Rohit Gupta

Big Cities, Big Data: How "Smart Cities" Improve Lives & Save Money

Sean Arian, Lilian Coral, Stephen Engblom, Robert Garcia, Rohit Gupta, Steve Swartz

Hosted by Sean Arian at the LA Chamber of Commerce, the "Big Cities, Big Data" panel featured long-term strategies from Los Angeles, Long Beach, and private sector leaders to transform municipal operations through data-driven equity and efficiency. Speakers detailed how officials like Mayor Robert Garcia and former Chief Data Officer Lillian Corral restructured procurement, launched real-time transparency tools, and utilized philanthropy to bridge digital divides while shifting from asset acquisition to service models. The discussion concluded with a consensus on the urgent need to integrate governance across silos, adopt user-centric design, and establish living labs to foster sustainable civic innovation.