10 of our top moments from CityLab DC

CityLab, the annual celebration of urban life that brings together mayors, artists, business leaders, and activists from around the world, took place this week in Washington, D.C. It was a time for city change makers to trade ideas for solving pressing challenges, make connections, and raise their collective ambitions for making cities work better for all their residents. Here are 10 of the most memorable moments from the conference.

A new era of local problem solving

This week at CityLab, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the OECD released a new report and interactive map showing where cities are growing their innovation capacity and what they're doing with it. Click here to find out if your city is on the map—and how to get on if it isn't.
Bloomberg Philanthropies launched a new Innovation Training program open to any city with a chief innovation officer. Here's how to apply.

Winning ways to engage residents

On Monday, Cities of Service announced the three winners of the 2019 Engaged Cities Award: Flint, Mich., Plymouth, U.K., and San Francisco. Each city shows how tapping into the ideas, talents, and energies of their residents amplifies the impact of efforts to solve critical problems. Read about their programs—and how to replicate them—here:

Sourcing blight data from residents in Flint.
Crowdfunding neighborhood improvement projects in Plymouth.
Leveraging volunteer expertise in San Francisco.

WHAT WE’RE READING

AGING: A new report calls for cities to prepare for the housing, employment, and health needs of an aging population. (Milken Institute) One way London, Berlin, and Toronto are doing that is by creating playgrounds for seniors equipped with exercise equipment, taking a cue from Chinese cities. (BBC)

PUBLIC SPACE: As city business moves online and fewer residents have reasons to visit City Hall, Boston is re-imagining the civic space outside the building. (Next City)

CLIMATE: A plan to give electric vehicles green-colored license plates in the U.K. utilizes insights from behavioral science. (The Guardian)

DATA: A new interactive map provides the first comprehensive look at informal settlements across Africa, helping to identify where roads, power, water, and other infrastructure are most needed. (University of Chicago)

NETWORK NEWS

JOB POSTING: The city of South Bend, Ind., is hiring an Operations Lead for its transportation-as-a-benefit program, Commuters Trust. The program is a result of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge.

JOB POSTING: The city of Boulder, Colo., is looking for an innovative leader to become its next Deputy City Manager.

INNOVATION TRAINING: Bloomberg Philanthropies is offering cities with chief innovation officers a nine-month training program to boost innovation capacity among city employees. Click here for information on how to apply.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: The Asphalt Art Initiative grant program from Bloomberg Philanthropies is designed to fund visual art interventions on roadways, pedestrian spaces, and public infrastructure in U.S. cities with populations of 30,000-500,000. Learn more here.

Contact us to share events and job postings with the Bloomberg Cities network.

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