Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence

Amid a sharp decline in bus ridership during the pandemic and a commitment to boost mass transit for a greener future, City of Iowa City made a bold move: free rides. But, with no fare transactions to track, proving the program's impact was a challenge. Enter GovEx Coach Rachel Bloom and Data Analyst Maeve Mulholland, who teamed up with Iowa City leaders to develop a creative solution to the problem, gain further insight into the program, and increase equity in access to public transportation. Since implementing its free-fare program, the city has used data to show an increased bus ridership of 40% — compared with a 10% post-pandemic increase nationwide — and a reduction in tailpipe carbon emissions by approximately 284 metric tons. 🚍 🎧 Listen to the latest episode of the GovEx Data Points Podcast to find out how the found numbers to crunch! https://hubs.ly/Q02MqmFn0

Congrats to Dartanion Williams on your appointment as Chief Data and Performance Officer for the City of Baltimore! 🎉 Data is our passion as well and we're excited to work with you too! 📰 : "Public service is my true passion," said Swift-Williams. "I am excited to collaborate with city leaders to infuse an entrepreneurial spirit and bring the rigor of big-tech product and engineering into Baltimore City. I'm also excited to partner with Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance to enhance data literacy across the city and firmly establish Baltimore as a leader in data-driven governance." #dataforgood #datadriven https://lnkd.in/e2u8WW_d

Witnessing the deep engagement and impact of the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance program across entire city governments is so rewarding. Earlier this week hundreds of workers from the 23 cities currently engaged in the Alliance gathered virtually to begin the journey toward creating citywide data strategies. A key product of participation in the program, these strategies will guide how each city collects, stores, and uses data going forward. Laila Sorurbakhsh, PhD, Director of the GovEx Academy, captured a powerful moment of this kick-off connecting with the team in Municipalidad de San Miguel de Tucumán. It is amazing to see teams so invested in data for good! #dataisforeveryone #dataforgood #datadriven #govex

Coming up next week: City AI Connect is hosting another great discussion session for AI-focused government leaders. Join us Monday August 26 at 11 a.m. eastern time as we gather to talk about applying lessons from cybersecurity to Generative AI. 🌐 We’ll Discuss: * How city leaders are addressing security risks posed by Gen AI. * Peer perspectives on applying cybersecurity models to GenAI. * Best practices for implementing Gen AI that can be carried across any stage of the process 💡Featured Expert: Lena Geraghty, GovEx Data and Government Advisor With over a decade of experience working with local governments and nonprofits, Lena has been at the forefront of helping municipal leaders manage and use their data to make better decisions for their communities. Most recently, she’s focused on incorporating Generative AI into local government operations. This discussion is an exclusive opportunity for members of the City AI Connect community. To sign up and attend the webinar, visit https://hubs.ly/Q02M4L1s0.

Happy #CityHallSelfie Day! We’re proud to partner with cities around the 🌍, empowering government leaders to use data to inform policy decisions and improve quality of life! We’re excited to join ELGL: Engaging Local Government Leaders in this worldwide celebration of local government! Show us your #CityHallSelfie!  📸

Yesterday we traveled to City of Paterson to kick off their participation in the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance. Paterson staff and Mayor Andre Sayegh are no strangers to using data to support residents and bolster the 156,000-person city. From improving waste management to connecting drug users with addiction treatment, Paterson leaders use data to drive decision making every day. As Mayor Sayegh said, "data is a powerful tool that improves and saves lives." During their engagement with the Alliance, the team will also create a data strategy that touches all levels of city government and focus on digitizing city operations. https://lnkd.in/eKhPnGKe

Last month #GovEx coaches landed in City of New Bedford joining Mayor Jon Mitchell and his dedicated team for the local launch of their work with the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance. New Bedford is crafting a comprehensive citywide data strategy designed to supercharge public services, boost government transparency, and ignite community engagement. By honing technical skills throughout the city workforce, actively engaging residents and stakeholders, and building a culture focused on improving data use, they are paving the way for data-driven advancements across the city. Another key focus during New Bedford’s time with the Alliance is Mayor Mitchell’s ongoing mission to reduce the number of structure fires in the city. By enhancing the fire department’s data quality, keeping meticulous records, and promoting a data-driven mindset, they’re set to make the city safer. #dataforgood #datadriven

Municipalidad de San Miguel de Tucumán comes to the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance ready to build on existing data practices to create a safer and more sustainable environment for all residents. Mayor Rossana Chahla and her team aim to be leaders in using data to make decisions and optimize city services. They recently met with coaches from #GovEx at the city’s historic Casa de la Ciudad Museum. Throughout their engagement with the Alliance, San Miguel de Tucumàn leaders will focus on improving road safety in the 600,000-person city, the fifth largest in Argentina. Projects supported by our coaches will help them use data to inform crash reduction efforts, identify sustainable mass transportation options, and determine the locations of future bike lanes. "From the very beginning of our administration, we have been convinced that managing data is the most important tool we have to measure public policies and achieve impact for residents,” says Mayor Chahla. #dataforgood #datadriven #transportation #bikelanes #roadsafety

Last month, GovEx coaches visited the team in San Isidro Municipio to kick off the city’s work with the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance. Selected as one of 23 teams to join the Alliance in 2024, Mayor Ramon Lanus and city leaders are hoping to leverage GovEx support to create a data committee, hire a chief data officer, and develop a protocol for citywide data collection, among other data-focused initiatives. The group from San Isidro, which is located roughly 30 kilometers north of Buenos Aires, is also using this opportunity to focus on the city’s green spaces, calculating the oxygen generated by existing plants and recommending new species to improve air quality. “We want San Isidro to become the lungs of the Buenos Aires area,” said Urban Maintenance Chief, Clara Sanguinetti.

Generative AI is transforming the way we live and work, but it can also create error-filled communications and even spread harmful misinformation. Governments need to be vigilant about how they use AI and invest in strategies that mitigate misuse by bad actors to protect their communities. The good news? Cities have several tools at their disposal, from public education and awareness campaigns to hiring AI experts to support policy and procurement processes, that can ensure AI is used safely and responsibly in the public sector. Learn more about how protect against the spread of misinformation in government on the GovEx blog: https://hubs.ly/Q02K6L9D0 #AI #Misinformation #datadriven #dataforgood