This week on Smart City, we're talking about the past, and the present. This month, Fast Company Magazine named Chicago it's u.s. city of the year and when they needed someone to capture the "Messy Vitality" of the city, they turned to Alex Kotlowitz. Alex is a journalist, and author of the book, Never a City So Real. We'll talk about what makes Chicago the U.S. City of the Year, and how the city's troubled past will affect it's future.

We'll also speak with Emily Wadhams. She's the Vice President of Public Policy for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington. She says that preserving and retrofitting historic buildings with new technology can be more environmentally friendly that building new buildings.