Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a big fan of data-driven government. So much so that he’s donating $42 million to help cities get better at it.
The “What Works Cities” initiative, announced April 20 by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is a program intended to help 100 mid-sized cities better use data and evidence. Cities “have access to more data than ever – and they are increasingly using it to improve people’s lives,” Bloomberg said in a released statement. “We’ll help them build on their progress, and help even more cities take steps to put data to work.”