This week on Smart City, we explore the stubborn link between race and poverty in America. My guest, professor Pedro Noguera, has written a book about the cultural, societal and personal factors that cause young black and Hispanic males to run afoul of middle-class American norms. Professor Noguera joins us to discuss his book "he Trouble With Black Boys: And Other Reflections on Race, Equity, and the Future of Public Education ."

And we'll have a discussion with Thomas Sevcik about how much work it can take to change the way the world views a city. Thomas is the founder of the internationally acclaimed creative studio Arthesia and he'll tell us about the complicated issue of a city's identity and how to find what he calls "the city's drama."