Dr. Jennifer Clark - Author, Uneven Innovation

Dr. Jennifer Clark is the Author of Uneven Innovation and a Professor at the Knowlton School of Architecture at The Ohio State University. As an expert in urban and regional economic development planning, she has taught at Cornell University and the Georgia Institute of Technology in addition to providing expert testimony before the US Congress and consulting on several committees for the Canadian, UK, and US governments.

Her latest book, Uneven Innovation, details how the changing relationship between technologies and cities contribute to existing inequalities present around us. The real challenge is not in the technology, but really in understanding the city, embracing its local uniqueness, and in representing the city’s residents appropriately.

In this conversation, we dive into…

• How the privatization of public services will lead to a weakened public sector and promote uneven development across the city
• How tech companies often expect the city to subsidize R&D and deployment costs and the questions it raises on data ownership
• How cities need to enhance their in-house capabilities to evaluate and diffuse new solutions and act as an independent entity in new developments
• Civic discourse and how the newer models of participatory planning should be built to be inclusive of all communities
• And as always, some comprehensive advice on how to learn more about and begin working in the smart city space

It’s rare to be able to read a great book and have the opportunity to speak with the author herself -  I hope you learn as much from this conversation as I did!

Dr. Clark can be reached at the following: LinkedIn, Twitter