Eight U.S., four Canadian, and nine Latin American cities achieve first-ever Certification
104 cities have now achieved What Works Cities Certification distinction since the program’s launch in 2017
New York, NY – February 26, 2025 – Results for America today announced 21 new cities, including the first four in Canada, have been awarded the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification for establishing exceptional data capabilities to inform policy, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programs, and engage residents. The What Works Cities Certification standard reflects the practices, policies, and infrastructure municipalities must have in place to effectively harness data for better decision-making. With today’s announcement, 104 cities in North, Central, and South America have now achieved the What Works Cities Certification distinction, and 700 cities have submitted assessments since 2017.
“At a time when people are questioning the role of government, and what good government looks like, governments must be better at using data to know what is and isn’t working — and that is what the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification stands for,” said Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification. “Over one hundred cities are now showing what is possible by investing the time, energy, and political capital to shift the culture of how local government works.”
“The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification is one of the largest-ever philanthropic efforts to improve how local governments use data to improve people’s lives,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “This work is helping reform-minded mayors across the Americas bring their organizations into the 21st century. Whether to stem housing shortages, reduce traffic fatalities, or improve resident service and responsiveness, these city halls are tapping data, digital, and artificial intelligence to rise to the challenge — and we are thrilled to support their progress.”
The What Works Cities Certification standard measures a city’s use of data based on 43 criteria. A city that achieves 51–67% of the 43 criteria is recognized at the Silver level of Certification, 68–84% is required to achieve Gold, and 85% or more is required to reach Platinum. Highlights of how newly Certified cities are using data and evidence include:
NORTH AMERICA:
Canada:
- Calgary, Canada (Gold) created a solar calculator for residents to estimate their energy costs using advanced analytics, light detection and ranging data, and three-dimension building models. This doubled the number of solar panels installed in single-family homes in 2023 compared to 2022.
- Edmonton, Canada (Silver) implemented safety measures in high-collision areas based on data collection and heatmap visualizations. They led to a 25% reduction in traffic fatalities between 2015 and 2023.
- Hamilton, Canada (Silver) formed a university partnership where more than 4,100 students used data and analytics to create over 230 new solutions to pressing community challenges, such as increasing access to early education.
- Winnipeg, Canada (Silver) analyzed workforce data in city-funded projects. Following the analysis, the City created a new system which led to 21 new contracts in which underrepresented groups made-up 75% of total hours worked by all these contractors.
The United States:
- Burlington, Vermont (Silver) evaluated housing data to update zoning laws to increase housing supply, which led to 44 new multifamily units permitted under the new code within eight months.
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Silver) analyzed flood risk data to improve stormwater infrastructure in 25 neighborhoods.
- Fort Worth, Texas (Silver) used real-time data to bolster water management, leading to a 90% reduction in field investigations and more than $1 million in cost savings since 2019.
- Newark, New Jersey (Silver) established a coalition of over 50 cross-sector partners to share and strengthen public safety and infrastructure data, which led to a 25% decrease in homicides in 2024 compared to 2023.
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Silver) compared data from other cities and organizations to develop a blood transfusion program that provided 100 trauma patients with life-saving medical care before reaching a hospital.
- Raleigh, North Carolina (Silver) assessed tree distribution citywide to plant 700 new trees in areas with the most need.
- Reno, Nevada (Silver) launched an internal data tracking platform for wastewater maintenance that reduced sewage overflows by 44% between 2017 and 2023.
- Savannah, Georgia (Silver) upgraded 25 parks and recreation centers based on data of conditions and needs, leading to a 40% increase in pool attendance and a 37% increase in youth participation from 2023 to 2024.
SOUTH AMERICA:
Brazil:
- Niterói, Brazil (Gold) combined civic engagement and public safety data to provide professional training and experience in the sustainability sector for over 900 disadvantaged youth.
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Gold) surveyed families in extreme poverty to expand access to public services which resulted in over 3,700 new children enrolling in school, and safety and sanitation improvements being made in more than 7,700 homes.
- Belo Horizonte, Brazil (Silver) installed 2,100 free internet access points and trained over 17,000 local residents in technology and digital entrepreneurship, using data to pinpoint underserved areas.
- Caruaru, Brazil (Silver) utilized demographic data to improve health care outcomes which led to a 6% reduction in teen pregnancy rates between 2023 and 2024 and a 76% reduction in syphilis cases between 2022 and 2023.
Argentina:
- Corrientes, Argentina (Silver) enhanced government responsiveness through the launch of MuniBot, a data-informed chatbot system, which decreased the average time to resolve complaints from 30 days to seven days in 2024.
- San Nicolás, Argentina (Silver) leveraged data to digitize emergency health services which reduced resident-called ambulance arrival times from nine minutes to three minutes.
- Vicente López, Argentina (Silver) tackled rising cases of dengue, a mosquito-borne virus, using artificial intelligence that detects the species with 90% accuracy. The detection triggers an immediate alert for officials who can get fumigation protection to impacted areas within hours.
Chile:
- Maipú, Chile (Silver) reduced the number of water leaks from 19,000 in 2021 to less than 2,000 in 2024 with the development of a real-time dashboard to monitor and manage utilities.
- San Fernando, Chile (Silver) analyzed emergency response data to decrease the amount of time residents affected by extreme weather events wait to receive aid from six days to two days.
Four currently Certified cities – Boulder, Colorado; Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Rochester, New York, moved up to Gold Certification. In addition, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Little Rock, Arkansas; Norfolk, Virginia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Diego, California; Scottsdale, Arizona; South Bend, Indiana; and Tulsa, Oklahoma, re-Certified under the more rigorous criteria introduced in 2022.
The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the international standard of data excellence in city governance. The program is open to any city in North, Central, or South America with a population of 30,000 or more.
To learn more about the What Works Cities Certification or to take the Assessment, visit whatworkscities.bloomberg.org.
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About What Works Cities Certification:
The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is the first-of-its-kind standard of excellence for data-informed, well-managed local government. What Works Cities Certification recognizes and celebrates local governments for their exceptional use of data to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate the effectiveness of programs and engage residents.
About Results for America:
Results for America is helping decision-makers at all levels of government harness evidence and data to make progress on our greatest challenges. Our mission is to make investing in what works the “new normal,” so that when policymakers make decisions, they start by seeking the best evidence and data available, then use what they find to get better results. For more information, visit results4america.org.
About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, and X.
Media Contacts:
Bloomberg Philanthropies: Sam Fuld, sam@bloomberg.org
Results for America: Cheryl Burnett, cheryl@results4america.org