New Orleans Recognized For Being One Of The Best American Cities At Using Data & Evidence To Respond To Local Challenges

From the City of New Orleans:

The City of New Orleans has announced that it has been recognized again for achieving 2020 What Works Cities Certification at the silver level. What Works Cities (WWC) Certification evaluates how effectively cities are managed by measuring the extent to which city leaders incorporate data and evidence in their decision-making — whether they have the right people, processes, and policies in place to put data and evidence at the center of decision-making — against a national standard of excellence. WWC is a national initiative launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2015.

New Orleans is one of only 16 cities to achieve certification at the silver level. Over the past year, the City has demonstrated measurable progress on foundational data practices, representing New Orleans’s commitment to advancing how data is used to better serve residents.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of New Orleans has been a national leader in terms of using data to guide our reopening decisions. To be recognized as leader in data-driven decision-making means that we are setting up our city and people for long-term success. It is critical that we continue to prioritize facts and innovation as we overcome the current crisis and establish our new normal,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

“The Administration is committed to best practices in data-driven decision-making,” said Gilbert Montaño, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of New Orleans. “We are grateful to Bloomberg Philanthropies for their support of this critical work.”

“New Orleans is thrilled to be recognized once again by What Works Cities for our investment in data-driven decision-making, and we look forward to building on this achievement moving forward,” said Melissa Schigoda, Director of Performance and Accountability for the City of New Orleans.

Some examples of New Orleans’ use of data include:

• Zero-based budgeting: New Orleans is implementing a zero-based budgeting method to ensure resources for city agencies are aligned with results. This approach enables budget decision-makers to evaluate all City services, programs, and initiatives from the ground up by requiring that departments effectively define and report on the effectiveness of the services or programs they provide and that funded programs are meeting or exceeding their performance metrics.
• 911STAT: A quarterly data-driven management meeting of all agencies involved in emergency call response (NOPD, NOFD, EMS, Orleans Parish Communications District, etc.) focused on reducing response times and overtime spending. Deep dives into the data has informed operational improvements that have helped agencies align call prioritization systems with strategic priorities, optimize deployment by district and time, and address the impact of special events.

What Works Cities Certification is inspiring a movement of cities that are doubling down on their commitment to building a more effective, more efficient, and more equitable local government that works for its residents and using certification as a road map for doing so. Nearly 200 U.S. cities have completed a What Works Cities Assessment; to date, only 24 cities have met the What Works Cities national standard in achieving Certification.

This press release was produced by the City of New Orleans. The views expressed are the author's own.