What Works Cities

We are officially on Instagram! 📸 Get an inside look at our work with city halls across the Americas, including spotlights on an incredible network of 100+ Certified cities. Whether you're a city leader or just curious about what's working in local government, we invite you to join our growing digital community. instagram.com/whatworkscitie…

Strong nonprofit leadership depends on trust. As a member of the @ForbesNonprofit Council, our SVP and Managing Director @RVHaynes is sharing the lessons, insights and guidance she’s learned through two decades in nonprofit and public sector leadership roles. In her first two expert panel contributions, she tackles a fundamental element of organizational success: building trust. Whether navigating complex decisions or crossing political and cultural divides, transparency and accountability are paramount. Read the pieces: • bit.ly/4eSPPup • bit.ly/4twZFFX

Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities participated in @TomorrowCityUSA in West Palm Beach, Florida. Thank you to all of the city leaders who joined us for two days of connection and learning. The future of cities is data-driven and bright. • Mayor @DeanTrantalis of @FTLCityNews • Mayor @coreywoodstempe of @Tempegov • @MayorGenrich of @CityofGreenBay • @GlendaleAZ Assistant City Manager Vicki Rios • @ottawacity Program Manager, Geospatial Analytics, Technology & Solutions Randal Rodger • @CityofMiami Chief Data Officer Cheriene Floyd • @BaltCityHall Chief Data Officer Dartanion Williams • @CityRochesterNY Senior Data Analyst Na Liu • @cityofsavannah Organizational Excellence & Leadership Officer Dr. Jennifer Blalock • @NYCDCAS Chief Fleet Officer Keith Kerman

Do you know a great communicator? 📣 Celebrate a local government employee or team using public communication to make a difference by nominating them for our annual Sharman Stein Memorial Award for Storytelling Changemakers. Read about past winners and submit your nomination: bit.ly/SharmanStein

A key feature that makes the What Works Cities Network special is the unique expertise city leaders bring to the table, and that was on full display at @TomorrowCityUSA. What Works Cities leaders drove conversations on AI, the public sector workforce, community engagement and more. They shared practical insights and timely examples from their firsthand experiences putting data to work every day. Events like @TomorrowCityUSA reinforce that building more effective, responsive local government is a shared effort that depends on city leaders learning from one another. Thank you for joining us, • @CityofMiami Chief Data Officer Cheriene Floyd • @BaltCityHall Chief Data Officer Dartanion Williams • @CityRochesterNY Senior Data Analyst Na Liu • @cityofsavannah Organizational Excellence & Leadership Officer Dr. Jennifer Blalock

Thank you @BloombergDotOrg for supporting hundreds of cities as they invest in the data practices that lead to stronger communities.

⏰ The Certification Assessment deadline is around the corner! Submit a What Works Cities Assessment by May 15 to get a free benchmark of your city's data practices and be eligible for the next cohort of Certification. bit.ly/WWCAssessment

The What Works Cities team recently visited @CityofGreenBay to learn how City Hall uses data to make impactful neighborhood improvements, secure funding for community spaces and improve local infrastructure. Thank you to @MayorGenrich and the team for a wonderful site visit!

What’s the difference between proactive cities and reactive cities? Data. “If we're going to ever have sustainable cities, we have to be ahead of the game,” Mayor @DeanTrantalis Trantalis said during our panel at @TomorrowCityUSA. Senior Vice President and Managing Director @RVHaynes led the conversation as city leaders shared how data helps local governments go from reactive management to proactively anticipating future needs. Whether it’s emergency response, city planning or climate resilience, data-driven decision-making is propelling priorities in Fort Lauderdale, Glendale, Ottawa and Tempe. Thank you to all of the city staff and leadership who joined us for two days of connection and learning. Special thank you to our panelists: • Mayor Trantalis of @FTLCityNews • Mayor @coreywoodstempe of @Tempegov • Assistant City Manager Vicki Rios of @GlendaleAZ • Randal Rodger, Program Manager, Geospatial Analytics, Technology & Solutions, of @ottawacity

April is Fair Housing Month in the United States, which commemorates the Fair Housing Act of 1968. At What Works Cities, we see every day how local governments in the U.S. and beyond use data and AI to improve housing opportunities. That includes streamlining rental applications, analyzing zoning laws to increase housing supply and identifying buildable land, among other innovative approaches. Learn more about the cities leading the charge on housing in this letter from @RVHaynes: bit.ly/4cQ1Xtm

In @NextCityOrg, our SVP and Managing Director @RVHaynes explores how U.S. cities are turning to data and AI to rethink how housing gets built. “As cities invest in these foundations, they can better capture AI’s benefits while managing its risks. Moving forward, leaders should pair optimism with care—setting guidelines, building community feedback loops and regularly auditing AI use." nextcity.org/urbanist-news/…

.@WhatWorksCities is helping cities across the Americas improve lives through well-managed, #datadriven local govt’s. Now you can join the movement via their new Instagram page & discover the latest happening across the hemisphere! 🌎 Follow them here: 👉 instagram.com/whatworkscitie…

🏙️ What does a city need to fund resilience? Financing options do exist — but without institutional preparedness, they will remain out of reach. 🔗 Register for the upcoming IDB Cities Network webinar, where we'll unpack the answer together, focusing on #LatinAmerica and the #Caribbean → bit.ly/4sxBdDF #Cities #UrbanStudies

📅 TODAY! How can What Works Cities help your city hall? Join our webinar to hear from three city staff in the What Works Cities Network ⬇️ us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

@Results4America REGISTER: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

🇺🇸 U.S. city leaders: What does the federal FY 2027 budget request mean for your city? Join the @Results4America team on April 22 for an overview and analysis of the new budget recommendations. Experts will break down what's new and the implications for city housing, infrastructure and more. Register below:

Achieve Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification in 2026! To get a free benchmark of your city’s data practices and achieve Certification, your city must submit a What Works Cities Assessment. Here are two ways to accelerate your progress: 1) Get to know us during an introductory webinar 🎥 On April 16, hear from city staff in Carlsbad, CA; Ottawa, Ontario; and Normal, IL, about how they've used What Works Cities to make progress on their city priorities. These leaders will share what it’s like to go through the Assessment process, the benefits of What Works Cities technical assistance and the value of peer connection. 2) Drop into office hours 📋 Already working on your Assessment? Swing by our office hours on April 15, April 30 or May 11 and we’ll answer your questions on specific criteria, documentation and all things What Works Cities. Registration links ⬇️ Register for the webinar: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist… Register for office hours: April 15: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regist… April 30: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regist… May 11: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regist…

📅 TOMORROW! Is your city hall ready to improve its data practices? Hear from city managers at two Platinum-Certified cities, earning the highest What Works Cities Certification distinction. You'll learn: • The critical steps that build data momentum • How day-to-day operations are different in top-performing cities • Ways to use the What Works Cities Assessment as a free roadmap for improvement • Tactics for gaining executive buy-in Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

We had an incredible time at Smart City Expo Curitiba! Our SVP and Managing Director @RVHaynes took the main stage to share how cities are moving from "AI ambition" to "AI maturity" by grounding innovation in sustainable data practices. It was great to meet so many innovators and leaders — the future for cities is data-driven and bright. #SCECWB26