On July 29th, Next Century Cities’ Lukas Pietrzak joined advocates and local leaders to participate in the Knight Foundation’s 2021 Smart Cities Lab. Panelists discussed how local communities could prepare for the growth of smart cities and benefit from continued innovation. The conversation centered on the need for digital equity and building inclusive technology ecosystems that bridge the digital divide, leaving no community or population behind. 

The discussion was moderated by Makena Kelly, a policy reporter for The Verge. Pietrzak joined: 

• Gigi Sohn, a Senior Fellow for the Benton Institute; 
• Onica Makwakwa, Africa Coordinator, Alliance For Affordable Internet; 
• Joshua Edmonds, Director Of Digital Inclusion, City of Detroit; and 
• Juan Marcos Vilar, President & Executive Director – Alianza For Progress.

The wide-ranging conversation emphasized three crucial takeaways. The first was that digital inclusion and broadband strategies must work to design and build with communities rather than strictly for them. Too often, local officials cosign on policy and funding proposals without being given meaningful opportunities to provide insight earlier in the process. 

Secondly, the panel also underscored the power of local, state, federal, and tribal collaboration. Through multi-level partnerships, leaders can develop and implement comprehensive and acute broadband solutions that tackle persistent challenges still faced by local communities. 

Finally, there was agreement that more accurate and granular data is necessary to achieve universal broadband goals. Until communities can understand the depth and breadth of local digital divides, local officials will not know where to invest and close connectivity gaps once and for all.