City of Cambridge Once Again Achieves Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Gold Level Certification

The City of Cambridge is proud to announce that it has again been awarded the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification at the Gold level for its use of data to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate program effectiveness, and engage residents. What Works Cities Certification sets the standard of excellence for data-informed, well-managed local government.

"I firmly believe in fostering an organizational culture that values data-informed decision making,” said Yi-An Huang, Cambridge City Manager. “By empowering staff and residents to utilize data, we can help make Cambridge an even better place to live." 

Cambridge is the only New England city certified at the Gold level, and one of five cities across the nation to achieve Gold level re-certification. Cambridge achieved Silver level certification in 2020 and first achieved Gold level certification in 2021.

"Our What Works Cities engagements over the years have allowed staff to deepen their knowledge of data-driven best practices, connect with peers across the nation, and to learn new skills to ensure we are effectively delivering services and programs to the Cambridge community,” said Lee Gianetti, Director of Strategic Planning and Communications.

Some examples of the Cambridge’s progress on foundational data practices include:

• Participation in a randomized research study to examine the impact of procedural justice in policing.
• Leveraging the city’s data analytics and open data program to proactively communicate high-priority data with the community and policy stakeholders in area such as COVID-19, equity and inclusion, and Vision Zero.
• Expanding Cambridge's culture of data-driven governance to ensure Cambridge is effectively using data as a strategic asset.

In 2022, What Works Cities Certification released updated criteria for cities to achieve recognition for excellence in using data to improve residents’ lives. The new criteria embed equity priorities and better reflect the evolving best practices of data-informed governance so that cities move beyond achieving only pockets of excellence to achieving citywide scale and maximum resident impact. Additionally, Certification is now requiring 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).

Since its inception in 2017, only 62 cities have achieved What Works Cities Certification. In today’s announcement, Cambridge joins seven newly Certified cities, seven other currently Certified cities which have achieved a higher Certification level and six more cities being re-Certified.

“Under the new criteria, these cities have shown that they’re not just leading with data—they’re using data to make lives better by prioritizing equity and resident wellbeing,” said Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of What Works Cities Certification.

“The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification continues to raise the bar for policymakers committed to leveraging data to understand community needs and deliver on resident priorities,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We’re proud to welcome these newly Certified cities into this fast-growing international community and see the use — and impact — of the What Works Cities’ standard of excellence expand and improve lives.”

The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, 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.

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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.