Public Health

On a blazing-hot day in July 2019, dozens of volunteer citizen scientists piled into their cars and drove along pre-assigned routes looping through Cambridge, Boston, and Brookline with a device on a white stick protruding from their cars. Their task? To...

“Everything, to me, connects to public health.” Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore On April 17th, the Community Data Health Initiative (CDHI) held a session at the 11th annual African American Mayors Association (AAMA) conference in Washington, DC. Titled...

This article is part two of a two-part series that investigates the challenges with public health data sharing and how public officials can overcome them to find, analyze, and apply the data necessary to drive policy decisions. Part one discusses these...

The relationship between the environment and public health is well-established, offering an opportunity for addressing public health issues in fields outside of the public health realm. For example, traffic rerouting can help lower pollution levels and...

In this exclusive episode, recorded live at the African American Mayors Association 11th Annual Conference, host Stephen Goldsmith sits down with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb to explore how cities can address environmental justice and improve community...

To access a PDF version of this information, please download here . By offering multiple formats we hope that this information can be more easily shared, emailed, or printed. This was produced as part of the Community Data Health Initiative , generously...

This page is a resource for mayors and city leaders looking to combat extreme heat, poor air quality, and lead in their cities. Published in conjunction with the African-American Mayors Association (AAMA) 11th annual conference, this page provides...

With eroding trust in public institutions and increasing political polarization, cities are eager to encourage and revitalize democratic participation - a fundamental pillar of representative government. Citizen engagement, which includes the active...

In January 2023, the Data-Smart team wrote about the work Philadelphia leadership was doing to improve the enrollment and participation in the city’s Tiered Assistance Program (TAP), which assists low-income residents with their water utility bills by...

Across the US, city government officials are creating climate-conscious policies to address the environmental health complications that result from poor air quality and extreme heat. Data is a driving force behind these policies, with sources such as fire...