How can cities rise to meet big new challenges — and serve more and more people — with resources that are always stretched thin? By finding smart ways to use a resource that is always growing: Data. And more and more cities are doing exactly that.
In Louisville, Kentucky, city government has asked volunteers to attach GPS trackers to their asthma inhalers to see where they have the hardest time breathing. The city is now using that data to better target the sources of air pollution. San Francisco teamed up with Yelp to integrate health inspection data into Yelp’s online restaurant reviews, so people can easily see that information while deciding where to eat. New Orleans is using data from across agencies to keep better track of abandoned properties and address violations faster, which is making neighborhoods safer and bringing new investment to the city.
Technology has unleashed an explosion of new information for city halls to work with. The possibilities for how cities can use that data to improve lives — and improve the way services are provided to citizens — are limitless.
To help more cities embrace those possibilities, today Bloomberg Philanthropies is launching a new national program called What Works Cities. It is the most comprehensive effort yet to help city leaders use data and evidence in their decision-making to improve the lives of residents.