TechnologySociety & CultureBusiness

Technopolis

Jim Kapsis, Molly Turner

Technology is reshaping our cities—often without permission and sometimes without a clue. Hosted by urban innovation expert Molly Turner and startup advisor Jim Kapsis, Technopolis asks the questions nobody is asking about what needs to change for tech to help solve more problems than it creates.

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16 episodes
Avg 32 min
English

Episodes 16

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#15
Jul 8, 2021 · 43 min
Post-Pandemic City
When startups want to fight city hall, many turn to Bradley Tusk. Fresh off advising Andrew Yang in his unsuccessful mayoral bid in New York City, the political “fixer” and host of the Firewall Podcast talks with Molly and Jim on this collaborative, joint episode on how the pandemic may have permanently changed urban life and maybe even reset relations between tech and cities for the better.
#14
May 14, 2021 · 46 min
Climate Resilient City
Are pandemic weary cities prepared for wildfire and hurricane season?
#13
Sep 22, 2020 · 40 min
Open Street City
Will open streets lead to a more equitable mobility future?
#12
Sep 15, 2020 · 36 min
Care City
How might the pandemic affect the future of domestic work?
#11
Sep 7, 2020 · 36 min
Restaurant City
What will our neighborhood restaurants look and feel like after the pandemic is long gone?
#10
Jun 11, 2019 · 31 min
Wired City
Are we at risk of creating a permanent digital underclass? Internet access has become essential for modern American life, but current policies don't treat it that way. In this special bonus episode, Jim and Molly talk to Maya Wiley about a core piece of the infrastructure for our tech future: broadband. Wiley, a digital equity expert and MSNBC contributor, breaks down the history of broadband access, the severity of the inequity, and what it costs us all when some people just can't get online. W
#9
Jun 4, 2019 · 32 min
Golden City
Can Wakanda's capital city teach us to build better cities in the real world? For as long as there have been movies, there have been fictional visions of tech-forward futures. But few cities on film have inspired the awe of urbanists like Black Panther's Golden City, devised by production designer Hannah Beachler. In this special bonus episode, Jim and Molly talk with Beachler about the role tech played in her meticulously crafted urban vision. Beachler, who won the Academy Award for her work in
#8
Apr 16, 2019 · 29 min
Feedback City
Is tech making it easier for us to talk to our cities? Changed bus routes. A shuttered park. How many times has your city made a decision affecting you that you didn't know about until after it happened? This persistent communication gap is one of the great conundrums for many city leaders. And it hasn't necessarily gotten any better just because we're on apps and social media. What are cities doing to find us where we are? And is using tech a more effective way to get our feedback about propose
#7
Apr 9, 2019 · 33 min
Delivery City
Will food delivery apps kill your favorite neighborhood restaurant? The tech-fueled delivery economy is already having a dramatic impact on how some restaurants do business. Will it also transform our neighborhoods? And should we feel guilty about ordering that coffee and donut directly to our door with a few taps on our phone? Molly and Jim talk with Leslie Silverglide, the CEO of the tech-savvy salad chain Mixt; and Amy Liu, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the
#6
Apr 2, 2019 · 31 min
Nudge City
Can tech help cities nudge us to live better lives, without things getting weird? In this episode, we look at how technology is making the popular behavioral science tool known as a "nudge" more prevalent in cities, from tackling sign-ups for food stamps to reducing congestion downtown. Molly and Jim talk with Emily Bailard, the CEO of InClass Today, a startup that uses nudges to help school districts reduce student absenteeism; and Anthony Barrows, managing director of Ideas42, a nonprofit that
#5
Mar 26, 2019 · 26 min
Techlash City
When a new tech innovation comes to town, we can't always know what its impacts will be before it floods the market. And yet, increasingly, some city governments and residents are having a particularly strong reaction to certain kinds of tech startups: Shut. It. Down. Is that the right reaction? Why exactly is that our impulse? And does it even matter what kind of tech we're talking about? On this episode, we look at what happens when a new tech idea creeps into one of the most fundamental parts
#4
Mar 19, 2019 · 34 min
Battery City
Will every building in your city one day be powered by a battery? Are batteries the key to our cities' energy future? In this episode, Molly and Jim look at how energy storage could change everything about how we turn on the lights and get around town. And they'll explore how renewable energy might keep our cities running even when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow. They talk with John Zahurancik of Fluence Energy and Rushad Nanavatty of Rocky Mountain Institute. They also make an
#3
Mar 12, 2019 · 35 min
Disruptor City
Should startups ask permission from cities before they drop their tech on city streets? Or are they right to just show up and seek forgiveness later? Molly and Jim wrestle with the legacy of Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb—and the real-time dramas playing out in cities today with dockless scooters and bikes. Jim shares a conversation with Bradley Tusk (an early policy advisor to Uber) and Seleta Reynolds (head of the LA Department of Transportation); and Molly and Jim both talk with Nina Hernandez, a rep
#2
Mar 5, 2019 · 27 min
Self-Driving City
What does our future really look like when autonomous vehicles take over the roads? Molly and Jim take us on a tour of the less-considered effects: vomit, sex, and criminalized pedestrians. But also: Will self-driving cars carry our groceries before they carry us? They talk with Nan Ransohoff, the head of product at AV startup Nuro, and Jeff Tumlin, a transportation consultant focused on sustainability. For more information on this episode, visit citylab.com/podcasts/technopolis. And email us y
#1
Feb 26, 2019 · 34 min
Venture-Backed City
Why are investors pouring so much cash into urban startups? On this first episode of Technopolis, hosts Molly Turner and Jim Kapsis follow the money behind the explosion in urban tech. When did investors decide to get so involved in our sidewalks? Jim and Molly speak with Jason Calacanis, early Uber investor, start-up founder, and author of Angel: How to Invest in Start-Ups. They also talk with Warren Logan, Senior Transportation Planner at the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, abou
#1
Jan 8, 2019 · 1 min
Trailer
Technology is reshaping our cities—often without permission and sometimes without a clue. Hosted by urban innovation expert Molly Turner and startup advisor Jim Kapsis, the new podcast from CityLab will ask the questions nobody is asking about what needs to change for tech to help solve more problems than it creates.

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