Participants will be able to define smart cities and recognize the trends, benefits, and constraints leading to its increasing influence on our built and natural environments. They will also be able to relate to specific, real world smart city projects being implemented in Brownsville today.
Our buildings, transportation, and infrastructure are becoming more intelligent, and our citizens are completely reliant on tech as part of their daily lives. Our cities are also increasingly being impacted by large-scale disruptors from climate change and extreme weather events to pandemics to fiscal challenges stemming from changes in market patterns and consumer preferences. Many are turning to Smart City technology-related solutions to help solve these complex, interdisciplinary issues. At a minimum, smart city technology can be used to improve efficiency and reduce resource consumption. But “smart” design goes beyond just improving efficiency. As it relates to our urban places and spaces, it needs to set the foundation for a livable, sustainable future, one that focuses on how technology serves and improves both the natural and human environment. In this regard, it is also about “humanizing” these technologies to best serve the needs of the people that use them. This is where our planners can lead the way.
This session dives into the concept of Smart Cities, what it is and how it is changing our cities. It overviews current and historical trends and benefits, its applicability to planning, and how technology is influencing and changing our built and natural environments. It will use real world examples of Smart City innovation by the City of Brownsville—from deployment of 5G networks to middle mile fiber broadband connectivity to smart security surveillance—to help humanize the opportunities available for all cities in Texas.
Helen Ramirez
Invited Speaker
City Manager, City of Brownsville
"Helen Ramirez is the City Manager for the largest City in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) with over 186,000 residents. She is the first female City Manager in Brownsville's 170 year history, ranked the 18th largest city in the State of Texas.
Prior to being …
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City Manager, City of Brownsville
"Helen Ramirez is the City Manager for the largest City in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) with over 186,000 residents. She is the first female City Manager in Brownsville's 170 year history, ranked the 18th largest city in the State of Texas.
Prior to being named City Manager on January 9th, Helen was serving our community as the Interim City Manager. She did so for six months. She was initially hired by the City of Brownsville in March of 2019 to serve as Deputy City Manager and for a period, served as the Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC), Type A Economic Development Corporation. Prior to joining the city, Helen served communities in both Central Texas and Southern California.
Helen brings more than 20 years of experience in municipal government, urban planning, and economic development, including 10 years of experience working in the private sector.
In her service to the City of Brownsville, Helen has been instrumental in accelerating economic growth, downtown redevelopment, overhauling development codes, preparing the city’s first mobility transportation plan and strengthening the organizational culture of the municipality.
Helen earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in City & Regional Planning from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. She earned an American Institute of Certified Planners Certification and is working towards an Economic Development Finance Professional Certification.
She is a member of the Texas City Managers Association, is a member of the International City County Management Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners. She formerly served on the Technical Advisory Committee of The Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (RGVMPO) and CAMPO in Central Texas."
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Matt Bucchin
Invited Speaker
"Matt Bucchin, AICP, LEED Green Associate is currently a Deputy Practice Leader at Halff, out of their Austin office. He has over 27 years of public and private sector experience at the city, state, and special district levels of government. Over the last 12 years, Matt has worked as a …
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"Matt Bucchin, AICP, LEED Green Associate is currently a Deputy Practice Leader at Halff, out of their Austin office. He has over 27 years of public and private sector experience at the city, state, and special district levels of government. Over the last 12 years, Matt has worked as a planning consultant and project manager on comprehensive, park, environmental, corridor, active transportation and downtown master planning processes and zoning and land development code projects. He currently oversees all the planners at Halff and leads their Smart Cities initiative.
Beyond his primary job duties, he has also taken leadership roles for several American Planning Association (APA) initiatives including being the Past Chair for the APA’s Sustainable Communities Division, project manager for APA’s Smart Cities and Sustainability Initiative (2014-2018) and Interest Group (2020-present). Previously, Matt was the co-author of APA’s 2022 Climate Mitigation and Adaptation PAS Report (#601) and contributing author and editor for APA’s Climate Change Policy Guide (2020) and the Rebuilding America Green Infrastructure Sub-Task Force Report (2011). Matt currently leads the Environment and Healthy Communities subcommittee for APATX’s legislative and policy efforts and is part of USGBC’s LEED for Communities Technical Advisory subcommittee."
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