The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange
The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange is a first-of-its-kind initiative to spread proven solutions from one city to others around the world. Available to any official municipality at no cost, the ideas elevated here have not only demonstrated impact, but they address challenges common to many cities right now. Even still, the Idea Exchange is not only about ideas: it is also about how ideas spread, and is therefore focused on helping city leaders everywhere local, assess, adapt, and implement solutions that work for their local context.
Despite efforts in the public and civic sector to catalog and promote “what works,” proven and promising ideas rarely go viral and replication efforts often fail – despite significant interest from municipalities to borrow ideas from peers.
Through the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange, local officials can source and learn about ideas to bring to their cities, and also receive hands-on expert technical assistance to tailor and implement those ideas. Supports for cities include operational blueprints, experiential learning tours, strategy-sharing with peers, implementation grants, and more.
Established and led by Bloomberg Philanthropies, this initiative builds on more than a decade of work to discover, nurture, and drive government innovation in cities across the globe.
“Our mission is simple: to help good ideas to spread faster and take root.”
Michael R. Bloomberg
Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P. and 108th mayor of New York City
The Science
The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange’s design is based on research of what helps and prevents ideas to spread between localities. Each idea that is now part of the Idea Exchange was assessed through the Nesta Standard of Evidence. Interventions were also reviewed for their cost and complexity, level of implementation documentation, technical feasibility, and flexibility.
Those selected have a track record of stoking enthusiasm from stakeholders, attracting investment, rallying ambassadorship, generating political interest, and creating excitement in communities—sparking the momentum ideas need to take hold in new places.
The Framework
It Works, It Can Spread, It Inspires
The Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange features solutions that meet three criteria:
It Works:
Solutions in the Idea Exchange are city-led and have tangible results. Ideas are tested to ensure they demonstrate positive impact in respective policy areas.
It Can Spread:
Scalability is crucial. The interventions in the Idea Exchange can be adapted and implemented in different local environments and communities, ensuring that they can reach and impact far and wide.
It Inspires:
Ideas in the Idea Exchange have a track record of stoking enthusiasm from stakeholders, attracting investment, rallying ambassadorship, generating political interest, and creating excitement in communities—sparking the momentum ideas need to take hold in new places.
Key Insights:
Ideas need strong evidence:
We use the NESTA Standards of Evidence to categorize and assess the quality of evidence across five levels, from descriptive evidence demonstrating an idea’s logic and theory (Level 1) to scalable evidence showing sustained success across various contexts and populations (Level 5). Ideas ready to scale are supported by strong evidence across these levels.
Yet evidence isn’t enough:
Successful replication efforts must navigate resource constraints, organizational resistance, capacity limitations, and stakeholder buy-in. These challenges can differ for each idea and by city, underscoring the importance of equipping cities with sufficient capacity and technical know-how to replicate great ideas effectively.
Trusted messengers matter:
A city that creates something new often can’t be responsible for spreading it too. Replication works when others – be they city planners or mayors themselves – see an idea and make it their job to champion it more broadly. Often, these trusted individuals are their ideas best ambassadors: key to helping other cities feel confident that an idea is worth adopting.
Adaptability is key:
There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. To spread ideas adequately, and efficiently, between cities, it is essential that an intervention be customizable to fit unique needs of differing local contexts.
The Ideas Evaluation Fund
Bloomberg Philanthropies will continue to conduct ongoing research to support the Idea Exchange as it grows. Research will inform the addition of new ideas, the replication of ideas between cities, and the creative process of helping ideas take root —and take off—where they can do the most good.
An Idea Evaluation fund is also available for local governments to apply to receive a fully-funded independent evaluation of an idea developing locally. The aim of this is to both help more local solutions scale, as well as expand the pipeline of ideas that may be added to the Idea Exchange in the future.
To apply for an Idea Evaluation, register for the Bloomberg Cities Idea Exchange.