This Week On Smart City: The New Meaning Of Community

Say the word community and it still brings to mind thoughts of people with something in common who identify with each other as a group and usually as a neighborhood. But this week, the meaning of community is being stretched in exciting new directions.

Chris Kelly suggests that what we need to solve big problems are big communities - what he calls Megacommunities. They are working partnerships of business, government and nonprofits that are tackling issues in Harlem, East Biloxi, and worldwide. Chris is co-author of Megacommunities: How Leaders of Government, Business and Nonprofits Can Tackle Today's Global Challenges Together.

Eric Gordon is using a virtual community in Second Life to engage citizens in planning major projects in the real community of Boston. Eric is a researcher interested in the areas of new media and American urbanism. He is the co-founder of Hub2, an organization that employs virtual world technology to enhance the community engagement process around urban development.

Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta, president and CEO of CEOs for Cities, talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.

Smart City is broadcast at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sundays on WKNO-FM, but it is also webcast and podcast. For the webcast, times for the broadcast in other cities and to sign up for the podcast, visit our website.

Note: We've received numerous emails asking about the change in the broadcast time of Smart City in Memphis. We're extremely grateful to WKNO-FM for their instrumental role in making it possible to have this program in the first place and we will always remain so. In answer to emails, however, we did want to respond: If you would like the time moved to the later time that it previously had (as many of you have said), please contact the radio station program director.