Exclusive: Environmental Equity Starts at the Hyperlocal Level
Show notes
Recorded live at the Harvard Kennedy School, this exclusive episode features Mayor Van Johnson and Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, who spoke at our recent Data to Action capstone convening. They shared how they're solving environmental health crises their cities don't technically control — using convening power, community storytelling, and data. Hear how they've built networks and told resident stories, getting state governors and federal agencies to listen and leading to public health improvements.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- How mayors without direct authority can still move federal and state policy when local data tells the story
- How air quality monitors and water infrastructure studies transformed anecdotes into evidence
- When to step back and let the community tell their own stories, and why that can be more powerful than any policy speech
- Why all mayors should address environmental justice and how it relates to other policy areas like housing and violence
Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa
About Data-Smart City Solutions
Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on Twitter.