NORFOLK, Va. – The City of Norfolk has been awarded Gold Certification the third year in a row from the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities 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. With today’s announcement, 104 cities in North, Central and South America have now achieved the What Works Cities Certification distinction, and 700 cities have submitted assessments since 2017.
“The City of Norfolk is honored to have maintained the What Works Cities Gold Certification, a testament to our commitment to data-driven excellence and innovation,” said Mayor Kenneth Cooper Alexander, Ph.D. “We are proud to have strengthened transparency, improved efficiency and enhanced services that directly benefit our residents and businesses. This recognition reflects the hard work of our employees and our dedication to making Norfolk a more responsive, accountable and forward-thinking city.”
The What Works Cities Certification standard measures a city’s use of data based on 43 criteria. A city that achieves 51–67% of the 43 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…