Smart Cities Chronicles

In this episode Interim Executive Director for ANZ Jannat Maqbool talks to Mark Yee and Ben Cebuliak from the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment. As precincts start to adopt the newly released Movement and Place framework and apply the principles and practices, where can we look forward to seeing the greatest impact and what are the key challenges and opportunities?
Let's dive in.

oin Junaid Islam, CTO of XQ Msg as he advocates for quick-deploy cybersecurity.

Learn about the essentials of water equity - availability, potability and affordability.

Cybersecurity can be frictionless if it starts with the data and is network agnostic.

Join Julie Pelletier, North American Regional Manager for Ecomesure as she reviews how clean air delivers multiple benefits to communities - and that with the upcoming EPA Community Air Pollution Grant pays for itself.

In this extended episode we share a recording from the opening plenary session at Digital Twin Week 2021. Moderated by Gavin Cotterill (Consulting Director Asia Pacific, PCSG), this dialogue followed a keynote presentation from Romilly Madew AO (CEO of Infrastructure Australia) that shared key outcomes and recommendations from the recently released Australia Infrastructure Plan, including gits call for the nation's infrastructure to be 'digital by default'. This panel session was a response to that aspiration, with three industry leaders coming together to unpack what that might mean. The panel guests were Richard Morrison (Practice Lead Information and Communications Technology ANZ, AECOM), Meredith Hodgman (Associate Director Places and Partnerships, KPMG) and Henry Okraglik (Global Director Digital, WSP).

In this episode we hear from three PlanTech champions, each from differing sectors (public, private and academia), passionate about the future of the planning profession. Claire Daniel, Prugya Maini and Sacha Nicholls share their views on the role of digital and data in the planning process and the opportunity for planners, the capability uplift required and the good things ahead on the PlanTech journey. All three of our guests are representatives of the Planning Institute of Australia PlanTech Young Professionals Working Group.

We have all heard about the next generation telecommunication network - 5G. It's happening. But there is still more to come, for consumers, industry sectors and government. In this highly informative podcast episode, Ian Hatton (Smart City Lead at Complete Urban) walks us through some of the key attributes of being 5G 'ready'. We discuss potential impacts, risks, opportunities and what next might look like if your a local Council trying to navigate the space.

Welcome to the first of a number of special interviews as part of our Digital Twin series. In this episode we chat with Graeme Henderson - Global Practice Director at GHD Digital - on the demands that Infrastructure 4.0 is presenting to the market, and how we will benefit from the digital transformation of the infrastructure sector. Of course we talk about Digital Twin capability, but also how we resource this transformation process. As someone responsible for a global organisation's capabilities in digital engineering, Graeme brings a view that is pragmatic, yet keeps a keen eye on what's coming over the horizon.

In this episode, we are joined by James Mant, Director of Places and Precincts at the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning in the Victorian government. As one of the nation's leading policymakers and advocates for 20min neighbourhoods, it is a timely catch up with James to discuss post-COVID musings on the relationships between people and place, and how the 20min neighbourhood model can be an underpinning of smarter and more sustainable communities.

In this episode we explore the NatureTech movement that is bringing technology, data and nature together at an eyewatering pace, and get hands on with the types of platforms bring us a new yet critical data set for urban planning. Thomas Gooch and Fang Yuan from OPO (the Office of Planetary Observations) share with us advancements in satellite imagery and data computation/analytics and how its providing the new green infrastructure data sets and insights that all city planners can now access.

In this episode we are joined by David Catalovski from GreenBe to share the latest approaches to community participation in our communities, and how the data gathered through emerging gamification platforms can enable the future of place.

In this episode we are joined by Anne Goodchild from the University of Washington to unpack the Seattle Neighbourhood Delivery Hub and discuss all things urban and micro freight and what it means for the future of place.

In this episode we are joined by Brad Chambers from Veris to discuss mobile laser scanning and how such an intensive and accurate data collection method enables us to create immersive place-based data sets.

What happens when you decide to have a conversation on smart cities, Building Information Modelling, Digital Twin and digital engineering with Rebecca De Cicco, Digital Operations Principal with Aurecon? Well, you will have to listen in. Be prepared for plenty of dialogue on the role of standards in industry transformation, what from the UK might rub off on Australia and New Zealand and where key opportunities lie in shaping digital enablement at an organisational level.

In this episode we are joined by Jonathan Cartledge and Helen Machalias from Infrastructure Australia to discuss national infrastructure policy and the future of place

In this episode, we are joined by Lisa Nisensen from WGI in Florida to discuss new mobility and the future of place.

In this episode we open up with the idea behind the Future of Place project, and what the merging relationships are between people, place, technology and data. Lucinda Hartley (Co-founder of Neighbourlytics) joins us to share her most recent experiences with data-inspired city shaping and what we are to expect as the Future of Place project evolves.

The inaugural New Zealand Digital Twin Summit was hosted in Wellington on Thursday 8th July 2021. Close to 100 policy makers, practitioners and academics gathered for a day of intensive dialogue and workshopping to set direction on building a thriving marketplace for this powerful data activation capability. We are joined by Aurecon's Digital Practice Lead for New Zealand, Keri Niven and SCCANZ's Jannat Maqbool, Director of New Zealand as we walk through the program and share the key highlights.

In this session we share our goals for the Future of Place project, and where it can from. We outline some of the technology and data innovations and enablers that are intersecting with place, and how there are opportunities to shape the best places for people that are still yet to be realised. This session also provides an overview on the Future of Place Handbook - why its being created and how. Join us as we explore the future of place.

In this episode of the Chronicles we celebrate our smart cities momentum, and the journey that 2020 has been for the movement. Off the back of the 2020 Australia New Zealand Smart Cities awards, we dig deep into the advancements we have made, the market opportunities and where we still have ground to make up. Meredith Hodgman from the Internet of Things Alliance, and Jury Chair for the Smart Cities Awards joins us to recap the year, review our standing and suggest some focus areas for 2021 and beyond.

Adrian Brossard is Co-Founder of Yellowbox, a smart cities startup looking to help cities solve some pretty common challenges when it comes to public place personal storage. This is his story. These are his ideas when it comes to startups working with their local authorities. JOin us in this episode of the Chronicles for an authentic account of the startup journey, and the opportunities for both local Council and startup company when it comes to accelerating great outcomes for the community by using technology and data solutions that are customer centric.

In this episode we pull back the curtain on the concept of 'data exchange', and how you can establish the conditions for creating opportunities and value from data. CEO of Civic Analytica, Merrick Spain, breaks down the concept for us and shares his views on how we can build a culture to exploit the world's most abundant resource - data. And its all about 'data for good', as Merrick describes, as he places data exchange in context with open data and also data sharing. Join us for this no-nonsense discussion on how we can practically use data exchange as a method for building the highly desirable idea of a data economy.

It is rare that the smart cities policy enthusiasts among us get excited, but from time to time there will be a cause for celebration. And in July 2020 the NSW Government delivered us the 'Smart Infrastructure Policy' - what we would certainly identify as a reason to be excited.

Join us as we unpack this leading example of smart infrastructure policy, certainly a first for Australia. Helping us review the Policy is this episode is Henry unpack the strategy is Henry Okraglik, Global Director of WSP Digital. We work our way through the document and reflect on the wider marketplace opportunities.

Join our three guests for a briefing on all things pedestrian sensing, placemaking and a post COVID world that continues to rely on thoughtful planning and urban design of our communities.

In this Episode we are joined by Catherine Caruana-McManus (Meshed IoT), Professor Pascal Parez (University of Wollongong SMART Infrastructure Facility) and Stephanie Kelly (City of Canada Bay) as we discuss the findings of Australia's most comprehensive pedestrian counting research projects, and what was highlighted in the data. How cities and communities respond to the emerging challenges around managing place is discussed from a technology perspective, research perspective and a place management perspective.

In this one-on-one session with Neighbourlytics Co-Founder Lucinda Hartley, we unpack a recent report they have tabled on the idea of 'The New Normal'. The insights report compares Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne on key trends from COVID-19 and what it means for five key at-risk industries and in-demand assets - public space, hospitality, creative industries, attractions and wellness and and beauty.

2020 will go down as a year of extremes. Many challenges have and will continue to be experienced, but it also becomes an important opportunity to improve and thrive. And in Australia, a new Cyber Security Strategy was released to provide the nation with a clear set of initiatives to deliver on the vision - "A more secure online environment for Australian's." Joining us to unpack the strategy is Mal Frampton, Cyber Security consultant with SAGE Group.

In a year that has demonstrated the power of data, or the need for greater insights, it is no surprise that data literacy has raised its head. For some, generating insights from data supported recovery decisions and investments. For others, they didn't have the data they really needed. So what can we learn about our data literacy and what can we do to strengthen it in a post-COVID world? Michelle Teis who is a Partner at GWI joined us on the Chronicles to break down the data literacy fundamentals - what it is, why we need it and how to do it. Along the way we reflect on some key topics such as small business needs in terms of data literacy, and how you might become to build your data resources and capability.

What is the idea behind the '20 Minute City', and how might it become a key opportunity for post-crisis economic recovery? Well, lets find out! Joining us for this discussion is Jen Baird (General Manager, City Growth) and Iain White (Professor of Environmental Planning). We talk about COVID-19 related economic stimulus, and how the 20 Minute City concept is shovel ready for the City of Hamilton and the Waikato region, among other ideas to ensure smart and sustainable growth within the community.

In this episode we hear from one of Australia's award winning smart cities - Newcastle, NSW - on how their smart cities underpinnings have facilitated the successful deployment of a creative new app to help catalyse economic stimulus and social engagement. Dr Nathaniel Bavinton (Newcastle City Council) and David Catalovski (GreenBe) join the Chronicles to share the story behind the 'Lean in Newy' app. Part community engagement tool, part challenge platform, and part economic stimulus vehicle, the Lean in Newy app is set to deliver some meaningful outcomes in this innovation-led city.

In this episode of the Chronicles Smart Cities Council CEO Philip Bane chats with Carlos Rivero, Chief Data Officer at the Commonwealth of Virginia. Their discussion tracks the origins of the CDO Office, early challenges and the quick wins. Carlos outlines the multitude of efforts put in place to build greater data leadership via data sharing, analytics, stronger governance and a series of data trusts. Carlos also shares his reflections on the work the Office of the CDO implemented in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Welcome to the "Data Dialogues" - an online engagement series as part of Smart Cities Week Australia New Zealand 2020.

This dialogue will focus on unpacking the 'civic data trust' - what are they, what can they offer and the pathway for building one.

While few data trusts have been deployed and lessons learned shared, much thought leadership does exist, citing the 'tool' as a means to enable better governance around the use of data, and ensuring that its benefits are distributed in an equitable way.

Join our dialogue guests - Aimee Whitcroft (data 4d), Jessica Christiansen-Franks (Neighbourlytics) and Dorotea Baljevic (Lendlease) - as we explore the what, why and how of civic data trusts.

Welcome to the "Data Dialogues" - an online engagement series as part of Smart Cities Week Australia New Zealand 2020 and hosted by the Centre for Data Leadership.

This dialogue will focus on unpacking 'city analytics' as a capability for local government - why you would do it, what is the scope and how might you get there.

Our guests were:
// Chris Isles | Manager Economic Development, Brisbane City Council
// Chris Pettit | Professor of Urban Science, University of New South Wales
// Libby Harris | Night Time City Manager, City of Sydney
// Craig Lawton | Principal Solution Architect - Cloud and IoT, AWS
// Keri Niven | Global Digital Collaboration Leader, Aurecon

In conversation with Emily Yates, Director of Smart Cities with the City of Philadelphia, we explore the City's newly launched SmartCityPHL and the programs and partnerships driving the adoption of technology and data to realise better community outcomes. Often described as America's largest poorest city, and the birthplace of democracy, Philadelphia's journey in smart cities started back in 2017 and has resulted in an endorsed program of investments that cover bridging the digital divide, enhanced urban infrastructure, sweating existing assets and establishing a master data strategy.

Over the years there have been waves of 'growth frameworks' - green buildings, sustainable communities, resilient neighbourhoods... In this episode of the Chronicles we sit down with Niall Cunningham - WSP's City Advisory Lead - who takes shares with us his views on the current and emerging models of urban development, including innovation districts, smart communities and other urban and suburban growth models. At a time when our experience and relationship with our cities, their public spaces and shared services have been tested in new ways, we need to ensure we remain outcomes focused and that we measure our impact.

With all the promise and excitement around 5G there is an equal amount of concern and hesitation. In March 2020 the Australian Government published its report ("The Next Gen Future") of findings of the inquiry into the deployment, adoption and application of 5G in Australia. To break it down for us and help highlight the key points, Geof Heydon of Astrolabe Group joined us. We covered communication and citizen engagement, health, infrastructure sharing and the level of 5G literacy across Australia's local government landscape.

For the new Mayor of the City of Ipswich, Teresa Harding, there is no mincing of her words when it comes to data, transparency and trust. From open data to open government, Mayor Harding takes her career in technology and data into the realm of local government and sets the bold vision for establishing the nation's first integrity and transparency hub.

This episode of the Chronicles takes us to Atlanta, GA in the United States, where we sit down with Debra Lam who is Managing Director for Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation at the Georgia Institute of Technology. We discuss the work of the University and its unique approach to external partnerships, and its focus on community outcomes and impact. Leveraging partnership funding to disperse grants to cities across the state is one example, and another is the 'Smart Cities Corps', whereby students are deployed into community to both gain experience while supporting local governments that are resource constrained when it comes to their smart cities work.

Our guest on this episode of the Chronicles, Kate Isles of Infinitum Partners, is an urban planner who has both worked in disaster response, and digital transformation. In her previous role at the Queensland Reconstruction Authority Kate was part of the long term response to one of the State of Queensland's most devastating series of natural disasters. And now, she is deep in the world of e-planning, potentially one of the most significant opportunities to accelerate city development and transformation in a time when agility and speed of economic stimulus is key.

Never before has the role of data come into the spotlight. As we are glued to our screens watching the models, bar charts and dashboard refresh, there is data behind the scenes feeding the insights we are so hungry for. In this episode of the Chronicles Neil Glentworth - Director of Community Data - shares insights on how cities can underpin their social and economic rebuild with a data driven approach in the months and years ahead.

This episode of the Chronicles takes us to Seattle WA in the USA, where we sit down with Kelsey Finch who is Senior Counsel with the Future of Privacy Forum. During this discussion we explore key elements of the 'city data governance' - what it means, what are its key elements and how we can approach our work to ensure that we build greater governance around our management and use of data.

With more than 6 years of global resilience thought leadership, city engagement and strategy development in her back pocket, Lauren Sorkin of the Global Resilient Cities Network (GRCN) is indeed working overtime right now. As Executive Director of the GRCN, and previously Managing Director at 100 Resilient Cities - Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, Lauren shares with us in this session how cities around the world right now are adapting and building resilience to the global pandemic brought about by COVID-19. Lauren shares her thoughts around global leadership, transparency and what might come next as we help build the conditions for our cities to thrive again.

As we continue to discuss the role of data in accelerating sustainable outcomes in our cities, this episode of The Week In Data features a discussion with Don Sharples, Managing Director of Altometer Business Intelligence, appropriately covers data in the world of a global pandemic. Our discussion covers small business recovery, real-time data as a tool and how the values and behaviours of our communities is a more critical data set than ever. And what about innovation? How will this be different in a post COVID-19 world?

In this episode we unpack the work being led by Dominic Papa, Vice President of Smart State at the Arizona Commerce Authority. For over seven years Dominic has been helping lead the efforts in building the conditions for scaling smart cities success in the State of Arizona. First with the City of Phoenix, then with the Institute of Digital Progress and now with a collaborative public/private/academic partnership at the Arizona Commerce Authority. We talk tech, we talk data and we talk governance and resilience.

The timing, unfortunately, is perfect for this conversation. A summer bushfire crises, a global health pandemic..... Community resilience has never been as topical as right here and right now. So what is the relationship between smart cities and resilience? What could it be? Well, we explore the connective tissue between these two agenda's in this episode of the Chronicles, with our guest, Kieran Power - National Lead for Resilience and Climate Adaptation at WSP.

Well, there has never been a better time for this discussion! In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have Robert Linsdell from Vertiv join us for this episode of The Week in Data. With Vertiv's brand standing for 'Architects of Continuity', we have a very pointed discussion around resilience, data and what the world might look like when we come through the end of this major global disruption. We dig deep into business continuity, data storage trends and the interface with green building trends.

Do cities value data? Well, this is one of the many questions we unpacked on 'The Week in Data' with Andrea Di Giovanni, the Strategic Projects Lead for our member company Neighbourlytics. In this conversation we also talk about current topical issues such as COVID-19 and how its bringing data insights into our daily lives, as well as social wellbeing as a framework for national decision making, and the data that powers our understanding of how people's quality of life manifests.

Media headlines fill our feed with those multi-billion dollar estimates of the smart cities market, while cities relentlessly promote their latest ranking in yet another smart cities ranking. But what happens when you look peek behind the curtain, and compare the methodologies, metrics and outcomes? In this Episode on the Chronicles we sit down with Charles Reed-Anderson from Charles Reed-Anderson and Associates who took the time to compare the rankings and market valuations and as a result came up with some interesting conclusions and recommendations.

For this episode of 'the week in data' we invited Dr Vanessa Savage-Douglas from GWI onto the Chronicles. We start the conversation by going back, and reflecting a little on data back in the 90's. We then cover a range of data topics including the 'why' of data, how we move beyond the 'cool' of data, scrutiny of government data management practices and misuse of data, as well as political decisions and the role of data insights.