At the helm in Providence, Rhode Island, after the city has seen 30 years of steady revitalization, Mayor Brett Smiley hopes to keep up the momentum while also addressing affordability and fiscal challenges. The latest municipal leader to be interviewed in the Mayor’s Desk series, he also talks bike lanes, nightlife, and the vagaries of community engagement.

Rob Walker, author of City Tech: 20 Apps, Ideas, and Innovators Changing the Urban Landscape, reflects on how artificial intelligence could change urban planning, along with other advances in technology that are poised to improve quality of life in cities.

John Emmeus Davis and Kristin King-Ries, authors of a recently released Lincoln Institute Policy Focus Report about municipal partnerships with community land trusts, join Anthony Flint for a discussion about the promise of this approach to preserving affordable homeownership.