Blog

The first episode of our census series was dedicated to the basics: who gets counted, what the survey is, when it takes place, why it matters, and how cities are preparing for the census.

To get a sense of specific preparation plans, we visited a Bloomberg Associates’ client city, Detroit, Michigan. The Mayor of Detroit, Mike Duggan, spoke to Bloomberg Associates Municipal Integrity Principal, Rose Gill Hearn, about his experience with the count, challenges that are specific to Detroit, the extensive efforts Detroit is making to prepare for the count and how he defines success.

In order to be managed, data needs to be collected. One of the largest data collection efforts in the United States is fast approaching; cities and states are gearing up for the 2020 census.

Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that works with cities across the world, is advising Detroit and Atlanta to prepare for the decennial survey.

Jaime Lavin of Bloomberg Associates municipal integrity team spoke to our podcast host, Katherine Oliver, about the history of the census, how to prepare, and potential challenges in the 2020 count.

Tobacco is a deadly killer, claiming over seven million lives every year, with most of the deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Mike Bloomberg has been committed to tobacco control since first entering office as New York City Mayor, and Bloomberg Philanthropies has invested one billion dollars to help implement tobacco control measures.

Dr. Kelly Henning leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Health programs. She’s been on the road, visiting countries across the world, as part of a “global health check-up.” She spoke to the foundation’s operations lead, Allison Jaffin, about the progress countries are making, sharing lessons learned and stories from the road.

By Megan Sheekey, Bloomberg Associates

At the recent Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network meeting on Post-Disaster Recovery, Bloomberg Philanthropies released a report on key lessons learned in the recovery and rebuilding efforts after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The report illustrates how successful recovery requires more than just money — it is about leveraging expertise, setting a bold vision, focusing on both immediate and longer-term needs, and working with strategic partners to ensure that resources are deployed quickly and wisely. Click here to view the full report.

In his final commencement of 2019, Mike Bloomberg addressed the graduating class of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

He highlighted the need for ambitious leadership, especially in the fight to combat climate change. In his speech, Mike announced a new $500 million investment, called Beyond Carbon, to put the U.S. on track towards a 100% clean energy economy.

The investment is the largest ever philanthropic effort to fight the climate crisis. To learn more about Beyond Carbon, visit BeyondCarbon.org.

As the internship and summer job season begins, many students have been thinking about the best choice to enhance their resumes, gain experience and build meaningful relationships with professionals. The conversation in education and professional circles often becomes an either or scenario between the science and the arts – the corporate or the creative road. The truth is, it does not need to be so stark a choice.

By Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, Anchorage, AK

It seems as if almost every day a new study is published about the long-term effects of climate change. Here in Anchorage, Alaska, we are sourcing creative solutions to the immediate threat climate change poses to our city’s infrastructure, economy and lives. Beyond threats to our infrastructure, climate change also has brought higher temperatures to Anchorage and, as a result, we’ve seen more parasites, more lightning strikes and a longer fire season, all of which threatens public health and the well-being of our city’s residents.

Mike Bloomberg spoke to the 2019 graduating class of Harvard Business School. As an alumnus, he spoke with special fondness about growing up in nearby Medford, MA, his early career, and what he’s learned since then.

The celebration of graduates across the world serve as a reminder never to doubt that young people have the power to change the world. Mike Bloomberg spoke to the graduating class of 2019 at the University of Maryland. He remarked how in order to meet the challenges of our time, we must be willing to take risks in defiance of long odds. Additionally, he announced a $2.3 million dollar commitment to support research illustrating U.S. progress towards Paris Agreement goals.

This spring, graduates all over the world are celebrating their academic achievements. Mike Bloomberg spoke to the graduating class of 2019 at Washington University in St. Louis. In his commencement address, he remarked on the importance of taking pains to bring truth to light – by reclaiming civic dialogue from those who are debasing and degrading it.

In this episode of Follow the Data, Mayor Nenshi and James discuss how his experience as a professor and business consultant have informed his approach to the job of being mayor, the “simple social movement” happening in Calgary that’s improving the city’s schools and neighborhoods, and why it’s important for political leaders to talk about pluralism. Additionally, they discuss Calgary’s participation in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and the “life-changing career moments” it’s created for a number of Calgary’s civil servants.

The city of Paris conducted its second annual homelessness count in February 2019. Approximately 2,000 people responded to the call for volunteers to conduct the surveys, which take place on the streets of Paris over the course of one night. The city had more volunteers than positions to fill on the count, so the city capitalized by coordinating with shelters with community associations to put volunteers to work.

Bloomberg Associates is a philanthropic consultancy that works with cities across the world, and has enjoyed a fruitful engagement with the city of Paris. Bloomberg Associates has worked with Mexico City, Bogotá and Athens to employ best practices to develop their own homeless population counts.

By Antha N. Williams of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Environment team

New York City has sparked debate across the country over its decision to use congestion pricing to accelerate and help fund the adoption of low-carbon transportation. Now, several other cities in the U.S., including DC, Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle, are starting to explore the potential for this bold action to advance their own climate and livability efforts.

By Kelly Shultz and Anne Emig of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Environment and Government Innovation teams

Last week, the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge brought together more than 100 of the country’s foremost city sustainability leaders for a three-day convening in Austin. Participants represented a robust network of world-class partners, dedicated city officials, and leading policy experts who all share one common goal: fight climate change on a local level to create healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable communities for city residents.

Local cultural institutions are critical for the arts to thrive. These organizations help develop and showcase artistic talent, provide communities with a forum to experience the arts and also contribute to a city’s economy and identity. That is why Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported more than 500 small and medium-sized organizations through our Arts Innovation and Management Program (AIM). In this interview, Ethan Joseph of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts team talks with Zenetta Drew, Executive Director of the Dallas Black Dance Theatre and former participant of the AIM program, about what the theatre has meant to the Dallas community. The following is a lightly edited excerpt of the conversation.

In part two of a two part episode, Hannibal Johnson and Rick Lowe, discuss the future of Tulsa, Oklahoma in historical context, along with the potential impact of the Greenwood Art Project.

Tulsa is the winner of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge. The Greenwood Art Project commemorates the 100th anniversary of the destruction of a thriving black community in Tulsa known as Black Wall Street. The project celebrates the resilience and recovery of the community.

Del Carmen Mayor Coro II is a coastal mayor whose life and constituency are anchored to the sea and Rocky Sanchez Tirona spearheads Rare’s initiative to revitalize the Philippines’ marine life and the dependent coastal communities. Can their common agenda inspire all 900+ of the Philippines’ coastal mayors to commit to protecting the people and their precious resources—before it’s too late?

Together with key partners – TERI, Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, CSTEP, WRI India, and ADRI – Bloomberg Philanthropies will work to support India’s National Clean Air Program by developing better data and understanding of the sources of air pollution in the country. We’ll also work closely with a group of Indian cities to develop clean air action plans aimed at tackling air pollution at the local level.

In June 2015, the City of Spartanburg was selected as one of four projects nationwide to take part in Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge. Jennifer Evins, working with key partners including digital media artist Erwin Redl, city police officers and the city’s residents brought their winning project, “Seeing Spartanburg” to life. In the wake of shootings and protests across the country, community-building between police officers and the municipalities they serve become a focal point in the nation. Through “Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light,” Spartanburg police officers hoped to harness the power of public art to repair and strengthen police-community relations in the city. They also hoped to shine a light on Spartanburg’s commitment to safety and vibrancy, enhance crime prevention efforts and cultivate partnerships to increase public trust and confidence in local law enforcement.

Through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, the City of Jackson Mississippi aims to address complex food access issues in the city. Their project “Fertile Ground: Inspiring Dialogue About Food Access,” will enlist an interdisciplinary team of local and national artists, landscape architects, filmmakers, farmers, chefs, nutritionists, and community members. The project teams will come together to create a city-wide exhibition with installations, performances and programming. Workshops and panels will address challenges stemming from a proliferation of fast food restaurants in the area and the need for healthy food opportunities for the community.

By Dr. Neena Prasad of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Health team

Tanzania’s Kigoma region is about the size of the average American state. In 2006, when we launched our Maternal and Reproductive Health Program, it was home to 2 million people—that’s about the number of people in Nebraska. But not a single one of those people was an obstetrician. And that’s important to note because, around the world, deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth are unacceptably high.

In Part One of a two part episode, we hear from Hannibal Johnson and Rick Lowe, detailing work in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the most recent winner of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge.

Hannibal Johnson is an author, attorney, professor and consultant. He is an expert of the African-American experience in Oklahoma and its broader historic impact on American history.

Rick Lowe is an artist, best known for Project Row Houses, which he started in Houston in 1993. He has worked with communities and exhibited all over the world.

By Dr. Kelly Henning of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Health team

I was fortunate to meet in Dubai with our partners from across the globe working to combat the tobacco epidemic in Pakistan — a country where more than 160,000 people die every year from tobacco-related diseases.

Today in Paris, Mayor Anne Hidalgo is convening mayors, business leaders, and others to bring attention to a troubling problem: While women globally are more impacted by climate change than men, they’re underrepresented at decision-making levels in government. The good news is, that’s changing. The Women4Climate gathering in Paris is part of a C40 Cities effort to empower and inspire a new generation of women leaders taking on this issue around the world. A report released this month outlines strategies for boosting women’s leadership in climate action and identifies data gaps that need to be filled to better understand the gender dimensions of climate change in cities. Meanwhile, in the U.S., some of the boldest leadership on climate is coming from women mayors. Here are five who recently won the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge because of their efforts to reduce climate pollution from the transportation and buildings sectors.

Inspired by our most recent film, Paris to Pittsburgh, National Geographic launched a new Your Shot photo assignment, calling for citizen photographers to document local climate leadership in their communities for the chance to be featured online on National Geographic’s digital platform.

This episode of the podcast features a conversation with Katie Orlinsky, National Geographic Photographer and Your Shot Editor and Katherine Oliver, of Bloomberg Philanthropies and executive producer of Paris to Pittsburgh.

By Anita Contini, Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts team

Through “The Greenwood Art Project,” MacArthur Fellow Rick Lowe will work alongside local artists to bring the story of the Black Wall Street to light. In creating a series of art installations located at significant sites throughout the historic district, Lowe and his team hope to tell a story of vulnerability and resilience.

We sat down with Lowe during Black History month to discuss the racial and economic disparities that still exist in the area today, the power art can have to bring communities together, and the importance of reconciliation.

By Christine Hunschofsky, Mayor of Parkland, Florida

Last year, an unimaginable tragedy struck our community when a shooter entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, killing 17 people, severely wounding many and tormenting over 3,000 students and faculty. Following the initial shock and pain, city leaders were faced with a formidable question: what can we do to support the healing process of an entire community? Beyond Parkland, officials in neighboring Coral Springs and throughout Northwest Broward were facing the same question.

As members of the American Talent Initiative (ATI) convene this week, we are re-running an episode featuring a conversation between Dan Porterfield, ATI Steering Committee member, and Howard Wolfson, head of the education program here at Bloomberg Philanthropies. At the time this episode was recorded, Dan Porterfield was the president of Franklin & Marshall College; he is now the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute.

By James Anderson, head of the Government Innovation program at Bloomberg Philanthropies

American cities are in a unique and powerful position to uncover innovative, scalable, and impactful solutions to today’s biggest concerns—including everything from homelessness and opioid addiction to climate change and mobility. And that’s why, after successful runs in the United States, Europe, and Latin America & the Caribbean, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge returned to the U.S. last year: to empower the kind of optimistic and entrepreneurial problem-solving city leaders are ready to deliver.

Estonia is a leader in the field of digital government. In a conversation between Bloomberg Philanthropies Government Innovation lead James Anderson and President of the Republic of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, the president describes her country’s dedication to providing streamlined services, protecting citizen’s privacy, and taking proactive steps to get people the information they need.