Cities Awarded for Data-Driven Projects

Results for America and Bloomberg Philanthropies recognized four U.S. cities for their use of data to improve city services and civic engagement. According to an article by Ysabelle Kempe in Smart Cities Dive, “The cities newly certified through the What Works Cities Certification program are Dallas; Boise, Idaho; Issaquah, Washington; and Sugar Land, Texas, along with five cities in Latin America.”

The certification acknowledges cities that have effectively put data tools to use to inform policy decisions. “For example, Issaquah used data to connect those experiencing homelessness with resources and shared data with local businesses to help reduce burglaries and theft. Boise used data at dozens of community meetings to engage residents in its decision to build a new water treatment facility.”

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI) is changing what data can do — and forcing cities to think about how to organize data and connect with residents. “Among the cities [Rochelle Haynes, managing director of What Works Cities Certification] works with, she sees the most excitement for AI around chatbots that can help residents connect with government services as well as to better understand traffic flow.”