Bloomberg Philanthropies launches 11 innovative urban solutions to address the challenges of the world’s cities

Bloomberg Philanthropies has released its initial set of municipal programs and policies that will be disseminated through Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchangea pioneering initiative designed to share proven solutions between cities around the world.

These 11 interventions address urgent local government challenges, such as homelessness, economic development, polarization, climate change, and public health, with the goal of facilitating their adaptation in thousands of other cities.

The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange provides local governments with access to proven solutions, which can be tailored to their specific contexts. Through an online platform, municipal officials can explore these ideas, receive technical assistance from experts, and learn from their peers. This initiative also offers operational plans, experiential learning trips, implementation grants, and an evaluation fund to support the expansion of local ideas.

“We can help cities address their biggest challenges by disseminating proven solutions more quickly, as long as they are also trained to adapt them to their local circumstances. This first-of-its-kind initiative provides cities with the technical assistance they need to implement innovative ideas that work for them,” said Patricia E. Harris, executive director of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Despite previous efforts to catalog effective programs, promising ideas often fail to go viral, and attempts at replication frequently fail. The design of the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange is informed by research into the factors that facilitate or hinder the diffusion of solutions between cities. Each selected intervention has been evaluated under the Nesta Standard of Evidence, considering its cost, complexity and technical feasibility, as well as its ability to attract investment and generate political and community enthusiasm.

Early solutions featured on the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange include:

1. air pollution: Installation of low-cost sensors to monitor air quality in cities like Lima, where quality has improved by 45% in critical areas.
2. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions: Renovation of old public buildings in cities like Paris, where modernizations have reduced energy consumption by 54% and emissions by 56%.
3. Sustainable school lunches: In São Paulo, this program has managed to reduce carbon emissions by more than 18% by offering school lunches with sustainable agricultural products.
4. Community crises: Istanbul’s “Pay It Forward” platform connects residents in need with neighbors who can provide support, having mobilized more than $12 million in assistance.
5. Corruption reduction: “Visor Urbano” from Guadalajara, a digital platform that reduces license processing times by 84% and bribery requests by 74%.
6. Economic vulnerability: Community cooperatives in Rourkela, India, run solar-powered cold storage units, reducing food waste by 75%.
7. Learning loss: The “Summer Boost” program has helped more than 35,000 students in the U.S. make up for academic progress lost during the pandemic.
8. Smoke-free spaces: Adopted by more than 1,000 cities, New York’s policy has saved 10,000 lives by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke.
9. Conversion of containers into homes: This intervention has provided temporary housing to more than 300 people in cities such as Atlanta and Los Angeles, reducing costs by 30%.
10. road safety: The implementation of speed limits based on WHO recommendations has reduced traffic deaths in more than 50 cities.
11. Waste management: In Accra, Ghana, the formalization of waste collection has increased the recycling rate to 90%.

“Cities may be culturally different, but they face many of the same challenges. The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange brings together curious mayors, evidence-based ideas and the resources needed to make an impact,” said James Anderson, program director for Government Innovation at Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Founding partners of the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange include the US Conference of Mayors, the OECD, C40 Cities, and Delivery Associates, which will provide technical support to participating cities.