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Niterói, Brazil

Data-Driven Investment Benefits Youth and the City of Niterói

Project Type:
Youth Development, Community Engagement

At a Glance

In 2013,  Niterói developed its first strategic plan, Niterói Que Queremos (The Niterói We Want), with online contributions from about 5,700 residents. The plan, with goals set until 2033, includes indicators that strengthen the city’s ability to monitor, evaluate, and improve public policies.

Niterói was among the first cities in Brazil to establish a Digital Government Strategy by decree in December 2022. Today, 100% of administrative processes are handled electronically.

Niterói is the first city in Brazil to conduct a large-scale municipal household sample survey. Beginning in 2025, the Niterói Que Somos (The Niterói We Are) survey will interview 15,000 households across all city regions and will be repeated every four years.

Niterói has won first place four times and received the highest score twice in Transparency Rankings from the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Office of the Comptroller General. The city’s Transparency Portal allows the public to track government spending and resource allocation.

Many things need to happen for a young person in a vulnerable situation to achieve the dream of attending college: years of study, support from family and teachers, and financial resources or scholarships. But for the youth of Niterói, data analysis is being used to implement public policies for social inclusion and shorten that path.

By analyzing information on public safety and education, the Niterói City Hall found that young people from more vulnerable neighborhoods needed more support to develop professional skills. Based on this data, the Niterói Jovem EcoSocial Program was developed to offer free professional training to young people aged 16 to 24 living in socially vulnerable areas. The program has a dual purpose: increasing youth employability and promoting the city’s environmental sustainability. The initiative is continuously monitored, closely tracking participants to assess its effectiveness and demonstrate the impact of education in reducing violence.

Image Courtesy of the City of Niterói.

Walking through the communities impacted by EcoSocial shows that we have planted ideas of preservation and sustainability in the minds and hearts of young people in our city. More than that, we have contributed to their education and professional development, and we hope they will share their knowledge and do good in their communities.

Octávio Ribeiro, Municipal Secretary of Social Participation

The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification is, above all, an incentive—something that drives us to organize, modernize, and continually improve our strategies using technology and data analysis. We have earned certifications, recognition, and awards that show we are on the right path, investing in innovative initiatives like the Niterói Jovem EcoSocial Program. This is a concrete example of how well-structured policies, supported by technology and evidence, can transform lives.

Mayor Rodrigo Neves

900 young people from vulnerable neighborhoods have participated in the Jovem EcoSocial Program since 2019. Another 600 are currently enrolled in the third phase, expected to graduate in the first half of 2026.

Participants choose from a variety of classes and engage in field activities that develop their skills and contribute to their communities, such as assisting in reforestation and establishing community gardens. Since 2019, more than 900 young people have graduated from the program.

Jhonata Barcelos was part of the first EcoSocial cohort and received a job offer related to the courses he took in the program upon graduating in 2021. “A person is not born a professional,” he said. “They develop professionally. Who I am in my career today is 50% thanks to what EcoSocial provided me and 50% my own effort.”

The City continues to follow EcoSocial participants even after they complete the program, using outcome data to improve future editions, such as expanding the neighborhoods served and diversifying the courses offered. A strong culture of monitoring within the municipal government allows city management to evaluate what is working, what needs adjustment, and the progress made toward Niterói’s 20-year plan to become the best city to live in Brazil.

In 2023, Barcelos was accepted into the State University of Rio de Janeiro. He credits the EcoSocial program with opening the first door that allowed him to fulfill his dream of attending college. Through its commitment to data analysis, Niterói is creating more pathways to long-term success for Barcelos and hundreds of other young people.

More than 45,000 families receive the Arariboia Social Currency, an electronic currency that not only provides government benefits but also supports local businesses and encourages employment and school attendance.

Image Courtesy of the City of Niterói.

In recent years, Niterói has made great strides in the strategic use of data for decision-making, policy formulation, and evaluation of public policies. Now, Niterói is innovating by launching Brazil’s first municipal household sample survey, Niterói que Somos. With it, we will have even greater capacity to improve our planning and develop more effective public policies based on detailed population data.

Isadora Modesto, Secretary of Planning
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Corrientes,
Argentina

A Digital Transformation in Corrientes Improves Resident Experiences and Services

Project Type:
High-Performing Government, Technology

At a Glance

The Citizen Service System allows residents to ask questions and register complaints and concerns online, by phone and in person. Expansions and improvements to the system have enabled the City to resolve complaints in an average of 7 days instead of 30.

Launched in 2022, Muni Bot assists residents using the Citizen Service System on WhatsApp and the city’s website. In 2024, it had 60,000 new users and sent 1.4 million messages, a 2,000% increase from the previous year.

The Open Data Portal gives the public access to 70 datasets, encouraging a more informed community and holding the government accountable.

Digital inclusion programs, such as free public Wifi and training for government employees and the public, help bridge the digital divide. Public WiFi is available at 57 locations with around 450 daily users.

Electronic signatures for City paperwork enhance security and efficiency, reduce the time and cost of traveling to City Hall, and support paperless processes, aligning with the City’s goals of modernization, improved services and environmental stewardship.

In Corrientes, Argentina, the government has undertaken a profound digital transformation of its services, making life easier and government interactions smoother for residents. For instance, renewing a driver’s license–once a task that could mean hours spent in a waiting room–is now streamlined through a digital platform that allows residents to complete paperwork and book appointments online, reducing the in-person process to under 30 minutes.

We are focused on the fact that we are an organization that is there to provide services, to guide and order the functioning of the city and to serve and provide services; it is not a political slogan.

Mayor Eduardo Tassano

This improvement is part of Corrientes’ broader push to digitize city services, modernizing everything from document access to resident engagement.

The Muni Bot virtual assistant, launched in October 2022, embodies this shift towards efficiency. Accessible on WhatsApp and the city’s website, Muni Bot responds to questions around the clock, addressing about 80% of inquiries automatically and referring more complex issues to city staff. In 2024, Muni Bot added over 60,000 users, sent 1.4 million responses and helped residents settle over 4,000 fines, often needed for transactions like vehicle sales or license renewals. Digital upgrades, paired with the mapping of complaints, have improved resolution times from 30 days to seven.

Corrientes has also introduced digital tools like the Turnero Web, an online appointment management system which has cut wait times for services, such as appointments for licenses and health documents or scheduling transportation, to an average of seven minutes. As a result, the Subsecretariat of Transportation was able to serve more than 13,000 residents between 2022 and 2024. Meanwhile, the Open Data Portal offers over 70 datasets for public review, enhancing transparency and allowing residents to stay informed about city projects and policies. QR codes for online validation of official documents reduce fraud and improve access, while electronic signatures have sped up processes, cut costs and supported environmental sustainability.

Increased government efficiency is only a part of digital transformation: Corrientes is actively empowering residents to use wifi and digital tools.The City has boosted digital inclusion with 57 free public WiFi locations and training programs, like coding workshops for youth and the Munijoven IT Academy. The digital shift has also empowered residents to participate more actively in the community’s development. For example, 16 institutions helped craft an environmental action plan for the city and over 1,000 residents voted online for their priorities, including planting more trees and improving recycling. With these advancements, Corrientes is realizing the potential of digital governance to bridge the gap between the government and the people it serves.

Digitizing business applications reduced the processing time from 3 months to 24 hours

Mayor Eduardo Tassano meets with the What Works Cities team. Photo Courtesy of the Municipality of Corrientes.

“We have closed the distance between the resident and the municipality. Residents have become empowered and demand more from the municipality. What they see that works in one area they demand it from another.”

Maria Cruz Silvero, Director General for Government Coordination

Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Belo Horizonte Reduces the Digital Divide and Creates Opportunities for Residents

Project Type:
Technology, High-Performing Government

At a Glance

Belo Horizonte uses demographic data to offer free Wi-Fi points in all Villages and Favelas, territories with high social vulnerability and low income, and train more than 17,000 residents through free technology and digital entrepreneurship courses.

The Open Data Portal makes more than 500 datasets available, encouraging transparency and public innovation.

Belo Horizonte Operations Center (COP-BH) brings together 20 institutions to share data used in managers’ daily decision-making, in major events, catastrophes and crises.

As of February 2025, citizens can interact remotely with Belo Horizonte City Hall by requesting 1,435 services on the BH Digital platform, including 128 quick request services via PBH APP.

The Belo Horizonte City Hall Data Lake brings together 10 databases from Resource Planning, Urban Mobility, Taxes and Citizen Service.

Belo Horizonte’s strategic planning is 100% aligned with Sustainable Development indicators.

Millions of people in Brazil, especially in low-income communities known as favelas, do not have access to the internet and computers, which is a barrier to education, professional opportunities and essential services. Belo Horizonte, however, is changing this reality.  Digital inclusion is essential for universal access to digital public services. Inspired by the motto “Don’t leave anyone offline”, the Digital Inclusion Program, led by the City’s digital infrastructure and IT company, PRODABEL, is bridging the digital divide and transforming lives. The initiative is based on three pillars: connectivity, equipment and training.

Belo Horizonte uses demographic and geographic data as a tool to reduce social inequality and the lack of access to quality internet. In 2023, the City reached an important milestone by providing more than 2,100 free Wi-Fi points in Belo Horizonte’s 220 vilas and favelas. Across the capital, more than 4,800 access points now offer free internet, with a simplified login system available in Portuguese, Spanish and English, already used by more than 3 million people. For residents without their own technology, more than 130 telecenters — located in libraries, cultural centers and other public spaces — offer free access to computers and online services. Moreover, a mobile digital inclusion unit expands this effort, bringing technology and training directly to the most vulnerable communities, enabling access to recently digitized municipal services and educational programs.

17,000 certifications awarded to residents for completing free technology courses, in person and online, including a significant participation of women, young people and the elderly.

Image Courtesy of the City of Belo Horizonte

“I am grateful for the learning opportunities that the basic IT course provided me. In my 39 years of life, this was the first time I had contact with a computer. When I arrived to take the course, I didn’t even know how to turn it on, and I had this wonderful opportunity to acquire knowledge that will open many doors for me.”

Adriana Lima, Belo Horizonte resident and graduate of a training course offered by the Municipal IT and Information Company (quote provided by the City)

100% of the city’s 220 villages, favelas and housing complexes have free Wi-Fi points.

“We work to improve people’s quality of life. That’s the most important thing.”

Mayor Fuad Noman

More than 4,800 free internet access points spread across the city.

The program also increases digital inclusion by renovating and donating equipment — more than 50,000 to students and 1,300 to low-income families and telecenters in non-governmental institutions as of December 2024. Free technology courses, covering everything from computer basics to programming, robotics and digital entrepreneurship, enable residents to prosper in the digital economy. Available to anyone over the age of 16, these courses have already issued more than 17,000 certificates, with a focus on involving women, young people and the elderly.

Belo Horizonte is also a model in digital governance. City Hall trains employees in the use of technology to increase efficiency and improve decision-making. Through a pioneering Data Intelligence Policy, the City ensures that data is collected, stored and shared with security and transparency, in addition to prioritizing the responsible use of artificial intelligence. The Belo Horizonte Operations Center (COP-BH) puts this policy into practice, integrating data from more than 20 institutions to improve public services, coordinate major events and respond preventively to crisis situations.

The City is not only filling the technology gap, but also building a future in which every resident can thrive in a rapidly changing world.

In Belo Horizonte, we are committed to institutionalizing digital transformation, structuring processes and providing tools for decision-making. Furthermore, we understand the importance of everyone involved having digital literacy to take ownership of the digitalization of services.

Jean Mattos, president of Prodabel
Image Courtesy of the City of Belo Horizonte
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Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Smart Water Conservation, Big Savings

Project Type:
Infrastructure & Utilities, Technology, High-Performing Government

At a Glance

Enhanced water infrastructure to provide real-time data for better resource management, leading to a 90% reduction in field investigations and more than $1 million in cost savings.

Installed 290,000 new smart water meters between 2019 and 2022.

Used data to ensure that the federal financial assistance available during the pandemic was reaching customers who had the most need.

23 systems sending data into Fort Worth Water’s central database, detailing work orders, customer usage and payments, water main breaks and more.

When water pipes leak, the City of Fort Worth loses money. Without its own aquifer or reservoirs, the City buys its entire supply—82 billion gallons in 2023—from Tarrant Regional Water District for over 1.4 million customers in Fort Worth and 33 surrounding communities. When water is conserved, the financial benefits are tangible: Less water needs to be  purchased (and treated), reducing operating costs.

This was a major impetus behind MyH20, a program launched in  2016 to both establish a more data-driven approach to water infrastructure management and maintenance and enable customers to better manage their water use.

The first step was installing nearly 300,000 new advanced water meters across Fort Worth Water’s service area. With near real-time data wirelessly transmitted to the utility, customers who register in the online portal are now alerted when possible leaks (i.e., continuous water flow) are detected on their property. Plus they can track usage and pay bills via the online portal. Meter and billing information now flows into a central data management platform, allowing Fort Worth Water to more easily identify who is behind on bills.

When federal water bill assistance was available during the Covid-19 pandemic, the utility was able to use the data to determine if those in danger of service termination for non-payment were the ones receiving assistance through the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP), which was managed by third-party entities. (The LIHWAP program is no longer in place.)

Also, MyH20 has dramatically improved Fort Worth Water’s ability to understand the cost of water main leaks and prioritize pipe replacement projects. The utility is now able to systematically track and analyze not only the location of leaks but also the age and type of pipe leaking. Of course, officials knew that older pipes were more likely to have problems. But the ability, for example, to show that cast iron pipes accounted for 92% of water main breaks in 2023—and then detail the exact cost of those breaks—helps build the case for infrastructure improvements. This year, City Council doubled funding for the utility’s pipeline rehabilitation program, allowing it to replace 20 miles of cast iron pipes per year, rather than only 10. The most at-risk pipes are being replaced first.

These upgrades do more than ensure more reliable water service across the city. Strategically upgrading infrastructure—along with helping residents manage their water use—means the entire system loses less water and keeps costs down. Long-term it means less service disruptions to customers. That’s good for the planet, the City and paying customers.

“Because we can use data from multiple systems to see what is happening, we are able to refine our models and improve the water loss estimates for each leak and main break.”

Shane Zondor, Assistant Director of Management Services, Water Department

“We’re building a culture where you have to have data to make decisions, to make recommendations to City Council on policy initiatives. Momentum is building: When people see that data is the key to the treasure, to resource allocation, then they start using data and tracking outcomes.”

David Cooke, City Manager
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Porto Alegre, Brazil

Going Digital to Improve City Services

 

Project Type:
High-Performing Government, Technology

At a Glance

Digitalized city services, resulting in a 42% reduction in paper consumption by City government. 

Reduced the average time it takes to register a business from six days to seven hours.

Expanded digital resident service channels, via the Customer Service Center, which resulted in an 82% increase in interactions with residents between 2020 and 2023. 

Between 2022 and 2023, there was a 46% increase in residents using City Hall’s digital application to request services.

In 2023, the Innovative Territories Project promoted the digital inclusion of underserved communities, including the installation of 45 new internet access points, with 13,000 uses per month.

A Sunday morning in Porto Alegre’s Germânia Park. Photo: Alex Rocha/PMPA

When it comes to municipal services, digitalization is a win-win situation for residents and the government. It simplifies workflows, reduces costs and allows cities to better use their data. But what matters most is how digitalization can improve the lives of residents. The digital transformation of Porto Alegre City Hall shows how technological updates can make City Hall more accessible and responsive to the 1.3 million people it serves.

For example, the City drastically reduced the time it took to register a business — from six days to seven hours after the process was digitized, allowing operations to begin sooner and supporting economic development. And more efficient operations enabled by digital systems have helped reduce backlog in the city’s 156 system, through which residents receive non-emergency information and support services, in 79% since 2020.

The movement to digitize and connect public services is a decisive step toward a more innovative, efficient and transparent government that responds to the needs of its residents. In Porto Alegre, I believe we are establishing a model for cities throughout Brazil and Latin America.

Cezar Schirmer, Head of the Secretariat of Planning and Strategic Affairs, City of Porto Alegre

More broadly, Porto Alegre’s digital transformation — which has accelerated since early 2023, in part due to support from the Inter-American Development Bank — has helped the city’s decision-makers start with data.

When Sebastião Melo took office in 2021, his administration published a strategic plan aligned with electoral promises and public feedback. Prometa 2021-2024 included contributions from more than 1,800 employees through the “Vozes da Cidade” project.

Porto Alegre’s commitment to prioritizing data continues. Certification is an important milestone, but city leaders understand that their new data practices can help Porto Alegre become even more proactive and resilient. The City is working to eliminate silos in its own systems, aiming to turn technology upgrades into more improvements for residents. It’s working to connect healthcare, education, financial and other databases so it can provide crucial services more proactively. For example, its “Digital Citizen” initiative provides each resident with a personalized profile reflecting their interests, information and needs. The connected and interoperable database covers several different agencies/secretariats, so the City can communicate with citizens more effectively, for example, suggesting a vaccine directly to an unvaccinated child or offering places in daycare centers and municipal schools digitally, as well as signaling if a homeowner hasn’t paid property taxes — and then encourage residents to take action through a mobile app.

Porto Alegre’s story highlights how digital transformation and data-driven decision-making combine to lay the foundation for better municipal government.

“Data is essential for making better decisions and improving residents’ lives. And it helps invest resources more efficiently, as well as allowing the government to be more transparent.”

Mayor Sebastião Melo
Photo Courtesy of the City of Porto Alegre.

Porto Alegre has dedicated itself to transforming the innovation environment and stimulating entrepreneurship. We have been working to build a consolidated ecosystem that aligns the benefits of technology with the needs of the population. Innovation needs to translate into more efficient services, improving the city and the lives of people.

Mayor Sebastião Melo
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Dallas, Texas, USA

An All-In Approach to More Inclusive Budget Decisions

Project Type:
Community Engagement, Environment, Health and Wellbeing, Transportation

At a Glance

Used disaggregated data to drive budget decisions that address inequities based on race and/or income. All 42 city departments contributed to the establishment of over 220 metrics that are tracked publicly through the Racial Equity Plan, of which $40 million was allocated towards equity investments.

Launched the first Spanish-language 311 mobile app of any big city in Texas.

Reduced the number of steps in the procurement process from 82 to 23, speeding up the time it takes the city to purchase goods and services.

City leaders in Dallas know that if you want to get something done in local government, the budget is a good place to start. So when they took on the goal of creating a more equitable city, that’s exactly what they did.

The result is a process Dallas calls Budgeting for Equity. Rooted in sophisticated data practices, it’s one of the most robust City Hall systems in place anywhere for identifying and addressing disparities.

The effort began in 2019, with publication of the Dallas Equity Indicators report. The report measured equity across 60 social and economic indicators, from business ownership to home loan denials to kindergarten readiness. It also provided baseline data for local leaders to track citywide equity changes over time.

Next, eight departments used the equity indicators to identify disparities and change budgets to address them. For example, the 311 customer service center noticed that wait times were longer for Spanish-speaking residents. In response, the department hired bilingual staff and recently became the first big city in Texas to launch a Spanish-language 311 mobile app.

Budgeting for Equity has since expanded across all of city government. It’s led by the Office of Equity & Inclusion –in collaboration with the Office of Budget Management Services which guides the City’s 42 departments as they use a tool the Office created to help them prioritize equity in their budgets. Departments are required to use disaggregated data so they can spot disparities within the services they provide by race, ethnicity, age and other factors. They also must consider how their budgets may produce both positive and negative impacts in communities of color and lower-income neighborhoods.

“It’s easy to talk about the ways we’re helping people,” says Dr. Lindsey Wilson, Dallas’ Director of Equity & Inclusion. “But how are we also burdening communities? We need to not only talk about the good things but also the not-so-good things that data is telling us.”

What makes Dallas’ efforts stand out from what other cities are doing is its thoroughness. Budgeting for Equity is not an occasional activity for a handful of departments at a time — in Dallas, every department does it every year. The process is aligned with a comprehensive Racial Equity Plan the City Council adopted in 2022, which includes a set of “Big Audacious Goals” meant to guide implementation of that plan; progress is continually tracked in a public dashboard. Individual departments in charge of libraries, arts and culture, planning, and water, have earned recognition from their own industry organizations. 

“Each year we hear from departments about adjustments we need to make,” Dr. Wilson says, noting that the number of questions departments are asked to answer through Budgeting for Equity has been reduced from ten to five to reduce burdens on them. “The one thing that never changed was the use of data to drive the outcomes.”

60 citywide measures included in Dallas’ Equity Indicators Report

3,203 individuals and 284 organizations were directly engaged in creation of the Racial Equity Plan.

5 “Big Audacious Goals” in the Racial Equity Plan

“If we continue to strengthen and hold ourselves accountable for this work, we should see disparities decrease and begin to see transformative change.”

Dr. Lindsey Wilson, Director Dallas Office of Equity & Inclusio
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San Pedro Garza García, Mexico

Data Makes A Resident Service Platform Go From Good to Great

Project Type:
Health and Wellbeing, High-Performing Government, Youth Development

At a Glance

Evaluated the City’s resident services chatbot, found room for improvement and made changes that reduced response times by 50% and saved $8.5 million MXN. 

Visited 9,000 homes in 18 priority neighborhoods to interview caregivers about what services they needed. Services included transportation, grocery assistance and weekly breaks from caregiving. On average, caregivers in the resulting program reported a 30-point improvement in well-being after five weeks.

In response to feedback from caregivers, the City created—and then expanded—a mini public transportation route with 14 stops.

Reduced park maintenance costs by centralizing park management with a public-private partnership.

In February 2020, San Pedro Garza García launched a WhatsApp-based, resident service chatbot called Sam Petrino, or “Sam” for short. Previously the City received service requests – about potholes, broken street lights, overflowing garbage bins and more – by phone, through its website or in person at City Hall. But the Office of Innovation and Citizen Participation believed more residents would engage if they could use WhatsApp, the most common communication platform in Mexico.

They were right. Within two weeks of its launch, Sam was receiving more reports than any of the other reporting methods. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Sam’s purpose evolved. The City expanded Sam to include options for requesting food assistance or other support, reporting domestic violence, making donations or volunteering, and, eventually, registering for vaccines. By the end of 2020, Sam was averaging over 1,000 reports each month and gaining international acclaim, including receiving the National Institute of Transparency’s Innovation Award.

The City could have called Sam a success and shifted into autodrive. But, in 2021, data showed that Sam was not working as well as it could. The flood of new reports was creating internal problems, response times were slow, resident satisfaction was dropping, and the data being gathered through the chatbot was stuck in silos. The City interviewed staff, reviewed processes and made changes.

The entire government is, so to speak, connected to the bot.

Mayor Miguel Treviño de Hoyos

The City made 15 improvements to the Sam Petrino chatbot.

The City re-engineered Sam, making more than 15 improvements. Now, Sam is fully automated and digitized, internal reporting operations have been streamlined, and the public has clear accountability channels. Data from Sam is reliably gathered, shared across departments and publicly, and used in decision making.

The result: Despite 110% more citizen service reports submitted in 2023 than in 2019, the City responded 8.6 times faster – sometimes within hours – with the same amount of staff and the same amount of funding. Citizen satisfaction with Sam and the City’s response to service requests has increased from 67% before the changes to 84% after the changes were implemented. The majority of City staff also approve of the new internal processes behind Sam, which have helped foster accountability and recognition for those responding to the reports.

The City’s willingness to listen to the data, its residents and staff allowed it to see that even award-winning innovations can be improved. It’s a successful approach San Pedro Garza García is now broadly applying to better serve its residents.

What I would tell all other mayors is, ‘If your resources are scarce – which they are – you have to understand what you are achieving with these resources. And the only way to do that is to measure what you are doing.’

Mayor Miguel Treviño de Hoyos

Rionegro, Colombia

Leveraging Data for Fiscal Sustainability

Project Type:
Community Engagement, Infrastructure, Public Safety, Transportation

At a Glance

Has one of the lowest unemployment rates for mid-sized cities in Colombia at 7.5% in 2023, compared to the national unemployment rate of 9.3% in 2023.

Created the Tax Intelligence Center (CIF), through which the City developed its internal data management capacity and increased tax revenue by USD $14,000 in 2022.

In 2021, improved public safety by increasing the number of cameras throughout the City from 65 to 337, which has corresponded to reductions in theft, sexual and domestic violence, and extortion.

Implemented a data-driven triage system for hospital emergency rooms, saving the city $377,500 USD in operating costs (a 91% decrease according to the Secretary of Family, Health, and Social Inclusion).

In recent decades, Rionegro, Colombia, has invested heavily in sectors to improve quality of life for residents, such as housing, sanitation and public spaces. However, this investment has come at a cost, and since 2017, the Rionegro government has operated with a budget deficit. At the same time, the population of Rionegro has grown and its economy has diversified. At the same time, Rionegro’s population has grown and its economy has diversified, and while these developments open opportunities for Rionegro, they also come with challenges.

 

In response, Rionegro created the Fiscal Intelligence Center (CIF). CIF is a comprehensive citywide initiative to use analytics and business intelligence to monitor, manage, evaluate and optimize Rionegro’s financial decisions, notably regarding taxes. Through this data-driven approach, the City is better able to combat tax evasion by using data to choose who to audit. CIF’s work to revamp tax collection is about more than making sure residents contribute their fair share—it aims to transform the culture through taxpayer outreach so that residents see themselves in Rionegro’s development and build trust in city government.

 

What are CIF’s results?

 

Rionegro’s industry and commerce revenues increased by 22% in 2022 and another 24% in 2023.

 

Residents and city staff alike understand that more revenue means more opportunities for the government to address issues that matter, such as employment, security, community projects and health care.

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For instance, Rionegro struggled with overcrowded emergency rooms as residents, especially those from rural communities, flocked to emergency rooms with non-emergency needs. In 2022, Rionegro found that 93% of patients were admitted to emergency rooms for non-emergency services.

 

With strong data practices and increased revenue, Rionegro launched the Te Acompaño platform in coordination with other health service institutions. Te Acompaño helps redirect patients who might not need emergency services from emergency rooms and educate them on how to best seek alternate forms of care. Within the first year, the platform reached 8,000 users, helped improve health care resource savings by 91%, and saved the city’s health care system USD $377,500 in operations costs. In a resident survey, 93% of Te Acompaño users said they were satisfied with the service.

 

CIF is not a behind-the-scenes government initiative, it’s a program that directly impacts residents. From health care to mobility to employment, Rionegro’s residents are seeing how increased digitization and efficiency allow the City to provide better services and build trust with residents.

“With the commitment, support and coordination between the municipal administration and all the actors in the network, it will be possible to improve access and opportunity to health services.”

Felipe Puerta, former Secretary of Family, Health and Social Integration

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Tres de Febrero, Argentina

Making Health Care the Starting Point of Community

Project Type:
Equity, Health & Wellness, High-Performing Government, Technology

At a Glance

15 minutes: The longest a resident in a target population needs to travel to reach a primary health center.

More than 50% of the local population is registered in the municipal public health system, with the proposed minimum goal being 35% (population with only public coverage).

Reduced emergency response time from an average of 60 minutes to 10 minutes, improving public safety and health outcomes.

There is a difference between having the right to health care and having access to health care.

In Argentina, health services are divided among levels of government, and while the country does have universal health care, many residents—especially vulnerable populations—lack access to critical health services. In the 24 municipalities that make up Greater Buenos Aires, 50% of people live in poverty and 54% do not have access to at least some public services.

Given this significant disparity in access, Tres de Febrero, a municipality of 350,000 in the Buenos Aires metro area, understood that it would take transformational change to solve its health care problem.

First, the City analyzed its community needs to identify a priority population of residents who lacked access to government-provided healthcare. The City embarked on an inside-out transformation of its health system with three strategies:

1) Digitize

  • Tres de Febrero invested in key digital infrastructure across its health services. This allowed the City to provide more efficient, more accurate and more user-friendly services for residents when they made appointments, filled prescriptions, got blood work, and more. Crucially, the City also transitioned from paper patient records to digital medical profiles, which directly improves patient care by enabling greater data sharing between health providers and faster access to information for patients. Through coordinated enrollment plans with the electronic registry, Tres de Febrero was able to reach a 100% enrollment rate.

2) Decentralize

  • A core challenge that Tres de Febrero faced was the distribution of its health services and primary care centers (CAPS). Using geographical data about its target population, the City built two new CAPS in strategic locations so that no one in the target population had to travel more than 15 minutes for primary care. They also increased the number of CAPS that could provide specialized services such as dentistry, gynecology and mental health care. For instance, in 2021, only one CAPS had a lab that could do blood tests. By 2023, all 14 centers could.

3) Revitalize

  • Previously, CAPS centers did not exemplify healthy community spaces. They were dilapidated, with exposed electrical wire, flaking paint and visible mold. Being in the buildings did not make residents feel good. Thus, the City renovated more than 14 health care facilities to improve quality of care.
Image courtesy of the Municipality of Tres de Febrero.

“It is not possible for me to pay for a gym membership, but I have been here every day to exercise because there is space to do so.”

Resident speaking about renovated public exercise space

The numbers in Tres de Febrero speak for themselves. The transformation has touched every branch of the City’s health system: emergency response times have dropped by 82%, lab results come in three days, not two weeks, and more than 450 medical professionals have participated in the city’s continuing training program.

This sweeping and dramatic improvement in how Tres de Febrero serves its residents was made possible by data. Tres de Febrero has done more than build health centers: It has created equitable community spaces that build trust in government, deepen community bonds and make lives better.

“As a neighbor, I can see the impact of using data to improve the lives of residents and the community.”

Ailén Gómez, Líder de Seguimiento

“Certification is a valuable tool for mayors. Using data and evidence adds value to strategic planning and increases your chances of success. Using data is essential but it is not enough. You also need to have empathy and political leadership is how you change people’s lives.”

Diego Valenzuela, Mayor

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Port St. Lucie, Florida

Residents Tag Mobility as Priority. Port St. Lucie Uses Data to Deliver.

Project Type:
Community Engagement, Infrastructure, Public Safety, Transportation

At a Glance

In 2023, launched a newly formatted Port St. Lucie Stat program, moving from an annual review of operations to quarterly reviews. 

Collects resident input through an annual Citizen Summit and National Community SurveyTM.

In response to resident demand for better mobility options, the City  developed and found funding streams to support a Sidewalk Master Plan, Multimodal Plan and Mobility Plan.

Anticipating new jobs bringing over 9 million sq. ft. of new office, retail, research and industrial developments, the City created a jobs corridor with public art and green space requirements.

Port St. Lucie is one of the fastest growing cities in the country, adding more than 35,000 new residents in the past three years. This rapid growth comes with benefits and challenges. But, with the help of data and resident input, the Mayor, City Council and staff are successfully managing today’s growth and planning for the future. 

At the heart of their efforts is Port St. Lucie’s strategic plan. First developed in 2013, the plan is updated annually to reflect residents’ priorities as gathered at the #IAMPSL Citizen Summit and through a National Community Survey(NCS)TM. The City strives to make the Citizen Summit fun and easy for residents to attend – approximately 800 people came in 2023. The NCSTM takes a different approach for reaching residents. Run by the National Research Center at Polco, the survey is sent to a scientifically random sampling of households. 

For several years now, residents have made it clear – at both the Citizen Summit and through the NCSTM – that improving mobility around the city should be a priority. In 2023, only 4 in 10 residents said it was easy to walk around the city and even fewer thought it was easy to bike or use public transit. These findings are not necessarily surprising. Port St. Lucie was developed as a retirement community in the 1960s and included few sidewalks. But, in line with resident feedback, the City has made adding more sidewalks a key infrastructure priority in its strategic plan. 

In 2017, the City Council approved an enhanced  10-year Sidewalk Master Plan to add 35 miles of sidewalks, particularly on streets within a two-mile radius of schools, and to create a network of connected sidewalks. Progress on the plan has been helped by a resident-approved half-cent sales tax increase for infrastructure projects. As with its other strategic goals, the City tracks its performance on the Sidewalk Master Plan on a public dashboard. It also recently revamped its Port St. Lucie Stat program to meet quarterly and to align with best practices on strategic planning and establishing performance metrics. This allows the Public Works and Police Departments to better collaborate on mobility solutions in response to traffic data. The Police Department also has a Stat program in place as part of their data-informed approach.

In 2022, the City installed 4.9 miles of new sidewalks and repaved 49.94 miles of roads.

And the City has not stopped with the Sidewalk Master Plan. In 2021, it began exploring multimodal planning as a way to increase sidewalk connectivity, expand transit coverage, reduce congestion, and accelerate street repairs and improvements. State legislation allows local governments with multimodal plans to collect flexible mobility fees on new developments instead of road-specific impact fees. The City adopted both a Multimodal Plan and a Mobility Plan in order to access this flexible funding. As of September 2023, the City had collected $22 million in mobility fees to invest in projects that will have the biggest impact for current and future residents. 

“The City of Port St. Lucie has a strategic plan to bring the City towards an even better future. Each year, our nationally award-winning planning process begins with listening to the input and ideas of Port St. Lucie residents. Through this process, residents can truly help shape the future of their City.”

Kate Parmelee, Deputy City Manager for Strategic Initiatives & Innovation

“Basically everything we do here is based on our strategic plan.”

Shannon Martin, Mayor

According to the U.S. News & World Report #2 safest city to live in the U.S.

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