Our beloved ex-CIO’s dive into a Black Mirror version of cities disrupted by augmented and virtual reality with urban technology strategist Greg Lindsay. Greg breaks down his report, "Augmented City: Seeing Through Disruption", offering tools like Threatcasting to help local governments spot threats early and respond effectively. From veiling storefronts with virtual billboards to the chilling idea of AI manipulating what we see and hear in public, this future isn’t far off—it’s a virtual Pokémon knocking at the door.

Augmented City report: https://urban.tech.cornell.edu/the-augmented-city/

Highlights:

• Can Cities Regulate AI-Driven AR/VR? Local governments already struggle to manage real-world challenges like zoning and signage. What happens when digital layers overlay the physical world, manipulating public spaces and creating legal gray zones?
• Dark Realities: From scams using AI-generated personas to augmented gentrification and virtual content wars, the risks feel straight out of dystopian fiction—but they’re very real.
• Threatcasting: A strategic foresight method Greg used to develop his Augmented City report, blending storytelling and analysis to predict future scenarios. It identifies warning signs (flags) and actionable steps (gates) for cities to manage risks and harness opportunities as AI-powered AR/VR reshapes public spaces.

Whether it’s city planners getting a handle on virtual positioning systems or harnessing AI AR/VR for impactful civic engagement, this episode is packed with insights into the promises—and perils—of augmented cities.

In the music segment, Mike, Mark, and Greg discuss the evolving role of algorithms in music discovery, the tension between passive and intentional listening, and the dominance of streaming platforms like Spotify in shaping what we hear. Greg shares his seasonal love for deep cuts from Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas, while Mike and Mark debate the merits of releasing unfinished tracks and the future potential of AI tools to revolutionize how we curate our music experiences.

🎧 Follow our hosts and guests:

Greg Lindsay: https://greglindsay.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-lindsay-8b16952/

Mike: @sarasti.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarasti/ @rakermusic.bsky.social

Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwheelerphl/ https://markaroo.medium.com

#AugmentedReality #UrbanPlanning #GovTech #localgovernment #government #cities #smartcities #zoning #futurist #AR

Thanks to Raker for our musical intro/outros: https://open.spotify.com/track/4JqywsINKEWZucDNYlnBBU?si=da45e2c66825465b

YouViewNew by WeBureaucrat is Mark’s latest faux advert.

In Episode #5, co-hosts Mike Sarasti and Mark Wheeler chat with civic innovation leader Eliza Erickson to explore how local governments can shape innovation ecosystems within and outside of city hall. From her unexpected leap into government work to managing a flagship portfolio in Philadelphia, Eliza spills the tea on what it takes to grow and shape innovation as a city service. Some highlights:

• People, Place, and Process: Eliza lays out her career-defining mantra and how this framework shaped Philadelphia's innovation efforts: the Innovation Academy, Innovation Fund, and Innovation Consulting (internal and external to government).
  
  
• Fix the Basics Before Innovating: Eliza explains, “We couldn’t fully dive into innovation until we knew IT systems were solid, people’s computers worked, and data was secure.” She highlights how foundational work builds the trust and stability necessary for innovation teams to thrive.
  
  
• Innovation as a City Service: Eliza and Mike discuss how local government is well-suited to deliver innovation consulting programs. A bold move taken years ago by the city of Philadelphia to “not stay in your lane, government.”
  
  
• Challenging the notion that proximity to executive power is essential for innovation success: There are benefits to being positioned outside the mayor’s office.

In a heartfelt close, Eliza calls for more people to embrace public sector work—your impact is immediate.

On the local music front—Mike and Mark recount their epic iiiPoints music festival experience; Soulwax, Disclosure, Toro y Moi, Sacred Souls, Justice, Bar Italia, and Parliament Funkadelic.

Follow Eliza (Pollack) Erickson at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizapollack/ elizaphl.bsky.social

Mike: @sarasti.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarasti/ @rakermusic.bsky.social

Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwheelerphl/ https://markaroo.medium.com

@#cities #publicsector #innovation #government #publicpolicy

Thanks to Earl Grant for his voice on the fake advert “Translator Gator” and Raker for our musical intro/outros. https://open.spotify.com/track/4JqywsINKEWZucDNYlnBBU?si=da45e2c66825465b

In this episode of No BS Bureaucracy, Mike Sarasti and Mark Wheeler join forces with public sector innovation guru Brian Elms, of Peak Academy and Change Agents, to explore how to make continuous process improvement part of the bureaucracy— revealing that to make local government services better, the best addition is a good subtraction. There are too many insights in this episode to list!

Don’t Quit When You're Ahead - Brian emphasizes that innovation in government is an evergreen program - there needs to be on-going training and investment in the work of process improvement. Apparently, innovation in government is like doing laundry; it's never really done!

Compound Interest - Not every innovation needs to be groundbreaking; often, small, continuous improvements can lead to significant cumulative effects.

The Art of Subtraction - In a system that loves to add—more programs, more process—Brian advocates for simplification and subtraction as the rule of thumb in process improvement.

Efficiency is a Trigger Word - If you’re looking to have zero impact, by all means focus on efficiency and streamlining as a strategy. No one knows what these terms mean or how to achieve them - without leadership, training, and direction.

Brian and Mike also introduce their new venture, RVRWRK (“river work”) https://rvrwrk.com/ aimed at supercharging problem discovery and process mapping for governments. RVRWRK combines Mike, Brian, and third co-founder Jose Otero’s decades of experience in local government process improvement with low code tech and AI agents. The aim is to drastically cut down the time spent on the discovery and validation of stages, allowing clients to quickly and confidently advance to the improvement work.

After an advertisement from 'We Bureaucrat' for Aromatherapy IoT, the crew enters the Stage Side part of the podcast and recount their latest live shows including Vampire Weekend, Steve Wilson Jr., Blondshell, and Amyl and the Sniffers. Mike and Mark plan for a Three Points Festival 2024 adventure in Miami.

Follow Brian Elms at: https://brianelms.com/ and https://changeagentstraining.com/

Follow RVRWRK at: https://rvrwrk.com/

Thanks to Earl Grant for his voice on the faux advert and Raker for our musical intro/outros. https://open.spotify.com/track/4JqywsINKEWZucDNYlnBBU?si=da45e2c66825465b

#localgovernment #publicsector #innovation #generativeAI #changeagents #rvrwrk