Podcast: Leveraging Data to Improve Local Government with Zach Markovits, What Works Cities

 

Update: Bloomberg Philanthropies’ What Works Cities Initiative More than Halfway to Goal of Supporting 100 Mid-Sized US Cities

In a wide ranging interview,  Zach Markovits, Director of City Programs, What Works Cities, discusses:

• His celebrity look-alike,
• East Coast vs. West Coast,
• Three facts about What Works Cities that are not on their website,
• How What Works Cities can help cities of all size,
• If open data scares local government leaders,
• How civil servants are cities’ most under-used asset,
• Three biggest challenges faced by What Works Cities,
• The upcoming 2016 Center for Priority Based Budgeting Conference,
• Whether What Works Cities will ever work themselves out of a job, and
• Becoming a professional cellist.

Launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies in April 2015, What Works Cities is a national initiative to help 100 mid-sized American cities enhance their use of data and evidence to improve services, inform local decision-making and engage residents.

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Supplemental Reading

• Riddle Me This….How Does a City Become a What Works City

• Debrief: ELGL Live! with Zach Markovits, What Works Cities

• ELGL Live! Presents Zach Markovits, What Works Cities

• Pre-Gaming for ELGL Live! with Zach Markovits, What Works Cities

• Bloomberg’s ‘What Works Cities’ Initiative Targets 100 Mid-Sized Metros

• 3 big themes from the 2016 What Works Cities Summit