The Smart Community Podcast

In the episode of the Smart City Podcast, I interviewed the New Zealand Co-ordinator of SCCei and community focused advocate Julia Hamilton. Julia is a Strategic Projects Advisor for Wellington City Council in NZ and is doing some really exciting stuff. I'll start by saying that everything we discuss is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or is not associated with the companies in any way. Julia is particularly interested in using technology to support and enhance social outcomes. She talks about some of the projects she is working on and how Smart City tech can be used in planning non-ticketed events and is being used to in emergency response situation to achieve better outcomes. NZ is part of the Digital 5 (I think now is the Digital 7) which is a network of leading digital governments focused on improving the digital economy. Julia also shares insight into the value of collaboration, responsive cities and breaking down accessibility barrier to allow citizens to bring in new information for decision making. Connect with Julia via LinkedIn or email julia.hamilton@dubcc.govt.nz Disclaimer: Everything discussed is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod 

In this episode of The Smart City Podcast, I had a fantastic conversation with minimalist, writer, podcast host, blogger, speaker and full time traveller Colin Wright. We discussed the linkages between minimalism and Smart Cities and how people-scale cities make for happier places and reduce under-utilised time. We also discussed a number of different technologies and dive deep into using science fiction as a means to think about the possible societal impacts some technologies. This was a supposed to be a bit of a different episode for you, mixing it up because Smart Cities really touches on so many aspects so I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it. Connect with Colin via email or Twitter, Instagram, Facebook @colinismyname and listen to his podcast, Let's Know Things. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod 

In this episode of The Smart City Podcast, I interviewed NSW coordinator of the Smart Cities Council Emerging Innovators (SCCei) and people focused planner Marika Svikis. I'll start by saying that everything we discuss is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or is not associated with the companies in any way. Marika is very interested in harnessing big data to better inform design and using how people feel in a city as a metric of success. For example how happy people feel rather than just how efficiently things are running.  We also discussed how the SCCei came to be and the importance of getting young professionals involved. Marika believes that leadership in this space starts with education and that we can't keep using traditional ways of thinking and working to deliver effective smart cities. She flips the emerging trends questions around on me so you'll get to hear what I think. Disclaimer: Everything discussed is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  You can connect with Marika on LinkedIn or via email marikasvikis@gmail.com You can connect with me on Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod and email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com

In this episode of The Smart City Podcast, I had a great chat with Place Maker Kylie Legge. Kylie is the founder of Place Score, we discuss how Place Score aims to positively change the way engagement with the community happens and change the way data is collected and stored in order to be used effectively used across multiple projects. Kylie and I discuss the need to think more holistically about assets and sharing the space we have, as well as how young people show up in the data and the smart city space. Kylie offers some great insights into thinking about how smart cities should focus on health and wellbeing and a systems approach to community making. We also touch on the importance of awareness into the impacts technology can have on a place so we can shape the outcomes positively. Disclaimer: Everything discussed is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  You can connect with Kylie Legge on LinkedIn and Twitter @place_score or via email kylie@placescore.org You can connect with me on Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod and email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com​

In this episode of the Smart City Podcast, I interviewed Town Planner and Smart City Entrepreneur, Nick Kamols.  Nick was calling up from Indonesia, where he spent a month with his startup, PowerWells. PowerWells aim is to provide basic access to electricity to remote areas in Indonesia, and is using e-waste to set up small-scale energy supply systems. Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, PowerWells will be able to install 120 of these units in a sustainable way. Nick is a fellow member of the Smart Cities Council Emerging Innovators, and is doing some really cool stuff in this space. In this episode, we also talk a little bit about drones and powering on with innovation.  Disclaimer: Everything discussed is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with Nick via email: nick@kamols.com Connect with the Smart Cities Council Emerging Innovators on Twitter @scc_innovators or via email: sccinnovators@gmail.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod

In this episode of the Smart City Podcast, I had an early start to have a great discussion with the Director of Sustainability of the City of Orlando, Chris Castro. Chris and I really just scratched the surface on a number of projects that the city of Orlando is currently undertaking ranging from floating solar, connected and automated vehicles, solid waste and public safety. We also talk about Orlando culture of innovation and how the city is pioneering in the smart city space. Chris is particularly interested in how technology can play a role in accelerating a more sustainable future. Disclaimer: Everything discussed is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod

In this episode of the Smart City Podcast, I had a really thought-provoking conversation with Katharine Willis about who the Smart City is for. Katharine is an architect and Associate Professor at Plymouth University and initially was reluctant to get involved in the Smart City space. She continues to challenge commercially driven initiatives and focus on what the people actually think about so-called Smart Cities. We discussed Plymouth's new Masters in Smart Urban Futures, and also a number of projects that Katharine researched about who was included and actively excluded in Smart City planning and implementation around the world. We also talked about how some fo the Smartest places in the world are in the regional and rural areas.  Disclaimer: Everything discussed is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Get in touch with Katharine on Twitter @trolleytweet or visit plymouth.ac.uk to find more about the Masters of Smart Urban Futures Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod

In this episode of the Smart City Podcast, I interviewed another self-confessed data addict and fellow member of the Smart City Council Emerging Innovators, Claire Daniel. Claire is a town-planner at heart and loves exploring exciting ways to use data to make our lives better. She studied a Master's degree in Smart Cities and Urban Analytics at the University College, London. This is where she learnt to code, amongst many other things. Claire thinks cross-disciplinary learning is so important to make Smart decisions, as well as using data to monitor the outcomes of these decisions to enable us to make even better decisions in the future. She is keen to see what innovations will come from having more time to do more exciting tasks when administrative tasks are taken over by automation. You can connect with Claire on Linked in. Disclaimer: Everything discussed is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod

In this episode of the Smart City Podcast, I interview Brook Dixon, the Managing Director of Delos Delta, the go-to consultant for all things Smart Cities. Brook is also the newly elected President of the Australian Smart Communities Association (ASCA) and a Churchill Fellow, which allowed him to travel the world and explore Smart Cities. He is passionate about creating a digital democracy, and including the community in decision making. In this episode, we dive deep into some of the things Brook witnessed overseas, as well as the exciting things Australia is doing. "The world around us is changing. We're in the middle of a digital revolution. If we cannot apply digital technology to the modernisation, the evolution and the progress of our democracy, then I don't think we're trying hard enough." Watch Brook's TEDxCanberra talk, and connect with him on Twitter @dibrookie or at delosdelta.com  Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod

In this episode of The Smart City Podcast, I interviewed the CEO of Resilient Grid Mike Leggat. Mike is passionate about focusing on the human when it comes to the resilience of critical infrastructure. I really enjoyed this discussion particularly around the Smart Citizen and how descisions of individuals together can impact a Smart City. We talked about some of the projects Resilient Grid is working on as well why it's so important to give humans a purpose in an ever increasing automated world. Mike will be presenting at the IEEE GreenTech 2018 of Smart City conference in Austin Texas this Friday 6th of April you can check out ieeegreentech.org for more information. As always I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it. For full show notes, go to thesmartcitypodcast.com

In this episode I interviewed Irina Anastasiu, who describes herself as a perpetual chameleon. She has a wide and varied background, which is perfect for the Smart City space, and a genuine interest in citizen co-creation, so much so that she has created a framework to nurture this collaborative approach. This approach helps people see people as people and not just the organisations that they work for. Irina believes Smart Cities should include an integration of the small-scale projects with the larger ones, and build a shared vision that involves everyone. She has interesting views about how Australia's societal norms are refreshing and could help shape Australia's leadership in this space. As always, I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it! Disclaimer: Everything discussed in personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com Connect via Twitter and Facebook: @smartcitypod

In this episode, Zoe shares a bit more about her background, the Smart Cities Council Emerging Innovators Group and why she is so passionate about the Smart City space. She explains where the podcast has been for the last month and what's to come in April! There are interviews with people from all different areas, from world-travelling bloggers to academics to people using Blockchain as the basis for their company. There is so much coming your way. As always, it isn't just about the tech but about the people in the cities and how we can use technology to make places more liveable. Enjoy! Please note, this episode is marked explicit, due to one piece of strong language. Just in case you're listening with kiddies around! Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com Connect via Twitter and Facebook: @smartcitypod

In this episode of the Smart City Podcast, I interviewed self-confessed data addict, Adam Dennett. Adam is the Senior Lecturer of Smart Cities and Urban Analytics at the University College, London (ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/casa). According to Adam, the Smart City space expands from brewing beer to the social impacts of new technology, with a foundation of open data and education. We discussed a large range of interesting topics, including UCL's Smart Cities Masters Degree and where the UK ranks when it comes to Smart Cities. There were some technical difficulties with this episode, so the sound quality isn't as clear as usual. This episode is also a bit longer than usual, but I hope you can listen to the end when we  discuss the social implications and the power storage opportunities of autonomous and electric vehicles. Disclaimer: Everything discussed in personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com Connect via Twitter and Facebook: @smartcitypod

In this episode of the Smart City Podcast, I had a great conversation with a fellow member of the Smart Cities Council Emerging Innovators Group, Janine Betz. Janine is a passionate advocate for sustainability and using Smart techniques to help fight against climate change. Western Australia is really lucky to benefit from Janine's background, as she brings the European approach to sustainability and moulds it to suit the Australian conditions and environment. We discussed the challenges and opportunities building a 6-star Green Star Rating project, and how Smart Cities is about the integration between sustainability and innovation. Janine also talks passionately about Western Australia finding its feet in terms of culture, growth and identity, and how WA is well on their way to leading certain aspects of Smart Cities.  Disclaimer: Everything discussed is personal opinion only and does not represent the companies we work for or associated in any way with these companies. Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod

In this episode of the Smart City Podcast, I interviewed founder and director of the Urban Informatics Research Lab at QUT in Brisbane, Marcus Foth. Although the term 'Smart City' wasn't around, Marcus has been involved in this space for over 10 years, and worked in computer science before the internet became ubiquitous. He is passionate about bringing together people, places and technology in a user centric approach. We discussed a lot of exciting topics, including using technology to make a difference, how Australia is moving up in the Smart City ranks, and how climate change and sustainability need to be at the heart of a Smart City. We also discussed the next generation of personalised journey planners that would see me bumping into or avoiding my Facebook friends on my daily commute depending on how social I'm feeling that day. As well as this, Marcus introduces a number of global networks in the Smart City space that you, as the Smart City Collective, can check out and get involved with. Connect with Marcus on Twitter @sunday9pm or at  https://www.urbaninformatics.net or http://qut.design Find the full show notes: thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect with me via email: zoe@thesmartcitypodcast.com  Connect via Twitter and Facebook @smartcitypod