North Charlotte Today

The City of Charlotte has been awarded the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification at the Gold Level for its exceptional data capabilities. The certification acknowledges municipalities that effectively use data to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate program effectiveness, and engage residents.

"This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to leveraging data-driven solutions to inform our decision-making processes, allocate resources effectively, enhance the delivery of services to our residents, evaluate the impact of our programs, and foster meaningful community engagement," said Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. "Through this achievement, we reaffirm our dedication to embracing innovation, transparency, and evidence-based governance."

The What Works Cities Certification Standard measures a city’s use of data based on 43 criteria. Achieving between 51-67% of these criteria earns a Silver level certification; 68-84% is required for Gold; and 85% or more is needed for Platinum.

“From pioneering data use to embracing emerging technology to expanding digital infrastructure, this new slate of Certified cities demonstrates what is possible when municipalities raise the bar,” said James Anderson from Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Here at Bloomberg Philanthropies, we know data enables mayors to understand community-level issues, design evidence-based programs that work, and manage results that improve people’s lives.”

Nine new cities have joined the ranks of Certified What Works Cities: Boise (Idaho), Dallas (Texas), Issaquah (Washington), Sugar Land (Texas), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Las Condes (Chile), Mendoza (Argentina), Porto Alegre (Brazil), and San Pedro Garza García (Mexico). Additionally certified are Baton Rouge (Louisiana), Carlsbad (California), Charlotte (North Carolina), and Montevideo (Uruguay).

Launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, the What Works Cities Certification program sets an international standard for data excellence in city governance. It is open to any city in North, Central or South America with a population of 30,000 or more.

For more information about the What Works Cities Certification or to take the Assessment visit whatworkscities.org.

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