NEW YORK — The Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a new certification program for municipal data-driven governance as part of its growing What Works Cities initiative on Tuesday.
“The certification will help cities know where to look for good practices,” former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a gathering in lower Manhattan that attracted more than 350 municipal leaders and practitioners from around the nation, who are some of the brightest minds in data analytics and performance.
The What Works Cities program, which was launched in April 2015 with a handful of mid-sized municipalities, has grown to now include 77 cities in 36 states that represent 25 million residents, including jurisdictions like Seattle, Lincoln, Nebraska; and Jackson, Mississippi. Ten new cities have been added to the WWC network including Augusta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Lewisville, Texas; and Washington, D.C. Eventually, 100 cities will be included in the network.