The City of San Diego has again been awarded the Bloomberg Philanthropies “What Works Cities” Silver Certification for establishing exceptional data capabilities to inform policy, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate programs and engage residents. 

The What Works Cities Certification standard reflects the practices, policies and infrastructure municipalities must have in place to effectively harness data for better decision-making. 

The City of San Diego received its first Silver certification in 2020 and was re-certified in 2024 in recognition of its continued efforts to build a smart city, using data to increase transparency and improve residents’ lives. 

Specifically, the City’s Performance and Analytics Department was recognized for its Open Data Portal, through which the public can access more than 109 datasets with information ranging from the location of parking meters to street repair plans. The Open Data Portal promotes civic engagement and, through predictive analytics, improves service delivery and increases opportunities for economic development. 

The City was also lauded for its continuing improvement of the Get It Done app, which the public can use to quickly identify needs across the City, from potholes to graffiti. The system automatically assigns work crews to each issue, which effectively increases the City’s responsiveness to quality-of-life matters that affect all San Diegans. 

“We are pleased to be acknowledged once again for our dedication to data-driven solutions,” said Performance and Analytics Acting Director Alex Hempton. “Our staff continually utilizes data and evidence to better understand the City’s challenges, implement solutions and deliver improved outcomes for our residents.” 

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

The certification standard measures a city’s use of data based on 43 criteria. A city that achieves 51–67% of the criteria is recognized at the Silver level of certification, 68–84% is required to achieve Gold and 85% or more is required to reach Platinum. 

With today’s announcement, 104 cities in North, Central, and South America have now achieved the What Works Cities Certification distinction since the program began in 2017. 

“At a time when people are questioning the role of government, and what good government looks like, governments must be better at using data to know what is and isn’t working – and that is what the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification stands for,” said Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification. “Over 100 cities are now showing what is possible by investing the time, energy and political capital to shift the culture of how local government works.” 

“The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification is one of the largest-ever philanthropic efforts to improve how local governments use data to improve people’s lives,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “This work is helping reform-minded mayors across the Americas bring their organizations into the 21st century. Whether to stem housing shortages, reduce traffic fatalities or improve resident service and responsiveness, these city halls are tapping data, digital and artificial intelligence to rise to the challenge – and we are thrilled to support their progress.” 

To learn more about the What Works Cities Certification or to take the assessment, visit whatworkscities.bloomberg.org.