"Darwin places youth data in the hands of parents. Darwin empowers parents to invest that resource with educators, technologists, and researchers to ensure the best programs for their children."
"I’ve always said that, in government, the status quo is standing still. The Mayors Challenge has helped spark a flurry of new ideas about how government can help people."
"The people of Boston are passionate and creative; I believe they make our neighborhoods the most vibrant and livable in the world."
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"Chicago will build the first open-source predictive analytics platform that will help leaders make smarter, faster decisions in real-time to help address and prevent problems before they develop."
"Chicago’s history has been defined not by the challenges we faced but by our solutions to these challenges. The Mayors Challenge is an incredible opportunity to build on that legacy – not only to implement one groundbreaking plan, but to use the product to solve many of the critical issues facing our city today and to help other cities tackle the same problems."
"Chicago’s network of diverse neighborhoods: our city’s downtown, replete with renowned architecture, globally-recognized cultural institutions and cuisine, is enriched by the vibrant dining, arts and traditions in every community, reflecting the layers of diversity that define Chicago’s history."
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"Annually, 28,000 babies in the U.S. die before their first birthday. Through innovations in care coordination, data collection and analysis, Cincinnati discovered a replicable way to dramatically reduce prematurity and infant death."
"This is an opportunity for Mayors to have their vision funded. These are projects that would not otherwise be able to happen."
"Cincinnati is a town where it’s all about family."
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"Three Proof of Concept Community Labs will transform vacant, blighted properties into the stages where resident stories meet relevance-based governance and global-reaching solutions."
"This project presents Durham with an opportunity to be transformative in a unique way which, if executed, could have a very positive impact on the community in general and specifically for the people to which it is directed."
"Durham is a diverse, creative, and vibrantly engaged city where great things happen all the time thanks to partnerships between community leaders, businesses, and residents."
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"For the first time anywhere, High Point, NC is adapting the focused deterrence model to control domestic violence offenders to protect our mothers, daughters, sisters, and children. simultaneously changing the overall narrative on domestic violence."
"I am most proud of the efforts of our Police Department and their citizens’ support team, High Point Community Against Violence, that expands the initial program focus to include one of the most difficult, challenging and dangerous areas for law enforcement – domestic abuse. It is aimed at turning lives around – both the victims and the abusers – which will result in a reversal of physically dangerous situations for all of the individuals involved in a domestic abuse environment by offering the opportunity for the abuser to change or be held accountable for their actions."
"Our citizens are both collaborative and supportive as evident by their continued commitment to our award-winning initiative, High Point Community Against Violence (High Point CAVE), as well their annual generosity to non-profits like United Way – both efforts aimed at improving the lives of all citizens."
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"GoPoint will help create a balanced suburban transportation system by branding, promoting and managing a network of mobility hubs that use technology to integrate public and private transportation options."
"Some of the most innovative ideas are ripe for implementation but may not have the capital to launch. The Mayors Challenge gives us this opportunity by recognizing the powerful potential of the mobility hub idea, and potentially providing funds to launch it. We have a long history of successful public/private partnerships in Hillsboro, and we look forward to working with Bloomberg Philanthropies to implement this great idea."
"What I love most about Hillsboro is that we have consciously worked to maintain our hometown feel even as we have experienced significant growth. Everyone, from school children to community members to our corporate partners, works to build community and our community pride is evident throughout our city. This sense of community is fundamental to Hillsboro’s identity and is the foundation for everything we do."
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"One Bin for All is a revolutionary idea for residents to discard all materials in one bin, treating "trash" as valuable assets and dramatically increasing recycling using game changing technologies."
"The Mayors Challenge spurred us to engage stakeholders about diverse innovations that can make our City better. The ideas were endless and the process to narrow them down was invigorating. Many ideas that came out of these discussions are being worked on now, making innovation part of our lexicon and the lens we are using to drive projects and ideas in new directions."
"My favorite part about living in Houston is its diversity and entrepreneurial spirit—if you can dream it, you can achieve it here."
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"Neighborhoods of Educational Opportunity brings together an unprecedented community coalition to strengthen neighborhoods and revitalize Indianapolis by launching a holistic, standardized process to double the number of high-quality student seats."
"I love that the Mayors Challenge incentivizes and rewards creative problem-solving and productive collaboration."
"That Indianapolis is a big city with a small-town feel."
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"Knoxville will create a culture of healthy eating and eliminate food deserts by stimulating connections in the urban food cycle between land, farming jobs, food processing, distribution, sale, and composting."
"My favorite element of the Mayors Challenge is that it inspires us to think boldly and to collaborate with citizens on issues unique to our city. I appreciate that it fosters conversations about how a community can use its resources to best serve people."
"My favorite part about living in Knoxville is its rich, natural beauty and the diversity of its people."
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"Level Up, Lafayette! bridges the “engagement gap” by encouraging residents to play community enrichment games in which winning outcomes translate into tangible improvements for residents of Lafayette."
"The application demonstrated a clear understanding of the power of local government to move our country forward. The level playing field the challenge offers, combined with the opportunity to learn and benefit from the great ideas of other cities, made this an opportunity we wanted to embrace."
"The people, the food, the culture, the technology, the location, the climate…which lead to the possibilities."
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"CitizenLex helps cities turn citizen energy into action through a set of tools that catalyze innovative community projects."
"We used it as an opportunity to engage our city employees and the public through a telephone town hall, social media town halls, as well as other public appeals for ideas. Over 7,000 citizens and organizations participated, resulting in 440 ideas – a treasure trove of new ideas that represent opportunity and challenge and encourage a spirit of continuous improvement."
"Lexington’s good, optimistic, talented, smart people."
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"In targeted HOME GR/OWN Zones, engaged, empowered, and enabled residents repurpose foreclosed houses and vacant lots into abundant healthy food assets, yielding healthier, safer, revitalized neighborhoods, and greater economic opportunities."
"The Mayors Challenge presents Milwaukee with the opportunity to explore new ideas in innovative ways and engage the public. Our call to action was 'Tournavation,' which yielded an unprecedented response and created a new model for problem solving in our City."
"My favorite part about living in Milwaukee is the diversity and warmth of the people and their willingness to get engaged in helping address our City’s challenges."
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"Philadelphia will put R&D into RFP, reforming our procurement processes to provide a path for creative entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to work with city government, tackling the toughest urban challenges."
"I applaud Bloomberg Philanthropies for its leadership in championing and supporting cities as hubs of innovation. It has been a pleasure to engage City employees and hear their ideas about how to make Philadelphia a better city for all residents."
"Philadelphia is a city on the rise that has something for people of every age and interest, whether it is our history, culture, food, sports or all of the above."
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Phoenix will create a Smart Energy Neighborhood Model that helps residents and businesses reduce energy use, save money, and enjoy a high quality, energy-savvy lifestyle.
"My favorite part about the Mayors Challenge is that we have a real and very exciting opportunity going forward to get this right. Phoenix can be a national leader in innovation, green standards and sustainability, and our future economy and our future generations depend on it."
"There are a million things I love about living in Phoenix, but the best part of all is the people, because we have so many active residents who care about their communities and we have such a strong and diverse population that is always learning from each other to build a better future for our city and future generations."
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"By their fourth birthday, children who grow up in low-income households will have heard thirty-million fewer words than their middle- and high-income peers. Providence Talks solves this problem, for good."
"As the son of Dominican-American immigrants raised in Providence by a divorced mom, I traveled from Head Start to Harvard on my way to becoming the 37th Mayor of the City of Providence. I know firsthand the importance of early childhood development and I am thrilled about the possibility of dramatically leveling the playing field for all children in Providence in a bold, new way."
"Despite being founded 375 years ago, Providence remains one of the most creative and innovative urban centers in the United States."
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"Permit Saint Paul will spur investment in our city by enabling developers, entrepreneurs, and residents to secure their licenses and permits through a user-friendly, web-based consumer portal."
"As is the case in cities across the country, a significant cohort of our professional staff is nearing retirement. With them will go decades of expertise and their ability to navigate multiple regulatory systems on behalf of their customers. 'Permit Saint Paul' will help us tap into that expertise, our own informal best practices, the experience of our customers, and perspectives from other cities with the goal of making Saint Paul's Department of Safety and Inspections the model for customer service."
"Saint Paul has a vibrant downtown, a unique sense of community, a strong business presence, and a school system that is one of the best in the country."
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"Skillville matches job seekers with professional development opportunities through microvolunteering on city projects. The result: government capacity increases and job seekers develop skills that equip them for employment."
"My favorite element about the Mayors Challenge is that it inspires government and residents to rethink traditional approaches to delivering City services and to work together to find innovative solutions."
"Other than the San Francisco Giants, I am inspired by the creative, risk-taking residents that take innovative approaches to finding solutions."
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"Santa Monica will become the first city in the nation to measure and actively improve what really matters to every person in our community: wellbeing."
"I appreciated the opportunity to sit down with staff, take off our bureaucrat hats, and let the should-be's and could-be's drive the conversation. We had time to think about those very basic questions that fall to the wayside in the face of day-to-day business: why do we exist, who are we serving, and are we serving them in the most effective way?"
"The beauty of Santa Monica is not the whole story – we're a small city with complex, real-world challenges that we face head-on to get results."
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"Springfield will enable universal access to primary care for all at a lower overall cost."
"For years, the secret of Springfield’s success has been based on building partnerships and sharing innovations. To me, this is the very essence of the Mayors Challenge."
"The vibrant, diverse and hard working people who choose to call Springfield home are what makes our city so special."
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"Syracuse will establish an identity as an international city by designing the blueprint by which to harness the talents and energies of New Americans, showcase diversity, and transform distressed neighborhoods."
"Integrating new Americans (and soon-to-be Americans) into the fabric of our city in the great American tradition of welcoming and celebrating immigrants."
"The dynamic, diverse, and compassionate people who make up the neighborhoods that are Syracuse."
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