Special to The Times
Birmingham Mayor William A. Bell, Sr. this week announced that the city has been selected as one of 16 cities to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities initiative – one of the largest-ever philanthropic efforts to enhance the use of data and evidence in the public sector.
Birmingham will receive technical assistance from world-class experts to build capacity to address local issues. The city’s selection comes as the growing national movement, launched in April 2015, reaches a critical benchmark: 55 mid-sized U.S. cities are now working to better use data and evidence to improve services for residents, inform local decision-making and engage citizens.
All together, these 55 cities come from 33 states, represent 19 million residents and have annual budgets exceeding $63 billion. The initiative will partner with 100 cities on rolling basis through 2018.
“We have been actively utilizing best practices to help our city become more innovative and efficient. We have also sought to increase citizen engagement by making city services more user friendly,” Bell said.
“We are thrilled to welcome these new cities to the initiative, furthering our mission to help cities leverage data and evidence to improve their residents’ lives,” said Simone Brody, executive director of What Works Cities. “We’re proud to add the commitment of these 16 new and innovative cities to this national movement.”
With support from a consortium of partners, these cities are identifying more effective ways to evaluate programs and improve performance; use resources to serve their communities; and address a range of social challenges – from tackling poverty to increasing resident engagement. Another key benefit is joining What Works Cities’ growing national network of local leaders and global experts actively sharing best practices for outcomes-focused government.
Birmingham and the following cities have committed to use of data and evidence to improve services, inform local decision-making and engage residents Albuquerque, NM; Boulder, CO; Des Moines, IA; Fort Worth, TX; Hartford, CT; Knoxville, TN; Lincoln, NE; Madison, WI; Nashville, TN; Olathe, KS; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; South Bend, IN; Syracuse, NY; and Virginia Beach, VA.
In 18 months, What Works cities has stimulated the largest movement of cities and city leaders across the country sharing lessons and best practices to improve the effectiveness of government. The initiative has inspired 90 U.S. mayors to better use data and evidence to improve services and has engaged over 1,700 city employees on performance management, analytics and other leading practices. What Works Cities has produced 130 resources that cities around the world are using to improve their communities and drive better outcomes for residents.
To receive updates on the What Works Cities initiative, visit www.whatworkscities.org. For more information, contact What Works Cities, Kristin Taylor, (646) 854-5572, kristin@results4america.org
