Arizona Cities that use “What Works Cities”

Local governments that embed Total Quality Management programs use data to make informed policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and engage residents show share their success. In today’s world it is much easier to outsource the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs that create data-driven successful programs compared to the 1980’s were we had to develop the systems technology from the group level.

There are also many tools that collect data in a semi or automatic real time automatic program. I came across What Works Cities through benchmark research, looking at the city of Glendale Arizona Department of Organizational Performance.

Who is “What Works Cities”

About What Works Cities About Us | What Works Cities
Using data to deliver equitable results for residents
Launched in 2017, 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. Certification provides cities at all points in their data journey with a standard of excellence that shows how investing in data and evidence practices can lead to tangible and equitable outcomes for residents.

What Works Cities shares domestic and international cities that use them.

Arizona Cities that use What Works Cities

Gilbert, Arizona, USA

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Glendale, Arizona, USA

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Mesa, Arizona, USA

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Phoenix, Arizona, USA

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Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

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Tempe, Arizona, USA

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What Works Cities Targeted Categories

What Works website allows you to sort and look up Cities targeted categories.
Communications
Community Engagement
Cross-Sector Collaboration
Economic Development
Education
Energy
Equity
Finance
Health and Wellbeing
High-Performing Government
Homelessness
Housing
Infrastructure and Utilities
Parks and Recreation
Public Safety

Highlights ~ Featured success stories of improvement posted

There are many success stories on What Works Cities website. Here are a few I enjoyed.

Carlsbad, California, Carlsbad, California, USA | What Works Cities
achieved a 73 percent decrease in homelessness among veterans by leveraging data in new ways. A key to success was maintaining real-time personalized data on veterans experiencing homelessness and using that information to catalyze collaboration among service providers to get veterans into permanent housing.
The City also adopted its first “data service standard” aimed at making sure that new data products are designed to be as useful as possible for city leaders, residents, and others who may benefit.

Issaquah, Washington, USA Issaquah, Washington, USA | What Works Cities
Using data to show how investment in the arts promotes tourism and economic development. The City tracks requests for arts grants, providing insight into community-wide needs and allowing for more strategic funding decisions. (Jakob is a city art highlight.)

Scottsdale, Arizona, USA Scottsdale, Arizona, USA | What Works Cities
Launched an open data portal that provides performance data to collective benchmarking databases, which allows cities to help each other set more informed targets and put their own progress into perspective.
For several years the City of Scottsdale has been tracking and monitoring short-term rental properties and complaints about them. In 2022, the Arizona Legislature passed a law allowing cities to license short-term rentals and regulate nuisance properties. The City quickly sprang into action, adopting rules requiring short-term rentals to be licensed and creating Good Neighbor Guides to educate short-term rental property owners and their neighbors about the requirements.
The City also created a Short-Term Rental Map Tool that allows residents to view the license status and understand the impact of short-term rentals in their neighborhoods. The Map Tool draws on the City’s Data Service Standard – one of the first cities in the United States to publish one – that guides the City in developing reliable and informative data services and products for its residents and businesses.

Tempe, Arizona, USA Tempe, Arizona, USA | What Works Cities
Compiled data from the city’s sewage system monthly to track community drug use patterns and understand the depth of opioid use. Using this data, monitored areas with high opioid use and deployed emergency response resources and abuse prevention interventions to hotspots accordingly.
Using this data, monitored areas with high opioid use and deployed emergency response resources and abuse prevention interventions to hotspots accordingly.
“Dashboards allow people to quickly see overall trends within the data and to understand who is being impacted and where. Providing context is key when providing data to inform decision-making.” Enterprise GIS Manager Dr. Stephanie Deitrick

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Is asking the city for performance metrics unreasonable? – Donna Joy
Performance Management City of Glendale, Arizona – Donna Joy
Arizona Cities that use “What Works Cities” – Donna Joy