspiration for the project, the value of art in cities (and their future), especially in ways that it can help foster citizen engagement. They also discussed the lessons learned on the project and some ideas for the future.

On this episode of the podcast, Karen Lightman, Metro21 Executive Director sits down with Waynesburg University President Douglas Lee to discuss everything from the future of rural mobility to running triathlons in Death Valley. Make sure to tune in! Link to Video: https://www.wevideo.com/view/1493066587

Metro21 Executive Director, Karen Lightman, sat down with Santiago Garces, Pittsburgh's Director of Innovation and Performance to discuss innovation within 21st century cities.    "I'm a big fan of the podcast! I was thrilled to hear Santi Garces talk about RoadBotics and the work we did together under his leadership." -Ryan Gayman, VP of Growth, RoadBotics

This episode of the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute podcast welcomes Samantha "Sam" Stedford from the Pittsburgh International Airport. She has been a leading advocate for the technological and social advancement of the airport, and has served as the liaison between PIT International Airport and Metro21. Karen Lightman, Executive Director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute talks community programs, technology use, and overall benefits to the partnership between research institutions like Carnegie Mellon and community stakeholders. Metro21: Smart Cities Institute https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html

This episode of the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute podcast features an insightful discussion with a team of researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The team is part of a special research, design and implementation partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Karen Lightman, Executive Director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute gets the scoop on how this team maintains beneficial public-private partnerships as well as the challenges and opportunities of working is a live production environment. Metro21: Smart Cities Institute https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html

This episode of the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute podcast features a talk with Anna Siefken, Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation and adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. Listen in, as Anna discusses her goals for the future of the Scott Institute, what she is most looking forward to at CMU’s upcoming Energy Week and what we can all do to get more involved in sustainability at a local level. Key Links: Metro21: Smart Cities Institute https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation https://www.cmu.edu/energy/

Daniel O’Brien, Professor of Urban Affairs at Northeastern and Director of Boston Area Research Initiatives (BARI), talks about his research in the Boston area. O’Brien also discusses the state of smart cities, the Boston Smart City Playbook, and guidance to cities that do not have the budget for urban informatics projects.   Karen Lightman is Executive Director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.   Tweet: @Metro21CMU  and @khlightman    Read more about Metro21 here

Today on the podcast we talk to Alexandre Jacquillat, Assistant Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. He also holds a minority appointment at the Tepper School of Business and a courtesy appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Alex’s work focuses on using operations research and data analytics to solve complex societal challenges in the fields of air transportation and on-demand urban mobility. On the podcast, we talk about how he got into this field and some of his ongoing projects, including working with Metro21: Smart Cities Institute on their partnership with the Pittsburgh International Airport. We also talk about how uncertainty affects his work, and the challenges of communicating complex decisions under uncertainty to everyday stakeholders. We wrap up with Alex’s predictions about the future of urban transportation over the next 10 years. Links: https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/faculty-research/profiles/jacquillat-alexandre/

This episode we look at how light pollution affects our daily lives and what Metro21 in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh are doing to curb this form of pollution. We bring on one of the foremost experts in the field of light pollution, Diane Turnshek. Diane has spent her career studying astronomy. Currently, she is a lecturer in Carnegie Mellon’s Physics Department. Also, Diane is an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh teaching several astronomy classes. In 2015 she was awarded the prestigious Dark Sky Defender Award. Diane has been working with Metro21 on a project called “Artificial Light Survey of Nighttime Pittsburgh.” This project will allow the city to gain a better understanding of the light pollution in this area. https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html Pittsburgh Constellation- http://pghconstellation.com/ Pittsburgh Chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association-https://www.idapgh.org/

In this episode, Karen sat down with colleague, Erin Dalton. Erin is Allegheny County’s  Deputy Director in the Office of Data Analysis, Research and Evaluation. Before that, she has held various positions in Allegheny County Executive’s Office, Department of Justice, and the RAND Corporation. On top of all that, she is on the board of Neighborhood Allies and the Pittsburgh Civilian Police Review Board. Karen and Erin chat about her experiences working for the Justice Department, Rand Corporation, and how she has brought innovation to Allegheny County government. They also talk about where Allegheny County is at in becoming a "Smart City". 

In this episode, Karen sat down with her friend and colleague, Karina Ricks. Karina is the Director of Pittsburgh's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) and brings a wealth of experience to the role. Karen and Karina chat about her time in international development, consulting, and in DC city government. They also work on a slightly different definition of a smart city, talk about the problem of urban landslides, and Karina's fascination with a certain genre of reality tv shows. 

In this episode, Karen sits down with Distinguished Fellow Rick Stafford. Rick talks about his commitment to place, his winding path from paper boy to policymaker, and his approach to understanding smart cities.  For more updates about the Metro21 Institute, follow us on Twitter @Metro21CMU, and visit us at https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/. 

In this episode, Karen sits down with Professor Raj Rajkumar, Director of the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute. They discuss his background and journey to Carnegie Mellon University before exploring the grander vision for the Institute and the science of smart cities. They also touch on the role of research universities, municipalities, and foundations in the transformation of metropolitan life. 

In our inaugural episode, Karen sits down with NYU Professor Neil Kleiman during his visit to Carnegie Mellon University. Prof. Kleiman discusses his new book A New City O/S: The Power of Open, Collaborative, and Distributed Governance, in which he and co-author Stephen Goldsmith propose a new model for local governance. Karen and Neil also dive in to examples of his new model and what educational institution can do to provide a new generation of municipal leaders the tools they can use to thrive in a changing work environment.