South Tidewater News

NORFOLK, VA – The City of Norfolk was today awarded the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification at the Gold Level for establishing exceptional data capabilities to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate program effectiveness, and engage residents. 

Strengthened in 2022 to include new equity requirements, What Works Cities Certification continues to set a standard of excellence for data-informed local government. The standard reflects the practices, policies, and resources municipal governments must have in place in order to effectively harness data for better decision-making. With today’s announcement, 74 cities have achieved the What Works Cities Certification distinction, and more than 160 cities have submitted applications since 2017.

"Norfolk's recognition as a What Works Cities honoree reflects our steadfast commitment to data-driven excellence in serving our community," said Mayor Kenny Alexander. "From flood control to urban development and crime prevention, data is at the heart of our operations. We proudly uphold transparency, sharing insights such as our resident survey results through our Open Data Portal. Achieving Gold Certification in 2024 signifies our alignment with international standards of excellence and the latest technological advancements.”

The What Works Cities Certification Standard measures a city’s use of data based on 43 criteria. A city that achieves 51–67 percent of the 43 criteria is recognized at the Silver level of Certification; 68–84 percent is required to achieve Gold, and 85 percent or more is required to reach Platinum. Norfolk joins 12 newly Certified cities, six other currently Certified cities which have achieved a higher Certification level and four cities being re-Certified. 

A notable example of Norfolk’s strong data culture is their City-hosted Datathon. The City first hosted this annual event in 2022. Using publicly available data, including tree canopy data from the City of Norfolk, the winners developed a model to better understand which residents were more likely to lack shade. Their findings help Norfolk’s tree planting program prioritize neighborhoods with shade inequity. 

“We are excited to welcome the newly Certified cities and congratulate those cities which have achieved a higher level or re-Certified—they have all demonstrated a collective focus on how data can be used to build stronger communities,” said Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of What Works Cities Certification. “These cities understand that local government data use is a pre-condition to solving problems, assessing what is working, and improving how their city halls do business – and they are investing their resources accordingly.” 

“The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification program represents a fast-growing community of policymakers raising the bar on what is possible for local government when it leverages data to address major challenges and opportunities facing the city,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “More than 160 cities across the Americas are seeking the What Works Cities Certification seal of approval because city halls – like any other effective modern organization – must be leveraging data to make better decisions. The program provides local governments with that North Star – and we are glad to see its reach continue to grow.”  

In 2022, What Works Cities Certification released updated criteria for cities to achieve recognition for excellence in using data to improve local government operations and policies. The new criteria also include the practice of disaggregating data to avoid algorithmic bias. Additionally, Certification now requires cities to show that they meet an internationally recognized standard on at least one of three outcomes: air pollution, the percentage of households with high-speed broadband subscriptions, or a high-priority outcome the city chooses that aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).

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, visit whatworkscities.org.

About What Works Cities Certification:

The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies ( bloomberg.org ) and led by Results for America ( results4america.org ), 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.

Original source can be found here.