Social Justice, Broadband Top Priorities for Smart Cities

Issues around equity, access to broadband and the broader social ills related to racism are finding a stronger foothold in smart city strategies. The compounding events of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, its related economic fallout and nationwide protests calling attention to unjust policing and systematic racism are redefining how cities use technology as an instrument for achieving community goals. The coronavirus crisis, which either idled large segments of the economy or required workers to go remote, has laid bare lingering problems like the digital divide, as smart city leaders rethink goals around equity and inclusion. Sixty percent of low-income residents in New Orleans lack access to the Internet at home, said Kimberly Walker LaGrue, chief information officer for New Orleans. “We have to start there. We have a vast digital divide to address,” said LaGrue, signaling an area where she hopes to focus some of the city’s technology and smart city efforts. “Public Wi-Fi is top of mind,” she added. “That is a huge investment, so a public-private partnership works best, and is the smartest."