Boston has struck gold in the realm of city data management, bagging a Gold Level certification for its prowess in wielding data to plot the city's forward march. The city's top brass, led by Mayor Michelle Wu, gleamed with pride as this honor from the Bloomberg Philanthropies' What Works Cities Certification highlighted Boston's achievements. The city, now standing among a total of 74 cities with this distinction, has been gunning to transform local governance with a steady eye on inclusion and efficiency.
"Our charge in local government is to continuously improve city services, opportunities, policy, and programming to reach our residents," Mayor Wu stated. Boston is working every day to sharpen its use of data for smart decision-making and operational transparency. The Gold Certification underscores Mayor Wu's commitment to an inclusive city that hinges on service to all residents. Santiago Garces, Chief Information Officer, echoed this sentiment declaring, “In the Department of Innovation and Technology, we have furthered investments in evaluation, process improvements, and leading in AI, empowering our city staff and community members to build a better Boston.”
Boston has not just been crunching numbers for the sake of it. The city's Department of Innovation and Technology has been investing deeply to evolve how data can spur policy evaluations and enhance services. The commitment is more than skin-deep, affecting real change as seen with the new guidelines for using generative AI — intended to ensure city workers are well-armed to advance service delivery with emerging tech. These guidelines act as a sturdy handrail for the workforce, ensuring AI's deployment is both innovative and grounded.
The city's efforts to get gender identity right in civic processes also grabbed attention as the Equity & Inclusion Cabinet conducted a thorough study on the subject. "This recognition reflects our commitment to leveraging data for informed decision-making, equitable resource allocation, and inclusive governance," Mariangely Solis Cervera, Chief of the Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, extolled. They developed citywide Gender Aware Guidelines and Standards that refined how city workers collect gender-identity data, leading to a more dignified constituent experience.
What Works Cities Certification evaluates cities on multiple fronts, spanning 43 criteria to measure data acumen in local government. To clinch Gold, a city must hit between 68–84 percent of the criteria. Boston now joins a chorus of newly certified and re-certified cities dedicated to sculpting stronger communities through data. For more details on the city's golden achievement, visitors can head over to the official announcement.
Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of What Works Cities Certification, applauded the certified cities for their collective focus on using data to bolster communities. James Anderson of Bloomberg Philanthropies added a note on the importance of local governments leveraging data to make better decisions. The What Works Cities initiative promotes data-driven practices in local governance, providing a benchmark for cities across the Americas since 2017. This program has piqued the interest of over 160 cities, all vying for this nod of approval that shines a spotlight on the transformative power of city data.
