GARDERE, DALLAS INNOVATION ALLIANCE ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

GARDERE, DALLAS INNOVATION ALLIANCE ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP

Gardere will serve as the DIA’s Firm of Record, providing counsel to board of directors

DALLAS, TX, March 9, 2017 — Today, the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA), a 501c(3) Public-Private Partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a multi-phased smart city strategy for Dallas, announced that Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP has joined the organization as legal counsel and firm of record. Gardere Partner Glenn Singleton will join the Dallas Innovation Alliance’s Board of Directors. The DIA will draw upon Gardere’s deep expertise in areas critical to smart cities, including technology, data, intellectual property, cybersecurity and the public sector to help support the DIA’s efforts and maximize the impact of ongoing and future projects.

“It’s an honor to support DIA’s bold mission to spur economic growth and improve quality of life by leveraging technology for the future of Dallas,” said Mr. Singleton “Gardere has a long history of investing in the city of Dallas and this partnership reflects our continued focus on championing the great innovators that reside in North Texas.”

The DIA seeks to address key challenges faced by Dallas, and cities around the world, around aging infrastructure, strained natural and fiscal resources, and increased density in the urban core, while providing the technology, data and connectivity needed to power the future for all Dallasites. The DIA operates from the definition that a smart city is one where technological and social infrastructures accelerate economic development, increase resource efficiency, and most importantly, improve quality of life. Through the support and collaboration of its members like Gardere, the DIA is committed to advancing transformative change in the city of Dallas while increasing the domestic and global profile of the great innovators and ideas that reside in Dallas.

“We are so grateful for the support of Gardere, and for its commitment to investing in the future of our city via forward-thinking organizations like the DIA,” stated Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance. “It is through the vision and commitment of organizations like Gardere that we can sustainably and thoughtfully address the complex issues facing cities around infrastructure, data and intellectual property. Through Gardere’s counsel and expertise, the DIA will continue to work towards these goals.”

 “Our business and technology attorneys are thought leaders in this constantly evolving space and we are very excited to help the DIA, as well as the many participating companies and stakeholders, bringing cutting-edge technology solutions to Dallas,” added Mr. Singleton.

On March 27th, the DIA will launch its first phase in the West End. The Living Lab in the Dallas Innovation District will bring multiple projects onto Market Street to allow for the testing of multiple solutions including intelligent street lighting, capturing environmental sensor data, interactive digital kiosk and public Wi-Fi. Later 2017 deployments in the Living Lab will include smart irrigation in a downtown park, smart parking solutions, advanced electric vehicle charging stations, smart water meter infrastructure, and an open source platform for citizens to interact with the Living Lab data. The West End living lab will help anchor the Dallas Innovation District, uniting civic, startup and corporate innovation to provide a critical mass of the resources, infrastructure and creative talent that accelerates entrepreneurship, economic development and research & development.

About the Dallas Innovation Alliance

The Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) is a public-private partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a smart cities plan for the City of Dallas, leveraging social and technological infrastructures to accelerate sustainable economic growth, resource efficiency, and importantly, improve quality of life for citizens. Its mission is to develop a scalable smart cities model for the City of Dallas that leverages the region’s distinctive strengths and leaves a legacy of innovation, sustainability and collaboration for future generations. DIA support is led by Foundational Partner AT&T, Pivotal Partner Cisco, Lead Partner Current, Powered by GE, Partners AECOM and Universal Mind, and Lead Community Partner United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Members of the Dallas Innovation Alliance include: City of Dallas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Visit Dallas, Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), Dallas Regional Chamber, Downtown Dallas Inc., The Real Estate Council (TREC), Texas Research Alliance, CIVIQ Streetscapes, Deloitte, Ericsson, IBM, Microsoft, Park Hub, Philips, Schneider Electric, Xerox, and World Wide Technology. For more information, please visit www.DallasInnovationAlliance.com. 

About Gardere

Founded in 1909, Gardere is one of the Southwest’s largest full-service law firms – with more than 230 attorneys serving clients from three of the largest cities in Texas, as well as Colorado and Mexico.  Gardere is noted for a commitment to superior client service and an ability to assist clients with their most complex and demanding legal and business challenges worldwide.  By combining the comprehensive resources of a large firm with the specialized, boutique-like expertise of the lawyers in each of our practice areas, we have the unique capabilities and resources necessary to provide our clients with efficient, effective and quality legal counsel.  For more information, please visit www.gardere.com.

New report provides inspiration for digital economy skill building: Mashable

 

New report provides inspiration for digital economy skill building  

Mashable, March 3, 2017

How can communities lead in the race for technical innovation? What will the next decade hold for your region? Will there be new and different jobs requiring expanded digital skill sets, an influx of residents – perhaps investments that will pave the way for smart city services and urban innovation?   

Navigating change and preparing for the future doesn’t happen overnight – these things must evolve person by person, one community at a time. Across the country, the sheer pace of change makes such preparation urgent – to close gaps in education, skills and earnings to empower opportunity for all.   

Launched in 2015, Capital One’s national Future Edge initiative is focusing $150 million on community grants and support to prepare more Americans with the skills, tools and resources they need to succeed in the ever-changing digital economy. One of the communities leading the way is Dallas-Fort Worth, where the company commissioned a report by the Institute for the Future (IFTF) outlining the forces and trends shaping the region of tomorrow – from what the technological and financial innovations might be, to the expectations for the community and the evolving workforce.   

“You don’t have to know the future – you just need to know the direction in which it’s headed,” says Sanjiv Yajnik, president of financial services at Capital One. Yajnik and his team work hard to shape that direction in the communities they call home.   

Looking to the future in DFW   

The IFTF report found that North Texas will experience some of the fastest growth nationally in middle-skill jobs – roughly defined as work that requires more than a high school education but less than a bachelor’s degree – and that 80 percent of these careers will require digital skills. The region has several acknowledged neighborhood inequality challenges; as such the report highlights the importance of breaking down barriers and increasing access to quality education and employment opportunities.   

"You don’t have to know the future – you just need to know the direction in which it’s headed." Sanjiv Yajnik

The region already has become a national technology center, driven by entrepreneurs and a business-friendly climate that nurtures innovative startups and attracts companies. It is also home to a creative economy of artists, gamers, entertainers, journalists and innovators who will support the economic health and drive its overall well-being over the next decade.   

And in coming years, cities and suburbs in North Texas – as well as elsewhere – will leverage ubiquitous connectivity, real-time and big data, and algorithmic analytics to enable smart city services.   

In addition to this report, key learnings about the region also came out of a survey of local residents commissioned by Capital One. The groups discovered that an overwhelming majority of residents (87 percent) say they have a high quality of life, with over half (56 percent) citing access to quality education and skills training as some of the area’s greatest assets. Providing that access is precisely what Capital One is doing.   

There are a number of factors at play in shaping the future landscape of DFW, and the potential for a shift in the way people work, live, learn and build is certainly there. Some similar combination of factors may also be interacting in your community – so, what can you do to approach the future thoughtfully?   

Be a change agent in your community   

Once you’ve identified key areas your community needs to address, there’s plenty to do to help prepare residents for the future and groom the next generation of innovators.   

• 1. Inspire the workforce of the future: Develop initiatives that help build and nurture tech and other skills. The Texas Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) Center at the University of North Texas runs a home visitation program to increase school readiness and parental involvement. By bringing instruction to the home, HIPPY reaches more underserved parents and empowers them to be the primary educators of their preschool children.    

• 2. Form private and public partnerships: More and more of our devices will be equipped with digital sensing, computing and communication capabilities. Eighty-three percent of DFW residents believe connected devices will contribute to a significant improvement in quality of life five years from now. The innovative public-private Dallas Innovation Alliance has placed Dallas in the forefront of smart cities technology experimentation and received national attention for its leadership in promoting city-to-city collaboration.   

• 3. Engage creative communities: Promote efforts that support visionaries, artists, influencers, thought leaders and social entrepreneurs who can contribute to a region's economic health and drive overall well-being. For example in North Texas, the Veggie Van mobile farmer’s market is driven by a local farmer and improves access to healthy food. It’s a modifiable response to community needs that exemplifies a collaborative and creative spirit that improves quality of life.   

When you create opportunities for people to learn and connect, that’s where community innovation happens. Inspiring the next generation and tapping into their energy is a big part of preparing your communities for tomorrow.    

Investing in the future starts today. Get inspired by reading the IFTF-authored report commissioned by Capital One.  

How Downtown Dallas Will Transform into a Smart City: Dallas Morning News and Government Technology News

How Downtown Dallas Will Transform into a Smart City

Jennifer Sanders, executive director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance, is on a mission to outfit downtown Dallas with smart technology.

BY MELISSA REPKO, THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS / FEBRUARY 8, 2017

Jennifer Sanders is turning one of downtown Dallas' oldest areas, the West End, into one that's powered by smart technology, such as free public Wi-Fi, energy-efficient streetlights and sensors that measure air pollution and detect noise.

She's the executive director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance, a private-public partnership made up of the city of Dallas and more than two dozen large companies and local foundations. It's raised about $450,000 from those private partners, Sanders said.

Sanders previously worked with Dallas companies as a consultant for strategic communications and investor relations. She met Trey Bowles, the co-founder of the DIA, about six years ago at South by Southwest. She heard about his idea for the smart cities initiative and was intrigued by how technology and big data could boost safety and the quality of life in Dallas.

Jennifer Sanders recently bought a condo in the West End. She said she wants to get a better sense of what the neighborhood is like 24/7. Nathan Hunsinger/Staff Photographer

The first phase of the project will be unveiled in the West End in late February. It will include smart lighting, digital kiosks and environmental sensors that measure pollution and allergens. Sanders said the DIA will add other features later this year.

They may include an app that makes it easier to find a parking spot and vehicle charging stations and an irrigation system at a park that conserves water. Once they test the technology in the West End, Sanders would like to add similar technology to other parts of the city.

Sanders works in the West End and recently bought a condo there. She said she looks forward to getting a better feel for the area around the clock.

Her answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

What are your top priorities for Dallas?

We're looking at energy efficiency and public safety and citizenship engagement. Mayor [Mike] Rawlings said last year that ultimately if this initiative doesn't benefit citizens directly, the function and the value isn't there. How could we help to facilitate better citizen experiences, whether it's a visitor or a resident or employees who are downtown? How can we ease their experience and interaction with the city and how they experience the city?

What do you see as some of the major challenges downtown? Do you think there are smart cities features that could address them?

The single biggest change that's driving a lot of the shifting needs and citizen demands downtown is the rapidly increasing population. Ten years ago, or even five years ago, the number of residents just wasn't there. The growth is phenomenal, but it's driving different needs for downtown. We hear a lot about grocery stores and about safety and about quality-of-life issues that weren't prevalent because people weren't there to experience them.

Smart cities can address a number of those things in different ways. ... One of the things that we know is improved lighting alone can decrease crime by 10 to 15 percent. That's just by improving lighting. That's without any of the other bells and whistles. Kansas City has already seen those results in their pilot project.

As you've gotten to know the West End, what insights have you gained?

My office has never been downtown prior to here. The sheer number of people who are walking around every day was one of the biggest surprises to me. I actually called a former roommate of mine and said, 'We have a real downtown.' I'm seeing strollers. I'm seeing dogs being walked. I'm seeing families. I just love seeing the activity. I love the number of events that are happening.

Why is it important that Dallas becomes a smart city?

It's imperative for all cities. Dallas is increasing in density in the urban core, but it also has continued sprawl. When you think about the transit system, whether that's roads or mass transit, making those efficient and accessible is such a core need. Increasing density puts a strain on infrastructure, and the sprawl impacts transit and mobility. All cities are facing a lot of the same challenges. The faster we can find solutions, the more Dallas can lead. Being ahead of the curve has a lot of benefits from an economic development standpoint, a real estate standpoint and a talent attraction standpoint, among others.

With smart cities, I think about sensors and smart parking meters. Can you give a few examples of cities using used smart technology to solve complex urban issues?

Louisville, Ky., has one of the highest instances of childhood asthma of any city in the country. They undertook a pilot where 8,000 kids had their inhalers enabled with sensors, so anytime they used their sensor, it was geolocated.

They could see hot spots and where the asthma was worse. They were able to identify the reasoning for that because in some cases, it wasn't an obvious corollary. It wasn't that there was an industrial facility right next to it. They were better able to target remediation efforts.

What was interesting is because of those insights, the kids were able to change their behaviors. They changed the route they walked to school or they were able to find new ways to get where they were going, so they knew their asthma was not going to be exacerbated.

There's also a lot of talk about the first mile and last mile, which is basically how people get to the train station and get from the last public transit stop to their end destination. Particularly in underserved communities, that's a big issue. There are a lot of pilots going on around the country about how you address first mile and last mile, such as partnerships with ride sharing or bike share programs.

JENNIFER SANDERS

Age: 34 

Hometown: Grew up in the suburbs of  Washington, D.C., and Chicago; lives in the Lakewood neighborhood of Dallas but plans to move part time or full time to her new West End condo 

Education: Bachelor's degree in psychology at University of Virginia with a minor in economics 

Family: Married and has a rescue dog, Jasper

Earth Day Texas Event Aims to Expand ‘Smart Cities’ to ‘Smart States’: Dallas Innovates

Earth Day Texas Event Aims to Expand ‘Smart Cities’ to ‘Smart States’

The event will feature speakers in an effort to create a statewide strategy for incorporating technology into myriad objects that make Texas cities go.

BY DAVE MOORE • MAR 2, 2017

The “smart city” tag has become a status symbol of the 2010s, for places that announce their intentions to install sensors, to collect data, and to connect commonplace devices (from doorbells to light posts) to the internet. The purpose of all this is to improve the quality of life, using data and technology.

In the past 12 months, nearly a thousand newspaper articles have been dedicated to smart-city initiatives from Kansas City to Kuala Lumpur. The United States Conference of Mayors recently released results from a survey showing that nearly 800 smart city projects are either underway, or slated to be implemented through this year.

Yet experts say no grassroots efforts have occurred to scale the smart cities concept. Until now.

The Smart Texas Revolution at Earth Day Texas, set for April 20-21 at Fair Park, will feature speakers from cities across the Lone Star State — including Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio — and from across the country in an effort to create a statewide strategy for incorporating microchips and internet connectivity into myriad objects that make Texas cities go. (The Earth Day Texas event, to which the general public is invited, is scheduled for April 21-23.)

The closest thing to what Texas is attempting is happening in Illinois, where the state government is incorporating big data analytics, telemedicine, and secure, webcast judicial proceedings (called “TeleJustice”), and other initiatives into its operations. The idea is that the state’s adoption of smart city tech and methods will inspire Illinois cities to do the same.

“Having a group of cities coming together … that’s what’s unique,” said Michael Zeto, general manager and executive director of Dallas-based AT&T’s smart cities business unit. Zeto is on the advisory board helping guide the State of Illinois’ initiative. “The smart-state concept hasn’t been adopted yet in the U.S., but you’re starting to see that thought process more.”

Dallas Innovation Alliance Executive Director Jennifer Sanders said her organization conceived the smart state initiative to encourage cities to share best practices of deploying tech, and to leverage technical information and data-collection practices among communities to most effectively improve the quality of lives for people.

“The goal is to educate, enable, and activate cities of all sizes across Texas on how to structure and execute a smart cities plan,” Sanders said in a prepared statement.

Sanders added that public and private sector experts at the two-day meeting will discuss data security, and the best methods for integrating smart city technologies to improve public utilities such as water and energy, and public safety.

Key in the process will be engaging cities and individuals in the possibilities that smart-city technologies present, Sanders said. Along those lines, a public Smart Texas Revolution installation at Earth Day Texas will include a series of hubs that will demonstrate a “Day in the Life” of a smart city, from dawn to dusk.

At sunrise and as the day progresses, smart city tech can prevent traffic jams and car crashes, detect leaks in city water systems, monitor air pollution, and as day enters night, can help solve crimes, and detect and disperse unruly crowds.

Behind many of these innovations is the collection of data measures what’s important (vital signs of those receiving health care, moisture levels in soil, traffic counts on highways, particulate matter in the air, etc.), to improve how things are done.

Zeto said technological and collaborative breakthroughs will make expanding the reach of smart city tech more feasible.

One such collaboration that Zeto cited involves post-mounted high-efficiency lights, sensors and cameras that will be able to perform a variety of tasks, from gunshot detection, to monitoring air quality, to even identify open parking spots.

Zero said these light/sensor clusters — he referred to each node as an “Internet of Things platform”— could be deployed on a large scale to create a statewide smart grid, if cities engaged with utilities, regional metro planning authorities, and state officials to create a network.

(AT&T announced the launch of a similar technology, involving the cities of San Diego and Atlanta, on Feb. 27.)

Locally, AT&T is one of a group of companies helping to build a smart cities framework in Dallas’ Historic West End neighborhood. AT&T has named several spotlight universities and cities in the United States — including Dallas — for using node technology along those lines to improve transportation, lighting, internet access, and safety in several U.S. communities.

Zeto said the Texas Smart Revolution event at Fair Park is important because it will gather the state’s major population centers into a single place, where, among other topics, they can to discuss leveraging their buying power for smart city technology, and ways to generate the cash needed, through selling bonds, establishing public-private partnerships, and even state and vendor funding.

He added that support from local citizenry and involvement from state leaders will be crucial as well.

Speakers slated so far, for the Texas Smart Revolution event include:

• David Graham, COO, City of San Diego
• Bill Fulton, director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University
• Jad Daley, director, Climate Conservation Program, Trust for Public Land
• Amy Aussieker, executive director, Envision Charlotte and Envision America
• Richard Sear, partner and SVP – Visionary Innovation & Smart Cities, Frost & Sullivan
• Jose de la Cruz, chief innovation officer, City of San Antonio
• William Finch, chief information officer, City of Dallas
• Theresa O’Donnell, chief resiliency officer, City of Dallas
• Thomas Bamonte, program manager, Automated Vehicles, North Central Texas Council of Governments
• Gilbert Salazar, manager – streetlights, Oncor Electric Delivery
• Kathleen Baireuther, manager – mobility transformation, Rocky Mountain Institute
• Christof Spieler, board member, METRO; vice president and director of planning, Morris
• Bart Bohn, director of Water, IT & Wireless Portfolio, Austin Technology Incubator (ATI)
• Jay Boisseau, president and founder, Austin CityUP

Event organizers are inviting city representatives, information technology and data specialists, individuals from regional and state planning/infrastructure agencies, members of civic organizations, corporate representatives, and citizens interested in the smart cities movement.

To register, click here.

Smart Texas Revolution Event Will Focus on Building Smart Cities Across Texas

Smart Texas Revolution Event Will Focus on Building Smart Cities Across Texas

Two-Day Conference on April 20-21, 2017 is presented by the Dallas Innovation Alliance in Partnership with Earth Day Texas

DALLAS, TX, February 6, 2016 — Today, the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA), a 501c(3) Public-Private Partnership dedicated to the development and execution of a multi-phased smart city strategy for Dallas, announced Smart Texas Revolution at Earth Day Texas, a two-day conference, including a first-of-its-kind expo allowing attendees to experience “A Day in the Life” of a smart city. The conference program will be focused on education and collaboration, with the ultimate goal of creating an aligned statewide strategy for a Smart Texas.

The DIA works from the definition that a smart city is one that leverages social, technological and data initiatives to create sustainable economic growth, resource efficiency, and most importantly, improves the quality of life for citizens. The global smart city market is estimated to hit $1.4 trillion by 2020.

 The Smart Texas Revolution is being planned collaboratively with entities across Texas, drawing on expertise and best practices from cities across the country. The goal is educate, enable and activate cities of all sizes across Texas on how to structure and execute a smart cities plan. Topics will include how to build a strong foundation for smart city programs; discussions on key tactical areas including energy, water, data, cyber security, resiliency, public safety and sustainability; and how to successfully implement these programs. Speakers will hail from public, private and civic-centered leadership from cities across the country, including Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, San Diego and beyond.

 The Smart Texas Revolution expo, open to both conference attendees and the public, will include a new spin on the traditional conference expo with “A Day in the Life,” which will provide experiential ‘hubs’ showcasing what a typical day in the life in a smart city will feel like from morning until night, with a focus on the home, restaurant/retail, office, within city hall, and during your daily commute/streetside.

“Through discussions with cities across Texas, it was clear that a dedicated conference focused at the state level was a core need to advancing smart city strategies for cities large and small,” stated Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance. “The program is being designed with a focus on the topics that are top of mind in the current dialogue, and our goal is to create an event that brings value and comprehensive information to cities in a way that is accessible both geographically and from a cost perspective. Very few states are embarking on a state level strategy, and we believe Texas is well positioned to lead in this regard.”

 “Solutions for tomorrow’s environmental challenges require an incredible amount of innovation, and innovation isn’t possible without mutually beneficial partnerships,” commented Ryan Brown, President, Earth Day Texas. “We’re extremely excited to partner with the Dallas Innovation Alliance on Smart Texas Revolution.  This conference is the perfect opportunity to discuss and display how technology and innovation can drive economic growth while having a positive impact on the environment. By harnessing big data, citizens will play a greater role in shaping the infrastructure and services of their cities.  Texas can lead the way, but we need everyone at the table.  Come join the Smart Texas Revolution at Earth Day Texas 2017.”

The Details:

Smart Texas Revolution at Earth Day Texas

Date: April 20-21, 2017

Time: 8:00 am – 6:00 pm

Location: Fair Park in Dallas, Texas

Who Should Attend: City representatives across operations, information technology, data, sustainability and beyond; regional and state agencies focused on strategy, planning, mobility and infrastructure; civic organizations; academia and research entities; corporations; and citizens interested in the smart cities movement.

Registration: Details are available at: www.dallasinnovationalliance.com/smarttexasrev or http://www.smarttexasrevolution.eventbrite.com. Early bird registration is available until February 27, 2017.

Partnership and Sponsorship Information: Matt Myers, Matt@EarthDayTX.org

About the Dallas Innovation Alliance

The Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) is a public-private partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a smart cities plan for the City of Dallas, leveraging social and technological infrastructures to accelerate sustainable economic growth, resource efficiency, and importantly, improve quality of life for citizens. Its mission is to develop a scalable smart cities model for the City of Dallas that leverages the region’s distinctive strengths and leaves a legacy of innovation, sustainability and collaboration for future generations. DIA support is led by Foundational Partner AT&T, Pivotal Partner Cisco, Lead Partner Current, Powered by GE, Partners AECOM and Universal Mind, and Lead Community Partner United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Members of the Dallas Innovation Alliance include: City of Dallas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Visit Dallas, Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), Dallas Regional Chamber, Downtown Dallas Inc., The Real Estate Council (TREC), Texas Research Alliance, CIVIQ Streetscapes, Deloitte, Ericsson, IBM, Microsoft, Park Hub, Philips, Schneider Electric, Xerox, and World Wide Technology. For more information, please visit www.DallasInnovationAlliance.com. 

 About Earth Day Texas

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on environmental education and awareness, Earth Day Texas has created the world’s largest annual forum for sharing the latest initiatives, discoveries, research, innovations, policies and corporate practices that are reshaping the future. What started in 2011 as an outdoor event spanning five blocks of Flora Street in Dallas’ Arts District grew to occupy approximately one million square feet of indoor and outdoor event space in Dallas’ historic Fair Park. In 2016, Earth Day Texas hosted over 130,000 attendees, 700+ exhibitors and 250+ speakers, becoming the largest annual environmental exhibition and programming initiative in the world. Earth Day Texas presents attendees and participants with breakthrough solutions that will empower them to make a difference in their communities 365 days a year.

Media Contact

Jennifer Sanders, Dallas Innovation Alliance

Jennifer.Sanders@DallasInnovationAlliance.com, 214-865-6358

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Recap: Smart City World Congress, Barcelona: November 15-17, 2016

Dallas Idea We Should Steal: An Innovation Alliance - Philadelphia Citizen

CONNOR BARWIN'S CIVIC SEASON 2016

This week, the all-pro Eagle and citizen activist measures how our civic health stacks up against Dallas

BY CONNOR BARWIN

When I asked Professor Richardson Dilworth of Drexel’s Center for Public Policy to analyze the stats comparing the civic health of Dallas and Philly in this week’s chart below, he responded with a telling trivia question.

“Here’s a fun test,” he said. “Tell me what city this quote from Governing Magazine refers to: ‘For years,…[the city]…had been slumping, sunk in a morass of racial discord, skyrocketing crime, hard economic times and distracted public officials, amid an unbroken exodus of businesses and middle-class residents to the suburbs… Several members of the city council were under federal investigation.’”

The answer? “Shockingly enough,” Dilworth said, “this article is not about Philadelphia, but Dallas.”

Though there are many similarities between the two cities, the differences speak volumes. For example, our chart shows that Dallas had more high school graduates last year, but Dilworth says there may be a reason for that. “The higher percentage of recent high school graduates in Philadelphia may just be a reflection of the age profile of the two cities,” he says. “In 2010, 23 percent of Philadelphia was under 18, compared to 27 percent of Dallas. The education and poverty rates are roughly similar, too.”

As you can tell, Dallas and Philadelphia have roughly equal diversity rates, but Dilworth points out that there are differences beneath the surface. Dallas has a far greater Latino/Hispanic population, 42 percent of the population versus 12 percent in Philadelphia, according to the 2010 Census. And Dallas has a much higher proportion of the population that is foreign born than we do—24 percent to 12 percent. And 43 percent of Dallas residents speak a language other than English at home, compared to 22 percent in Philadelphia.

“Does all of this make Dallas actually more diverse than Philadelphia?” asks Dilworth. “I think it means that Dallas has more challenges in terms of public education—bilingualism is more expensive—and is more susceptible to Trump-style anti-immigrant backlash politics.”

Perhaps the most glaring difference in this week’s numbers concerns voter turnout in the last mayoral election. This may be due to the fact that popular incumbent Mayor Mike Rawlings cruised to reelection last year with 75 percent of the vote. But Dilworth says it likely goes deeper than that. “Michael Nutter had an easy reelection in 2011 when there was 20 percent turnout, much better than in Dallas last year,” he says. “The extra wrinkle in Dallas is that mayors there don’t actually have that much power. The real power in Dallas resides with the city manager. In that sense, Dallas is a classic Sunbelt weak mayor city, and Dallas voters seem to acknowledge this by mostly staying home for mayoral elections.”

Dallas Idea We Should Steal: An Innovation Alliance

In recent years, Philadelphia’s city government has been recognized for its innovations, especially when it comes to sustainability. Recently, the Kenney administration has launched an Internet of Things initiative, calling for ideas as to how the city can use technology to dramatically improve the way it operates, in everything from Internet connectivity to street lighting, crime prevention, meter reading, parking, and public safety.

While that’s a great thing, innovation shouldn’t just be driven by city government. In Dallas, numerous stakeholders have come together to form the Dallas Innovation Alliance, a nonprofit public-private partnership recognized by the White House for turning Dallas into a smart city. Corporations, private sector firms, nonprofits and government officials have all worked together to make Dallas a hotbed of innovation, tech development and economic growth strategies. In the West End, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, the Alliance has introduced free public Wi-Fi, streetlights that measure air pollution, a smart parking app, and solar-powered waste management with sensors that detect when trash cans need to be emptied.

But what the Dallas Innovation Alliance is doing isn’t as revolutionary as how they’re doing it—by involving so many different constituencies. In Dallas, the city is partnering with some two dozen companies and foundations. For Philadelphia, what might be most innovative about the Dallas Innovation Alliance is the simple idea of the business community and government working together.

“In Philadelphia, there’s a history of outsourcing leadership to local government,” says Professor Dilworth. “Public-private partnerships like in Dallas can offer us a way to get all key stakeholders to sit at the problem-solving table together.”

Next week we take on New York.

Connor Barwin is the Eagles defensive end and runs the Make The World Better foundation, which works to refurbish city parks.

How to create a smart city, a case study in Dallas: RCR Wireless

The benefits and processes of creating a smart city

Phillip Tracy, November 3, 2016

DALLAS–Jennifer Sanders, the executive director and co-founder of the Dallas Innovation Alliance, gave a talk titled Creating a smart city legacy: innovation, sustainability and collaboration for future generations, at this year’s TMForum Innovation InFocus. Sanders spoke about the possibilities of using IoT to build a smarter, safer city, detailing a number of use cases the Dallas Innovation Alliance is currently testing.

The Dallas region has had to evolve and innovate to keep up. It houses 19 Fortune 500 company headquarters, and has the ninth largest concentration of technology jobs in the U.S., with 360 people moving to the Dallas region every day. It is currently ranked the 19th smartest city globally.

Inside smart city development: How Dallas is transforming

According to the Dallas Innovation Alliance, a non-profit public-private partnership invested in Dallas’ evolution as a forward-thinking, ‘smart’ global city, a smart city is one where social and technological solutions facilitate sustainable economic growth, increase resource efficiency and improve the quality of life for its citizens.

Sanders says it is not a matter of whether the smart city will come into fruition, it is a matter of when, and a multi-phase approach needs to be taken to get there.

The Dallas Innovation Alliance is using the Central Business District (West-End Historical District) as a living lab pilot zone. That particular area of Dallas has seen a dip in revenue over the years, but presents an area of potential for the city.

According to Sanders, the five Es of smart city benefits include:

• Economic development
• Efficiency
• Education
• Equity
• Exposure

The Dallas Innovation Alliance is taking a cyclical approach to developing the metroplex into a smart city: Research>Iterate>Align>Design>Execute>Measure, and before beginning its project, the group spoke with members from other cities who were open and honest about their mistakes in attempting to develop for a smart city.

Smart city use cases

Asset mapping is one of the first pieces in getting started, so that areas can get to know the initiatives already in play that support smart cities.

“A lot of organizations didn’t know their initiatives counted toward the smart city,” Sanders said. “Some of those initiatives include Dallas OpenData, 100 Resilient cities, university partnerships, Smart services: 311 reporting app, big data initiative, etc.”Dallas had to make sure they were leveraging national networks like the Envision America, Metrolab Network, Smart Cities Council, as well as federal initiatives including the White House OSTP and other agency efforts.

What is Dallas doing?

Dallas is creating a Phase I living lab by incorporating five to seven projects in the downtown, West End area. These projects include smart lighting, waste management, digital citizen-centric kiosks, smart irrigation, smart parking and public Wi-Fi. They are testing KPIs around economic development, energy and water cost and usage, public safety, transportation and others.

The outcome of all of these initiatives is to provide a case study for the city to see what worked and what didn’t and determine what to built going forwrad. The project has been successful so far, with many new tech companies moving to West End, like Snapchat and Accenture.

More specific projects include:

• Intelligent LED Lighting: street lights in the living lab along market street will be converted to LED and will be on intelligent controls for remote adjustments and outage tracking.
• Sensors measuring environmental impacts, including air quality and crowd/noise detection.
• Waste management: solar powered waste management system increases capacity and productivity, sensors reduce CO2 and tells trucks when waste is high.
• Interactive digital kiosks allow for public Wi-Fi, energy services and wayfinding/transit options.
• Free Wi-Fi fiber/cellular LTE to provide coverage.
• Smart parking – There is access of parking downtown, but no one knows where to find it.
• Smart irrigation – demonstrate water and maintenance savings.
• End-to-end mobility solutions. Working with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the DIA is giving citizens a single-point solution, incorporating all modes of transit, including: mass transit, car, rideshare, bike sharing, walking and smart parking solutions.

NEW DALLAS INNOVATION ALLIANCE INITIATIVES HIGHLIGHTED BY WHITE HOUSE

NEW DALLAS INNOVATION ALLIANCE INITIATIVES HIGHLIGHTED BY WHITE HOUSE

-- Office of Science and Technology Policy provides updates on national smart city efforts--

--Global Smart Cities Conference “By Cities, For Cities” Hosted in Dallas in 2017, Charlotte in 2018--

--Dallas Innovation District to Encompass Civic, Corporate and Startup Innovation--

DALLAS, TX, September 26, 2016 — Today, the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA), a 501(c)(3) Public-Private Partnership dedicated to the development and execution of a multi-phased smart city strategy for Dallas, unveiled new initiatives through an announcement released by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) at Smart Cities Week in Washington DC. Dallas was honored to be included in three items highlighted, including a first of its kind event collaboration, the formal launch of the Dallas Innovation District, and participation as a founding partner of the City of New York’s national coalition of cities dedicated to ensuring the responsible and equitable deployment of smart city technologies.

“We are honored that for the second straight year, the White House has included Dallas’ initiatives amongst the amazing work being done by cities all across the country,” stated Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director of the Dallas Innovation Alliance. “It is through the support and commitment of our partners throughout the City of Dallas, leading civic organizations, corporations and citizens, that we can ensure the success of our mission to create a smart city and increased quality of life for our citizens. The future is bright, and we look forward to sharing that vision and experiences next year in Dallas alongside cities around the globe.” 

The Dallas Innovation Alliance and Envision Charlotte are announcing “By Cities, For Cities,” a new collaboration that will bring cities together from around the globe over the next two years to workshop steps to become smarter, more sustainable and efficient. Convening in Dallas, Texas in 2017 and Charlotte, North Carolina in 2018, the conferences will feature city officials sharing their perspective with peers about lessons learned regarding what works, what to avoid, how to get started, and how to define success. Dates will be announced this fall. Please visit www.bycitiesforcities.com for more information and updates.

Dallas will be launching the Dallas Innovation District in downtown Dallas' West End neighborhood, focused on bringing together civic, corporate, and startup innovation efforts through a single district-level testbed. This collaboration will bring together the Dallas Innovation Alliance's Smart Cities Living Lab, the Dallas Entrepreneur Center’s efforts to seed new startups, and new innovation initiatives from corporations in the technology, banking and healthcare sectors. Initial corporate innovation partners will be announced later this fall. Please visit www.DallasInnoDistrict.com for more details in the coming weeks.

The Dallas Innovation Alliance’s Living Lab continues to progress toward its launch before the end of 2016, and cannot wait to unveil the smart city experience for Dallasites. As one of AT&T’s first spotlight cities, the DIA benefits from the support of AT&T’s smart cities alliance and is grateful to work alongside AT&T at the forefront of smart cities innovation. The DIA will soon begin implementation of initial projects in the West End, focused on smart infrastructure, smart mobility and connected living. The West End living lab will help anchor the Dallas Innovation District, providing a critical mass of the resources, infrastructure and creative talent that accelerates entrepreneurship, economic development and research & development.

“As a smart cities leader, we’re using our IoT expertise, network investments, strong relationships with the developer community, as well as our strategic alliances with leading technology companies to develop and deploy transformative smart city solutions that will help improve the lives of citizens,” said Mike Zeto, General Manager and Executive Director, AT&T Smart Cities. “Dallas is one of the first cities that mobilized a strong public-private collaboration, and we remain committed to using our smart cities framework to help the Dallas Innovation Alliance deliver the smart city experience across the region.” 

The Dallas Innovation Alliance’s key partners have shown forward-thinking leadership and dedication to the mission of the DIA, led by Foundational Partner AT&T, Pivotal Partner Cisco, Lead Partner Current, Powered by GE, Partners AECOM and Universal Mind, and Lead Community Partner United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Through the support and collaboration of its members, the DIA is committed to advancing transformative change in the city of Dallas while increasing the domestic and global profile of the great innovators and ideas that reside in Dallas.

Dallas also announced its participation as a founding member in the City of New York’s creation of a national coalition of cities dedicated to ensuring the responsible and equitable deployment of smart city technologies. The alliance was forged with three primary goals: (1) provide a common framework to help governments develop and expand policies and procedures related to the Internet of Things; (2) ensure openness and transparency regarding the use of public space or assets for smart city solutions that; and (3) advance the public dialogue about how government, the private sector and academic partners can maximize the public benefit derived from these solutions. Towards these ends, the founding members, which include Austin, Boston, Cambridge, Dallas, Greenville, Kansas City, Louisville, New York, Pittsburgh and Seattle, have committed to a common set of guiding principles which emphasize privacy, security, sustainability, resilience, equity and efficiency.

About the Dallas Innovation Alliance

The Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) is a public-private partnership dedicated to the design and execution of a smart cities plan for the City of Dallas, leveraging social and technological infrastructure to accelerate sustainable economic growth, resource efficiency, and importantly, improve the quality of life for its citizens. DIA’s overarching goal is to elevate Dallas as a city that is not only prepared for, but a driving force in shaping, the future of cities, and providing opportunities for prosperity for its citizens. Its mission is to develop a scalable smart cities model for the City of Dallas that leverages the region’s distinctive strengths and leaves a legacy of innovation, sustainability and collaboration for future generations. In December 2015, Dallas was selected as one of 10 cities in the inaugural Envision America program, which was announced at the White House in September 2015.

DIA support is led by Foundational Partner AT&T, Pivotal Partner Cisco, Lead Partner Current, Powered by GE, Partners AECOM and Universal Mind, and Lead Community Partner United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Partners of the Dallas Innovation Alliance include: City of Dallas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), Dallas Regional Chamber, Dallas 2030 District, Downtown Dallas Inc., The Real Estate Council (TREC), Texas Research Alliance, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, CIVIQ Smartscapes, Deloitte, Ericsson, IBM, Itron, Microsoft, Schneider Electric, Xerox, and World Wide Technology. For more information, please visit www.DallasInnovationAlliance.com. 

Media Contact

Jennifer Sanders, Executive Director, Dallas Innovation Alliance

Jennifer.sanders@dallasinnovationalliance.com

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Appoints Trey Bowles to Advisory Council to Help Expand Entrepreneurship and Promote American Innovation

SEP. 19, 2016, WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced the appointment of Trey Bowles, CEO and Cofounder of the Dallas Entrepreneur Center and Cofounder of the Dallas Innovation Alliance and 29 private sector, nonprofit, and academic leaders to serve on the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE). Selected from a pool of more than 200 accomplished applicants, the council members will offer recommendations for policies and programs designed to make U.S. communities, businesses, and the workforce more globally competitive.

“The members of NACIE provide important counsel to the Department of Commerce on the types of federal policies that will support entrepreneurship, innovation, and job-driven workforce training, all of which are critical to American competitiveness,” said Secretary Pritzker. “As ‘America’s Innovation Agency,’ we value the expertise of our private sector partners and appreciate the opportunity to incorporate their views into our policymaking process.”

Established in 2010, NACIE operates as an independent entity managed through the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which is housed in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.

When asked about this official governmental appointment Bowles replied, “It is an exceptional honor to have been appointed to serve on NACIE. I am excited to join past and present NACIE members who have made such a strong commitment in diverse sectors, geographic locations, and areas of expertise to advocate for innovation and entrepreneurship in the US.  I look forward to speaking on behalf of early stage and startup entrepreneurs across the country to ensure they have the proper tools, resources and support to help them succeed.”

NACIE members, who will each serve a two-year term, have demonstrated expertise and experience in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and employer-driven talent development. In reviewing applications, the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship sought a diverse group of nationally recognized leaders representing different demographics, organization size, industry sector, and geographic regions to provide a balanced viewpoint on these issues. NACIE will convene four times each year, with its inaugural meeting scheduled for October 2016.

Now in its third membership cycle, NACIE members appointed today — in addition to Trey Bowles — are: 

·      Rebecca O. Bagley – Vice Chancellor Economic Partnerships at University of Pittsburgh

·      Esther M. Baldwin – Director of Innovation at Intel

·      Brian J. Bartholomeusz – Executive Director, TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy at Stanford University

·      Heather Boesch – Director of Business Operations at IDEO

·      Melissa L. Bradley (Co-chair) – Director, AU Center for Innovation in the Capital

·      Kathryn Finney – Founder and Managing Director at digitalundivided

·      Scott Frederick – Development Partner & Head of Federal at New Enterprise Associates

·      Kara Goldin – Founder & CEO at Hint Inc.

·      Julie K. Goonewardene* – Associate Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Strategic Investment, University of Texas System

·      Orin Herskowitz – Executive Director, Vice President of Intellectual Property and Tech Transfer at Columbia Technology Ventures, Columbia University

·      Richard A. Johnson – Associate Vice President at Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation

·      Joseph Kapp – Entrepreneur in Residence at Eastern WV Community & Technical College and CEO at Behavioral Business, LLC

·      David S. Kenney* – President & Executive Director at Oregon BEST

·      Pradeep K. Khosla – Chancellor at University of California, San Diego

·      Marie Trzupek Lynch* – CEO at Skills for Chicagoland’s Future

·      Mike Nemeth –Founder & CEO, S3 Planning

·      Andrew D. Reamer – Research Professor at George Washington University

·      Emily Reichert – CEO at Greentown Labs

·      Joseph L. Schocken – President at Broadmark Capital, LLC

·      Sue Griffith Smith – Vice President Technology and Applied Science at Ivy Tech Community College

·      Whitney S. Smith – Executive Director – Midwest, Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase

·      Tiffany M. Stevenson – Vice President, Talent Management & Development at Sephora USA, Inc.

·      Stephen S. Tang* (Co-chair) – President & CEO, University City Science Center

·      Eric J. Toone – Vice Provost & Director, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University

·      Howard A. Tullman – CEO at 1871 and General Managing Partner at Chicago High Tech Investment Partners, LLC

·      Maribel Perez Wadsworth – Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer at Gannett Company Inc.

·      Tiffany J. Wilson* – Executive Director at Global Center for Medical Innovation

·      Chad Womack – Director, STEM Initiatives at United Negro College Fund (UNCF)

·      Andrew Yang – Founder and CEO at Venture for America

To learn more about the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, visit www.eda.gov/oie/nacie/. 

About The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (The DEC)

The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (the DEC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which serves entrepreneurs providing a central location where they can receive training, education, mentorship, promotion and access to capital in order to encourage and equip the entrepreneurial community to start, build and grow their businesses. Facilitating a culture of entrepreneurship and ‘giving before you get’, the DEC connects new and old entrepreneurs with a vibrant, collaborative environment. For more information, please visit www.thedec.co. 

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