Bloomberg launches $42m smart cities project in U.S
Bloomberg Philanthropies launch three-year What Works Cities campaign to support efficiency and sustainability in mid-sized American cities
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the launch of a $42 million, three-year initiative on Monday aimed at improving quality of life, efficiency and sustainability in mid-sized American cities.
The What Works Cities campaign is designed to help city mayors and technology leaders develop innovative smart cities data projects.
The initiative is looking for 100 cities with populations between 100,000 and 1 million to receive support from programme partners such as The Behavioural Insights Team, Harvard Kennedy School of Government Performance Lab, Johns Hopkins University’s new Center for Government Excellence, Results for America and the Sunlight Foundation.
Former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg said in a press release: “While cities are working to meet new challenges with limited resources, they have access to more data than ever – and they are increasingly using it to improve people’s lives. We’ll help them build on their progress, and help even more cities take steps to put data to work. What works? That's a question that every city leader should ask - and we want to help them find answers.”
The initiative is designed to provide city mayors and technology leaders with comprehensive guidance and support to roll out projects such as a travel planning app in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that reduced transit-related emergency calls by 25 per cent; data coordination software in New Orleans that reduced urban blight by 10,000 residences; and a performance management system in Atlanta that reduced backlogged housing code violation complaints by 70 per cent.
The initiative has been piloted in 12 cities in the build up to the official launch, including Chattanooga, Tennessee; Seattle; New Orleans; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Mesa, Arizona, said Jim Anderson, head of Government Innovation Programs for Bloomberg Philanthropies – and they hope to hear from many more.
Bloomberg will invite 285 cities to participate, and Anderson said: “The criteria are pretty broad. We’re looking for cities that have leaders that are committed to using data to improve results for residents. We’re looking for cities that are data pros and data novices alike. There’s something here for any city that wants to go deeper and build on existing efforts.”