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What Works Cities is a national initiative launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies in April 2015. This program aims at enhancing data usage and improving public services in 100 mid-sized American cities, while at the same time helps local decision-making and residents’ engagement.
A set of aspirations and activities are incorporated in the What Works Cities Standard, creating a strong structure regarding the effective use of data throughout city government. The four pillars of What Works Cities Standard include (1) commitment, (2) measurement, (3) taking stock, and (4) action. For a more detailed description see here.
Some of the main program criteria for city participation are:
- Commitment to use data and evidence to engage citizens, make government more effective, and improve results for citizens.
- City population between 100,000 and 1,000,000.
- A good cross-section of cities from all corners of the country.
- Public authorities focused on using data and evidence to make better decisions.
More information about this initiative can be found here.