Data-Smart City Pod
Data-Smart City Pod
Data-Smart City Solutions
Supporting Childhood Opportunity Starts With Environmental Justice
17 minutes Posted Apr 8, 2026 at 11:00 am.
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Show notes
Lead pipes aren't just a water infrastructure problem—they're connected to poverty, violence, and lost opportunity. Milwaukee's mayor explains why removing them matters to public safety and economic mobility.
Host Stephen Goldsmith speaks with Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson about how his city is accelerating lead pipe removal, creating family-supporting jobs, and why environmental justice is central to breaking cycles of poverty and incarceration.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why lead exposure affects public safety, not just health
- How lead removal becomes an economic development opportunity for neighborhoods
- Why early interventions in kids' lives prevent long-term harm
- How Milwaukee prioritizes removal in the most under-resourced neighborhoods
- What federal funding will enable Milwaukee to remove 5,000 lead pipes in a single year