With the annual New Cities Summit coming up in Dallas, Texas, June 17-19,  we're kicking off a new thought leadership blog series to explore the transformation of cities through the power of technologyandthe Internet of Everything (IoE). Theseries will feature posts with an in-depth look at the juncture of innovation in cities and how technology can help transform the citizen experience and drive economic growth and sustainability.

I'm thrilled to be able to kick off this series and am looking forward to following the conversations that ensue. Given my focus on local government, I am particularly passionate about the issues facing cities and local government leadership, and feel that technology can be a very formidable force when it comes to enabling positive change to enhance and improve our communities.

Cities around the world face an increasing array of challenges: traffic congestion, parking, safety and security, waste and water management, and access to education and healthcare. Mayors and city managers are looking to technology to solve these challenges, while also finding efficient ways to provide better services, enhance livability, reduce the municipality's carbon footprint, as well as expand the ability of its leadership to be more accessible to its constituents.

The Internet of Everything (IoE)is also a key component to innovation and enhancing the citizen experience by serving as a catalyst to change the technology landscape and to transform how agency leadership can leverage network-based solutions to achieve key imperatives. In short, IoE takes the Internet of Things (IoT) to the next level by combining people, process and technology with connected devices, sensors and other machines.

IoE can help create smart, more connected, more efficient government agencies andcities that deliver better, faster, real-time services; and with the increased pressures today's local governments are facing, this is more important than ever. A great example of a city out there right now embracing IoE through a Smart+Connected Communities framework isKansas City, Missouri.

In closing, the goal of this series is really to open a conversation about innovative ideas and ways to address urban sustainability and to create new possibilities for an improved citizen experience. We hope for this to be a meaningful discussion and invite you to help us enrich this series by sharing your thoughts and comments.

Be sure to check in for all our upcoming blogs as part of the#SmartConnectedCity series, which will be posted daily from now until after the conclusion of the New Cities Summit toward the end of June. Additionally, you canclick hereto register now and reserve your copy of the complete compilation of the series, as well as a variety of resources.

Throughout the series, you can also follow the hashtags#SmartConnectedCity and#NCS2014 and@CiscoGovt and @CiscoStateLocaland on Twitter for updates, and visit ourSmart+Connected Communities pageand ourGovernment pageon Cisco.com for more information and examples.