Published in: Data-Smart City Solutions Program, Bloomberg Center for Cities, at Harvard University This new framework proposes a method for cities to transform infrastructure monitoring into actionable public health strategy, prioritizing repairs where they're needed most while reducing health disparities. A growing number of cities are adopting sophisticated tools capable of detecting, classifying, and mapping infrastructure conditions at a scale and resolution that was pr

A new working paper from Khahlil Louisy examines whether AI-based urban infrastructure monitoring can address equity gaps in public health surveillance, using evidence from Boston’s 311 complaint system and AI-detected pavement data. The paper shows that complaint-based systems reflect socioeconomic patterns of civic participation, and argues that AI can complement but not replace participatory surveillance without rigorous validation and equity safeguards.