Denver is embarking on a new effort to improve city services by better harnessing both data and psychology. The city announced Thursday that it’s joining a national effort to make municipal data more available and reliable both for civil servants, and the public.
"It’s not so much that we need more data, it’s about turning it into information and using it in a consumable way," said Denver's Chief Performance Officer David Edinger.
Denver’s new partnership with the program, called “What Works Cities,” will also bring in national consultants to design ways to get residents to use city services more efficiently.
Denver officials have already put some of those techniques into practice to boost the number of people renewing their vehicle registrations online instead of at DMV offices. They’re also experimenting with new ways to make sure people show up to court for minor offenses.
