San Antonio Receives Gold-Level What Works Cities Certification

Published on June 22, 2023

San Antonio Receives Gold-Level What Works Cities Certification for Leading Data-Driven Governance

SAN ANTONIO (June 22, 2023) — The City of San Antonio is proud to announce that it has been awarded the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification at the Gold Level for exceptional use of data to inform policy decisions, allocate funding, improve services, evaluate program effectiveness, and engage residents. What Works Cities Certification sets the standard of excellence for data-informed, well-managed local government.  

In today’s announcement, the City of San Antonio joins six other currently Certified cities which have achieved a higher Certification level, seven cities being re-Certified, and seven newly Certified cities. A city that achieves 51–67 percent of the 43 criteria is recognized at the Silver level of Certification, and 68–84 percent is required to achieve Gold. Since its inception in 2017, 62 cities have achieved What Works Cities Certification.

“I am proud to see San Antonio build upon our previous accomplishments and achieve a higher certification for the exceptional use of data in the services we offer and equitable delivery,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “The national recognition by What Works Cities reflects our investment in data and transparency as an integral part of our decision-making processes citywide.”

Over the past year, the City of San Antonio has demonstrated measurable progress on these foundational data practices. Some notable examples of the City’s use of data include:

• After raising concerns about an uptick in the number of older homes being demolished, the City of San Antonio and community stakeholders gathered data on the impacts of demolition and possible alternatives. They found that over the past decade, $16 million worth of salvageable building materials and 170,000 tons of waste had been sent to landfills through the demolition of homes built prior to 1960. Demolitions were also releasing airborne toxic pollutants into neighborhoods with larger numbers of Hispanic households and households with lower incomes. In 2022, the City developed and adopted a deconstruction ordinance using data surrounding demolition waste and impacts to air quality and vulnerable communities. In addition to advancing the City’s health and equity goals, creating jobs, and preserving affordable housing, the program is expected to mitigate the waste that is sent to landfills every decade and is an important strategy under San Antonio's Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
• A success story from the Innovation Academy, the City's Office of Historic Preservation launched the Material Innovation Center (MIC), which serves as the “last stop before the landfill." A community-driven hub for salvaged and excess building material receivership, the MIC is collecting previously unrecorded metrics related to carbon emissions, waste diversion, economic impact, and affordability. 

“We strive to invest in the well-being of our residents by continuing to foster a data-driven culture,” said City Manager Erik Walsh. “I’m extremely proud of City staff whose continued efforts have helped us achieve the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Gold-Level Certification this year.”

In 2022, What Works Cities Certification released updated criteria for cities to achieve recognition for excellence in using data to improve residents’ lives. The new criteria embed equity priorities and better reflect the evolving best practices of data-informed governance so that cities move beyond achieving only pockets of excellence to achieving citywide scale and maximum resident impact. Additionally, Certification is now requiring cities to show that they meet an internationally recognized standard on at least one of three outcomes: air pollution, the percentage of households with high-speed broadband subscriptions, or a high-priority outcome the city chooses that aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).

“Under the new criteria, these cities have shown that they’re not just leading with data—they’re using data to make lives better by prioritizing equity and resident wellbeing,” said Rochelle Haynes, Managing Director of What Works Cities Certification. “Leaders from the seven cities join hundreds of data champions in our Certification community, where they will continue to grow their data practices, share innovative ideas, and inspire communities at all points on their data journey.”

“The Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification continues to raise the bar for policymakers committed to leveraging data to understand community needs and deliver on resident priorities,” said James Anderson, who leads the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We’re proud to welcome these newly Certified cities into this fast-growing international community and see the use — and impact — of the What Works Cities’ standard of excellence expand and improve lives.”

The What Works Cities Certification program, launched in 2017 by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by Results for America, is open to any city in North, Central or South America with a population of 30,000 or more. To learn more, visit WhatWorksCities.org.