In this episode of the Smart Community Podcast, we hear part 2 of Zoe’s interview with Cornelia Levy-Bencheton and Mike Barlow. In Part 2, which is the previous episode, Zoe and Mike and Cornelia discussed the power of Smart Communities to engage citizens which can lead to a more effective and empowered democracy. They also shared how they see the US embracing the Smart City space and gave some great examples of some Smart concepts being implemented there. If you haven’t yet listened to Part 1 of this interview, go and do that before listening to this episode.

In Part 2, Cornelia and Mike tell us  about their book, “Smart Cities, Smart Futures: Showcasing Tomorrow.”  And about some of the projects that they’re working on right now. They cover the future of work and the opportunities and challenges that come from the range of generations in the work force right now. Zoe, Mike and Cornelia also discuss blockchain and the concept of data as labour, and why Smart Cities and Smart Communities need to be part of Smart Regions in order for them to be good for Smart People that live there.

So we pick up Part 2 of this conversation where the previous episode left off, talking about the need for transparency and citizen engagement in Smart Cities to avoid backlash from the community. As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Listen here: 

What we cover in this episode:

• Mike and Cornelia’s book “Smart Cities, Smart Futures: Showcasing Tomorrow”
• The future of work and how it’s inherently interlinked with demographics in our cities
• The challenges and opportunities that come from having a multi-generational workforce
• Blockchain, e-government and the concept of data as labour
• What Smart Cities and Smart Communities are good for
• Why we need to get our Smart Cities and Smart Communities right, for the sake of all people on the planet

Quotes:

“It’s important to remember that the loudest voice is not always the Smartest voice, so we have to be careful not to be influenced just by somebody who makes a lot of noise, but somebody who makes the most sense.” ~ Cornelia

“I really believe very strongly that mobility means self-determination. If people are mobile and have access to mobility, they can exercise their self-determination. They can go where they want, they can do what they want.” ~ Cornelia

“People have been leaving the farm for 6000 years [to move to cities]…The world of tomorrow will be a world of cities, But will the be Smart Cities? That’s up to us, we the people. So let’s work together, and let’s make the planet a better place.” ~ Mike

“I can’t remember having a workforce with 4 different generations in it in any other point in my life…this idea of blending multiple generations all with their own views of the universe, into a single workforce, and having that workforce work together and collaborate and produce happy economic results, that’s a real challenge that we’re only beginning to grapple with now.” ~ Mike

Connect:

Connect with Cornelia on LinkedIn or on Twitter @bencheton

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn or on Twitter @mike7pilot

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or Twitter and watch on YouTube

Podcast Production by Perk Digital