Published December 10 2015
Today, the City of Bellevue announced it was selected to participate in Bloomberg Philanthropies' "What Works Cities" -- one of the largest-ever philanthropic efforts to enhance the use of data and evidence in the public sector. Launched in April, the $42 million initiative is already providing support to city halls in eight cities and will admit up to 100 cities on a rolling basis through 2017.
"It's an honor to be chosen by Bloomberg Philanthropies to participate in the What Works Cities initiative and we're thrilled to partner with them on such an ambitious project," said Mayor Claudia Balducci. "By unleashing the power of data, we will build capacity in our operations, increase transparency and improve the way services are delivered to Bellevue residents."
What Works Cities collaborates with participating municipalities to review their current use of data and evidence, understand where they are utilizing best practices and identify areas for growth. Through its expert partners, What Works Cities will help Bellevue through customized approaches that will expand the use of data and evidence by creating and implementing an open data policy in addition to incorporating data into the city's daily operations and decision making processes. video
Bellevue joins 12 other new cities in publicly committing to enhance their use of data and evidence to improve services, inform local decision making and engage residents. Along with the mayors of Anchorage, Alaska; Cambridge, Mass.; Denton, Texas; Denver, Colo.; Independence, Mo.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Lexington, Ky.; Saint Paul, Minn.; San Jose, Calif.; San Francisco, Calif.; Tacoma, Wash. and Waco, Texas, Bellevue will receive support from world-class experts to improve local efforts on the Eastside.
"Bellevue has a growing reputation as a technology and innovation hub," said City Manager Brad Miyake. "What Works Cities will propel the City of Bellevue even further on that journey and our staff is very excited to actively participate in this initiative."
The consortium of leading organizations that has been assembled by Bloomberg Philanthropies to provide a program of support includes Results for America; the Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University; the Government Performance Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School; Sunlight Foundation; and The Behavioral Insights Team.
"Cities around the country are looking to use data more effectively, and the new What Works Cities range from Alaska to the East Coast. They understand that data is a tool that every city can use to improve public services, and our What Works Cities initiative will help them do just that," said Michael R. Bloomberg.
With the addition of the new cities to the program, What Works Cities is now working in 21 cities in 15 states. The selected What Works Cities represent more than 8 million Americans, with annual budgets exceeding a combined $31 billion. The cities' major industries vary from education, high-technology, oil refining, finance, manufacturing, health care and tourism.
Bloomberg Philanthropies named the first eight cities, one of them Seattle, in August. Since then, these cities have made substantial progress by passing open data policies, launching performance management programs and undertaking new efforts to evaluate programs and manage contracts more effectively.
To receive updates on the What Works Cities initiative, please visit www.whatworkscities.org.