Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 16 – Genesis Gavino, City of Dallas

12/18/23 • 32 min

Urban Exchange: Cities on the Frontlines

Mike Lake, CEO of Leading Cities and a member of the Smart Cities World Advisory Board, hosts a special episode recorded live from the 2023 Smart City Expo in Barcelona, where he is joined by Genesis Gavino, Chief of Staff Resilience Officer for the City of Dalla.

Genesis provides a behind-the-scenes look at her role as Chief of Staff, detailing the essential elements that the role encompasses that don't necessarily fit elsewhere but are crucial for city operations. We hear how she manages diverse portfolios, overseeing strategic initiatives like the Resilient Dallas strategy, as well as smart city projects.

Key to Dallas' digital resilience work is digital equity, with Genesis shedding light on the city's efforts to bridge the digital divide. She shares experiences from the field, discussing digital literacy programmes and the importance of community engagement in shaping policies.

This conversation also takes a turn toward cybersecurity, touching on the ransomware attack on Dallas earlier in 2023, where Genesis emphasises the city's commitment to proactive measures, including the development of secure apps for residents.

As the episode unfolds, we delve into the broader challenges faced by cities and the need for holistic, multifunctional solutions. Genesis stresses the importance of understanding each city's unique context and challenges, urging technology providers to align their solutions with the specific needs of the communities they serve.

The episode concludes with a reflection on the continuous nature of urban challenges and the vital role of collaboration, innovation, and adaptability in building resilient cities. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation at the intersection of technology, governance, and community empowerment in this episode of "Cities on the Frontline."

About the speakers Genesis Gavino, Chief of Staff and Resilience Officer, City of Dallas

Genesis currently serves as the Deputy Resilience Officer where she works closely with the executive team across the organisation to implement the Resilient Dallas Strategy. She is also the Chief of Staff to the City Manager where she manages the Council Agenda Office, Local Government Management Fellows Program, departmental budgets and works with the executive team to advance the City’s strategic priorities. Genesis has served as lead in the organisation’s interdepartmental and collaborative projects, most recently the implementation of the Council Agenda Preparation System through Granicus – Legistar, and the development and implementation of a pilot program to activate City Hall Plaza.

Mike Lake, President and CEO, Leading Cities

As President and CEO, Michael develops and establishes relationships with municipal governments, businesses and universities internationally, creating a global network of partner cities dedicated to implementing Smart City solutions that improve the quality of life in cities. Leading Cities builds bridges between academia and action, between business and government, and between urban problems and solutions.Among its signature programs are AcceliCITY- among the largest, most prestigious smart and resilient city solutions focused competitions- and AcceliGOV—a competition of cities vying for globally sourced, expert-vetted, pre-paid pilot projects.

About the speakers Genesis Gavino, Chief of Staff and Resilience Officer, City of Dallas

Mike Lake, President and CEO, Leading Cities

Previous Episode

Urban Exchange Episode 15 - Greater Manchester and Arup - Cities building digital resilience

In this episode of the Urban Exchange, host Lauren Sorkin, Executive Director of Resilient Cities Network and Co-chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board, is joined by Kathy Oldham, Chief Resilience Officer, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Will Cavendish, Global Digital Services Leader, Arup.

The latest episode is set in the context of the new publication entitled Digital Cities, Resilient Cities: Delivering urban resilience through digital solutions, developed by Resilient Cities Network and Arup. Lauren begins by asking Will what “digital resilience” means and why cities should care about it. He explains the importance of looking at it through the two lenses of a city’s abilities to use digital systems to build resilience but also ensuring the resilience of those systems and services themselves.

As the Chief Resilience Officer for Greater Manchester since 2018, Kathy explains that one of the main challenges is that cities are now looking at a complex “system of systems” with digital technologies having brought together so many different technologies and processes which can be difficult to risk assess. She talks about the “layering” approach to digital resilience that GMCA now builds in.

Viewing digital technology as a basic human right is a recurring theme. Manchester has a number of strategies in place to address digital exclusion with its aim to help people use digital technology to live their best life. Kathy also talks about the importance of covening with stakeholders from private, public sectors and academia. For example, the Manchester Digital Blueprint is co-owned by more than 300 organisations.

Will then discusses some of the principles city leaders can adopt to build in digital resilience such as flexibility of systems and redundancy. He brings in the subject of climate resilience and how data and technology can help us be more predictive. He emphasises the need for city leaders to recognise that the threat is real, highlighting the impact urban heat has had on cities around the world in recent years.

The discussion also covers the importance of knowledge sharing between cities and how networks can facilitate this. This also means cities can achieve resilience aims in potentially shorter timelines.

Next Episode

Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 17 - Digitalising government disbursements to enhance urban resilience

The latest episode of the Urban Exchange delve into the transformative impact of technology on government disbursements to enhance urban resilience. Joining host Paul Wilson are Agustin Botteron, author of a new Visa report on government disbursements and former Chief Resilience Officer of Santa Fe, and Robert L. Matthews, Director of the Washington D.C. Child and Family Services Agency.

Agustin shares insights from his experience as a city practitioner, emphasising the critical role of local government support programmes in addressing urban challenges, and the barriers such as capacity and funding. The conversation then shifts to the Visa report, exploring how cities worldwide are managing digital disbursements to enhance urban resilience. Agustin underscores the multifaceted nature of the process, encompassing finding potential beneficiaries, screening, and the actual payment.

Director Matthews provides valuable insights into the Washington DC Child and Family Services Agency's shift from a paper-driven system to a digital platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. He focuses on the need for a rapid transition at that time and how it enabled more efficient support for families in need.

As the conversation unfolds, the guests highlight the increasing relevance of digital disbursements in responding to extreme weather events and conflicts. They discuss the role of organisations like Visa and the Resilient Cities Network in fostering innovation, knowledge exchange, and infrastructure development. The Grandparent Caregivers Program in Washington, DC, serves as a case study, demonstrating the positive impact of financial subsidies and digital support on families caring for children.

We wrap up by discussing the need for collaboration and trust among various stakeholders, including technology providers, payment platforms, government officials, and NGOs. The acceleration of digital transformation, prompted by the challenges of the pandemic, requires proactive measures to build resilient infrastructures and partnerships for future crises.