Tempe Mayor Corey Woods and mayors from more than 20 other cities around the world recently gathered to find new ways to use data to improve their communities through Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance.   

Participating cities included: Baltimore, Md.; Baton Rouge, La.; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Charleston, S.C.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Detroit; Fortaleza, Brazil; Guadalajara, Mexico; Kitchener, Canada; Montevideo, Uruguay; Regina, Canada; Renca, Chile; Rio de Janeiro; Riverside, Calif.; Rochester, Minn.; Rosario, Argentina; San Antonio, Texas; San Pedro Garza García, Mexico; Scottsdale, Ariz.; South Bend, Ind.; Tempe, Ariz.; Tulsa, Okla.

“This group was hand-selected because they’ve already demonstrated they’re committed to using data to drive impacts in their communities,” said Beth Blauer, Associate Vice Provost for Public Sector Innovation at Johns Hopkins University and a leader of the new program.

Tempe has proven to be a leader in the use of data in many ways. From pioneering the use of wastewater science data to measure COVID-19 in the community to tracking the pavement quality index to improve city roads, Tempe is data-driven.  

"I see the exceptional value we’ll create for our residents with the usable information we’ll develop from collecting data," said Mayor Woods. "The ability to do this keeps the city close to residents’ needs and makes us more responsive."