City Data Alliance adds 20 new mayors

Twenty additional mayors from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and the US are joining the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance.

The programme coaches mayors on using data to strengthen city government operations, improve public services, and produce better outcomes for residents in areas such as healthcare, waste management, affordable housing and homelessness.

The initiative was established in 2022 with a US$60 million investment. The latest leaders to join include Muriel Bowser, Washington, D.C.; Bruce Harrell, Seattle; Daniela Peñaloza Ramos, Las Condes; João Henrique Caldas, Maceió; and Ulpiano Suárez, Mendoza.

To kick off the programme, the mayors met with Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and former mayor of New York City, and other data experts at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

“Data is one of the most critical assets public sector leaders have – and the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance is aimed at helping maximise that asset for public good,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation programme at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “As we learned during COVID-19, good data – leveraged effectively – can make the difference between life and death. We are excited to help these 20 cities set a new standard of excellence.”

Data strategies

By joining the initiative, the mayors agree to build or enhance their city-wide data strategy, including a data workforce plan, setting standards for disaggregating data, and optimising city data platforms.

The new cities bring the total number of those accepted into the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance to 42 cities across seven countries.

Bloomberg said work through the programme had already resulted in advances in cities. A new centralised city data platform in Montevideo, Uruguay informed national efforts to expand access to medical services in in the Casavalle area, where 30 percent of residents live below the poverty line. A Data Governance Charter was launched in Scottsdale, Arizona alongside a data leadership team including senior representatives from across departments.

Fortaleza, Brazil formed a city-wide data strategy which was first applied to the issue of waste collection. The city established a new waste management policy based on a common, data-informed framework where department heads track over 49 indicators to monitor the new programme.