Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg began a new program via Bloomberg Philanthropies to invest $45 million for shaking up city halls.
Recently, Bloomberg Philanthropies unveiled a three-year commitment to provide "eligible cities up to $1 million annually to support the creation of 'innovation delivery teams' that will use data-driven, results-oriented approaches to solve vexing urban problems."
Already more than 80 cities have been invited to participate. To apply for the grant, eligible cities need a populace of 100,000+, and mayors must have at least two more years in office. Similar to Bloomberg's approach on Wall Street, "the program emphasizes not only data-driven problem-solving and measurable results, but also turning to outside experts and peer cities for support."
The first round of cities included Atlanta, Chicago, Louisville, Memphis, and New Orleans, which quantitatively reported success in their programs, "including reducing retail vacancies in Memphis, reducing the number of annual emergency room visits in Louisville, cutting licensing time for new restaurants in Chicago, reducing homelessness in Atlanta, and reducing the murder rate in New Orleans."
FULL STORY: Bloomberg Offers $45 Million for "Innovation Delivery" in City Hall
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie