Mark Wheeler, Philadelphia’s chief information officer, stands at 13th and Sansom streets, where sensors installed in a light (pictured below) count people and vehicles using the road.
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City initiative uses data and artificial intelligence to improve Philly’s infrastructure story by nic esposito • photography by chris baker evens
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oping to encourage the thoughtful development and deployment of new technologies across the city, the Kenney Administration formed the SmartCityPHL initiative within Philadelphia’s Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) in 2019. The SmartCityPHL steering committee formed that year as well, tasked with creating a roadmap for using technology to support the City’s economic, social and environmental goals. But three years in, how is our “smart city” doing on its quest to ensure sustainable and equitable development and maintenance of Philadelphia’s infrastructure, from roads 12 GR ID P H IL LY.CO M JU NE 2 0 22
and waterways, to buildings and utilities? Grid’s Nic Esposito sat down with the City’s chief information officer, Mark Wheeler, to find out. This interview has been edited for clarity, length and style. What is OIT’s vision for a smart Philadelphia? The long-term vision is that a smart city could be the organizing principle within city government. One that coordinates and integrates the objectives and the operations around workforce development, urban planning, resiliency and mobility in a way that creates a more economically sound, socially diverse and sustainable city.
A city that is a very satisfying place to live in for all of the residents. We want these programs to be locally sourced, or locally inspired, meaning that we’re solving problems that Philadelphians are having rather than adopting some kind of program that is focused only on the technology and not existing social or economic issues. We want to put people at the heart of the technology programs we’re working with. How does this vision influence or affect Philadelphia’s infrastructure development and maintenance? The smart city definition is that you’re using data that’s collected over a long period of time to help you make
