City data standard introduces new equity requirements

To achieve What Works Cities Certification for data-driven decision-making, municipalities will have to meet new equity-related criteria.

The certification programme was launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and is led by Results for America. It recognises cities for “exceptional use of data” to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, and evaluate success.

To date, 55 US cities have achieved What Works Certification and it has also been announced that the programme is expanding to include cities in Canada, Central America, and South America.

“Local leaders around the world are tackling global challenges with data and evidence to make their communities stronger, safer, and more equitable,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation programme at Bloomberg Philanthropies.

“By expanding and raising the bar to achieve What Works Cities Certification, we’re supporting the global spread of data best practices, and growing the movement of policymakers leading with data and using it to produce better results for residents and communities.”

Equity metrics

In addition to over 40 existing criteria in areas such as open data, leadership and capacity, and evaluation, the enhanced requirements mandate that cities show a commitment to equitable data practices. This includes establishing a city-wide data and analytics strategy and a data governance equity framework, and using disaggregated data to avoid algorithmic bias and promote equitable service delivery.

Municipalities are also expected to employ strategies to diversify the pool of vendors they work with and to demonstrate progress in policy areas that affect resident wellbeing, such as air quality, access to high speed broadband or other priorities that align with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“We know that the end goal for cities is not just to be data-driven, but to meet the needs of their residents, improve their quality of life, and achieve population-level outcomes,” said Rochelle Haynes, the newly appointed Managing Director of What Works Cities Certification. “The changes we are making to the Certification programme will provide cities with a standard of excellence that clearly articulates how investing in foundational data and evidence practices can lead to more equitable and outcomes-focused impact for government and residents.”

The updates reflect a growing push for cities to address systemic inequities, particularly following the pandemic, and a recognition that data can play an important role in this. Los Angeles, San Jose and Tulsa are examples of cities that have launched equity-related data initiatives.

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