WEBVTT 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:08.680 Debra Lam, Founding Executive Director of Partnership for Innovation, 00:00:08.680 --> 00:00:11.840 is here at the studio of Kurrant with us. 00:00:12.840 --> 00:00:17.280 Partnership for Innovation is a public private partnership in Georgia 00:00:17.880 --> 00:00:21.760 that invests in innovative solutions for shared economic prosperity. 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:26.160 We'll be discussing the smart city industry and inclusivity. 00:00:26.400 --> 00:00:29.640 So the first question, Debra, is what does a smart 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:32.640 and equitable city look like to you? 00:00:33.360 --> 00:00:33.640 Yeah. 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:36.280 Thank you for the question. And thank you for hosting. 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:42.120 So to me, a smart city is a continuous improvement process versus an end state. 00:00:42.400 --> 00:00:44.960 So you don't suddenly say, I'm a smart city. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:45.880 I'm done. 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:47.240 No more work needed. 00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:51.720 It is one that uses the most applicable, 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:56.520 and suitable technology innovations, 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:01.200 research to pursue problem solving, 00:01:02.840 --> 00:01:05.720 well-being and quality of life improvements. 00:01:05.720 --> 00:01:07.520 So whatever the city says. 00:01:07.520 --> 00:01:11.640 I want to improve transportation or energy or housing. 00:01:11.960 --> 00:01:15.520 Then they think of what is the portfolio of innovation 00:01:15.520 --> 00:01:20.120 solutions that include technology and policy and business models, 00:01:20.360 --> 00:01:23.360 and a wide variety of stakeholders 00:01:23.520 --> 00:01:26.880 to pursue that goal of problem solving. 00:01:28.160 --> 00:01:29.240 And what do you 00:01:29.240 --> 00:01:33.400 see is the biggest misconception about smart cities? Yes. 00:01:33.600 --> 00:01:37.640 So that it is like technology led and driven solely. 00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:42.000 So you know that there's some sort of magic solution, 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:45.800 silver bullet that will solve all the ills of the world 00:01:46.160 --> 00:01:49.080 and unfortunately, even with the advancements of technology 00:01:49.080 --> 00:01:52.320 that we see today, there's no single solution 00:01:52.320 --> 00:01:55.640 or even a single platform of solutions that can solve 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:59.520 all the the problems or meet the goals of a city. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:03.000 And that really technology is an important tool, 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:06.560 but it can't be solely driven by that. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:11.840 And you've seen cities get into what I call a tech arms race, 00:02:12.520 --> 00:02:15.120 where, one city will say, 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:18.400 I have 3000 sensors, I am so smart. 00:02:18.880 --> 00:02:22.560 And then another city will say, well, I have 5000 sensors. 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:24.040 I am smarter. 00:02:24.040 --> 00:02:26.880 And that's not necessarily 00:02:26.880 --> 00:02:30.200 the way to approach smart cities. 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:33.000 What is the problem that you're trying to solve? 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:38.800 And how can you think about solving it through this portfolio of solutions? 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:42.840 And considering the name of your organization, 00:02:42.840 --> 00:02:47.320 what makes a public private academic partnership actually work? 00:02:47.880 --> 00:02:50.040 Yes. That's a great question. 00:02:50.040 --> 00:02:56.040 So to us, a lot of the wicked problems that we see, whether it's poverty 00:02:56.040 --> 00:03:01.400 or climate change or housing, they can't be solved by a single sector. 00:03:01.640 --> 00:03:04.640 So the government can't mandate everything 00:03:04.640 --> 00:03:07.440 or the private sector can't fund everything. 00:03:07.440 --> 00:03:10.440 Academia can't research everything. 00:03:10.480 --> 00:03:15.560 It's very hard for any one sector to solve those problems. 00:03:15.560 --> 00:03:20.760 And that what is more interesting and more effective and innovative 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:25.080 is to build these public private partnerships where each sector 00:03:25.080 --> 00:03:29.320 is contributing its strength, but also sharing the risk 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:34.000 across the board and leveraging the collective resources to solve that. 00:03:34.200 --> 00:03:38.040 So when we're saying building public private partnerships, it's building 00:03:38.040 --> 00:03:43.480 a coalition of interested organizations and entities 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:47.400 that want to contribute towards the solution, but 00:03:47.920 --> 00:03:52.560 because they're part of the process, they're responsible for its outcomes. 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:56.040 And do you have maybe a project, an example 00:03:56.040 --> 00:03:59.160 in which this type of partnership 00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:03.040 helped a city with their digital and sustainability goals? 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:04.120 Yeah. Yeah. 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:07.120 A really good example is a project 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:11.040 that we finished recently is in Atlanta, in Georgia, 00:04:11.720 --> 00:04:14.360 in Thomasville Heights neighborhood. 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:17.480 If any of you are familiar with the Thomasville Heights neighborhood, 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:20.480 I'm sure you have similar neighborhoods in your community 00:04:20.760 --> 00:04:23.280 where it's historically been underserved, underserviced, and 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:25.200 the social 00:04:25.200 --> 00:04:28.760 economic indicators compared to other parts of the city are lower. 00:04:29.520 --> 00:04:34.680 So there's a lot more infrastructure and a lot more, investments 00:04:34.680 --> 00:04:37.680 that needed to be made in this community. 00:04:38.080 --> 00:04:42.160 We did a project where we funded and managed and supported 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:47.400 a team, a public private partnership that included two universities, 00:04:47.760 --> 00:04:52.840 Georgia Tech College of Design, Morehouse School of Medicine, the City of Atlanta, 00:04:53.080 --> 00:04:56.840 and then the nonprofit partner focused Community Strategies. 00:04:57.160 --> 00:05:00.000 So public private partnership across the board. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.640 And the team used, 00:05:02.640 --> 00:05:07.240 drones with thermal imaging, so very advanced technology 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:11.360 to conduct an energy audit in the Thomasville Heights community. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.640 And then from that energy audit, use 00:05:14.640 --> 00:05:18.760 very targeted but very low tech interventions 00:05:18.760 --> 00:05:25.560 that you can get at a hardware store to improve the building fabric and makeup 00:05:26.200 --> 00:05:30.400 that immediately decrease the energy poverty of the residents 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:33.560 and increase their thermal comfort, heating and cooling. 00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:37.360 So you go from a very high tech, advanced technology 00:05:37.640 --> 00:05:42.560 to something that's very low tech in terms of window panes and caulking, 00:05:43.200 --> 00:05:46.360 to address the building fabric and facade. 00:05:47.280 --> 00:05:50.160 And that immediately looked at cost savings, 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:54.200 immediately addressed some of the energy poverty concerns of the residents. 00:05:54.640 --> 00:05:59.120 And that project involved 20 plus stakeholder engagement meetings. 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.440 To really make sure that the residents were involved, 00:06:02.640 --> 00:06:06.600 to make sure that this was empowering for them and understood. 00:06:07.760 --> 00:06:08.920 That project went on to 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:11.920 win some major national awards, 00:06:12.120 --> 00:06:16.440 that researchers saw as a way to advance the research and scholarship. 00:06:17.200 --> 00:06:21.000 And of course, the city and the community got a lot of benefits from it. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:25.200 So we saw that as a win win, win win all around from that stakeholder. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:26.480 Yeah. 00:06:26.480 --> 00:06:30.960 And it's a resident focused smart city project. 00:06:31.080 --> 00:06:31.440 Yeah. 00:06:31.440 --> 00:06:35.040 And what's great is that, you know if it can be done 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:38.080 in Thomasville Heights, it can be done in other communities. 00:06:38.080 --> 00:06:39.840 So you think about scale. 00:06:39.840 --> 00:06:43.160 And the professor who led that project 00:06:43.320 --> 00:06:46.320 went on to form his own startup 00:06:46.320 --> 00:06:51.120 to offer similar research and services to more communities. 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:52.480 So then you start to think 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:56.440 about how this is driving economic development and economic growth, 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:00.720 when you can power that kind of entrepreneurship and innovation. 00:07:01.240 --> 00:07:02.080 Okay. 00:07:02.080 --> 00:07:05.720 And then what's the right balance between experimentation 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:09.960 and regulations when cities adopt new technologies? 00:07:11.080 --> 00:07:11.400 Yeah. 00:07:11.400 --> 00:07:17.280 So I think for a lot of this is you need to think about the governance framework. 00:07:17.320 --> 00:07:18.680 And the governance framework 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:23.080 should include the privacy, the safety parameters, etc.. 00:07:23.840 --> 00:07:28.160 But even beyond the governance framework, is that stakeholder engagement. 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:31.760 And that education that's needed. 00:07:31.760 --> 00:07:37.520 So for a lot of this kind of advanced technology from AI to, smart 00:07:37.520 --> 00:07:42.080 sensors, etc., there's a kind of education and training that needs to be involved. 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:44.160 How is this used? 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:47.000 How is your personal data being impacted? 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:51.160 What kind of choices do you have to make in order to pursue this? 00:07:51.400 --> 00:07:55.360 And what are the risks that you know of that you need to help mitigate 00:07:55.640 --> 00:07:57.320 or help address? 00:07:57.320 --> 00:07:59.440 From the outset. 00:07:59.440 --> 00:08:04.160 And then one of the issues we have seen a lot is that a lot of times 00:08:04.440 --> 00:08:07.920 pilots just stay as a pilot and then don't scale. 00:08:08.280 --> 00:08:12.200 So how how can we make sure the pilots do scale? 00:08:13.200 --> 00:08:13.520 Yeah. 00:08:13.520 --> 00:08:19.280 So it's a couple of things I think that is probably the best question. 00:08:19.280 --> 00:08:21.760 And the next frontier. 00:08:21.760 --> 00:08:26.280 I think as a smart city community that's what we are all trying to aspire. 00:08:26.640 --> 00:08:29.520 You know that you have proven pilots. 00:08:29.520 --> 00:08:30.920 They’re a success. 00:08:30.920 --> 00:08:34.080 And if it can be done there, why can’t it be done in other places? 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:38.320 You know, what is the business model to scale it effectively and, 00:08:39.640 --> 00:08:41.280 scale it impactfuly. 00:08:41.280 --> 00:08:44.120 And I don't think we have all the answers to that. 00:08:44.120 --> 00:08:47.840 I think that's actually something that we're challenged to do. 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:50.520 And that's what we're testing. 00:08:50.520 --> 00:08:53.520 So the Atlanta Thomasville Heights project I told you about, 00:08:53.800 --> 00:08:54.880 what does scale look like? 00:08:54.880 --> 00:08:56.400 How do you share it with others? 00:08:56.400 --> 00:09:00.320 So on one hand, we can share it by just, bringing awareness. 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:01.200 So best practice. 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:04.720 So another community with a similar condition as Thomasville Heights, 00:09:04.880 --> 00:09:07.760 if they know about it and they know the playbook, 00:09:07.760 --> 00:09:10.560 then hopefully they can adopt it because they see 00:09:10.560 --> 00:09:14.000 that it's been done successfully, the risks have been mitigated, etc.. 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:18.880 On the other hand, we see it as that startup that the professor did. 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:22.520 So let's start investing in that startup so that that startup 00:09:22.520 --> 00:09:25.920 can scale it and make sure that it can spread in other. 00:09:26.160 --> 00:09:30.760 So I think there's a whole wealth of additional opportunities 00:09:30.760 --> 00:09:34.920 in this next stage, whether it's just through content creation, knowledge, 00:09:34.920 --> 00:09:39.520 awareness raising that allows other communities to naturally adopt it, 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.120 or making sure that there are the necessary investments 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:46.800 in infrastructure, whether it's by the federal government 00:09:46.800 --> 00:09:50.440 or a local government or private sector like startups, 00:09:50.760 --> 00:09:54.160 that they can provide those services to other communities. 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:55.640 I think that's a very exciting part. 00:09:57.000 --> 00:09:57.800 And then 00:09:57.800 --> 00:10:00.800 obviously there's a question about AI. 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:04.200 How can we ensure that AI and automation 00:10:04.920 --> 00:10:09.880 enhance public services without reinforcing 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:14.600 basically inequities? 00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:20.400 So I think what's underpinning a lot of the AI conversation 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:26.680 is the acknowledgment that AI is coexisting with people 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:32.880 and there's a certain co-creation and mutual empowerment of both. 00:10:33.880 --> 00:10:37.320 AI doesn’t it exist in isolation, without people. 00:10:37.880 --> 00:10:40.880 And at this point, it's hard to talk about 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:45.600 smart cities and well-being without acknowledging 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:49.680 the importance of AI being an important tool to that. 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:53.440 And so I think when we are thinking about AI, 00:10:53.680 --> 00:10:57.000 we have to think about where do the people fit in? 00:10:57.040 --> 00:10:58.800 Are they part of the conversation? 00:10:58.800 --> 00:11:01.160 Are they aware? 00:11:01.160 --> 00:11:02.320 Are they educated? 00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:05.040 What are the parameters to engage them? 00:11:05.040 --> 00:11:10.680 And how can they utilize AI in terms of problem solving? 00:11:10.680 --> 00:11:16.000 Again, beyond the frontier research 00:11:16.000 --> 00:11:19.440 and just the advancements of frameworks 00:11:19.680 --> 00:11:23.200 at the end of the day, how can AI solve your problems? 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:27.400 What are those use cases and how can we understand them 00:11:27.400 --> 00:11:30.040 for increased literacy education and training? 00:11:31.040 --> 00:11:31.680 And my last 00:11:31.680 --> 00:11:35.400 question is if you could redesign one thing 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:38.960 about how cities approach innovation. 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:42.320 What would it be? 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:45.400 Oh I love it. 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:49.560 I do think it's important to bring as many people 00:11:49.560 --> 00:11:52.760 together at the beginning, because they are 00:11:52.760 --> 00:11:56.320 then brought into that process and committed to the outcomes. 00:11:56.880 --> 00:12:01.120 But I also think it's important that at different points in time, 00:12:01.560 --> 00:12:04.560 there is an understanding that you cannot 00:12:04.800 --> 00:12:09.600 please everyone 100% of the time and that you have to make decisions 00:12:10.040 --> 00:12:13.440 and that those decisions are explicit and taken action. 00:12:13.800 --> 00:12:17.400 So it's important to have that continuous conversation and dialogue 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:22.640 and then incorporate that into the project and the well-being. 00:12:22.920 --> 00:12:26.880 But know that there are decisions that have to be made and action 00:12:26.880 --> 00:12:30.480 has to be taken, and that we're not just going to keep having conversation. 00:12:31.040 --> 00:12:34.040 It is movement towards action. 00:12:34.160 --> 00:12:39.000 And that's why even at the partnership here, we explicitly call ourselves 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:44.600 a do tank versus a think tank because we want to see projects on the ground. 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:45.320 So since we launched, we've 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:49.960 had over 220 projects across 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:53.160 Georgia and six other states in the southeast. 00:12:53.920 --> 00:12:59.280 And for all these projects, they involve 197 00:12:59.280 --> 00:13:03.280 different technologies and innovations, with 200 plus partners 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:09.360 in academia, public sector, private sector, and civic nonprofit. 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:12.720 And for every $1 that we invest in, 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:15.920 we get $5.23 in return. 00:13:15.920 --> 00:13:19.040 So that five x return is about bringing 00:13:19.040 --> 00:13:22.040 additional economic benefit into the community. 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:23.040 Okay. 00:13:23.040 --> 00:13:26.120 Well, thank you so much for being here and for your time. 00:13:26.520 --> 00:13:27.840 And that was Debra Lam.