How Data and Open Government Are Transforming NYC

"In God We Trust," tweeted New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg this month. "Everyone else, bring data." Bloomberg, the billionaire founder of Bloomberg L.P., is now in his third term as mayor of the Big Apple. During his tenure, New York City has embraced a more data-driven approach to governing, even when the results of that data-driven transparency show a slump in city services.

This should be no surprise to anyone familiar with the mission statement of his financial data company: Bloomberg started out with one core belief: that bringing transparency to capital markets through access to information could increase capital flows, produce economic growth and jobs, and significantly reduce the cost of doing business...

...As Gov 2.0 goes local, New York City has become the epicenter for many experiments in governance, from citizensourcing smarter government to participatory budgeting to embracing a broader future as a data platform...