Hasta La Creative!

Local governments aren’t typically considered leaders in innovation. But municipalities including Palm Springs, Calif.; Jersey City, N.J.; and Philadelphia are investing in ways to gather, analyze and expose data about everything from pothole repairs to tourism dollars. And their goals aren’t always just about creating transparency for government operations or helping streamline services. They’re also using data to help change the way residents and potential transplants view them as brands. Smart use of data has even persuaded citizens to vote for a tax increase.

Palm Springs, Calif.,: Data drive luxury destination’s resurgence

“For the last 30 or 40 years we’ve been beating ourselves up over T-shirt tourism,” said John Raymond, director of community and economic development for the city of Palm Springs. The sunny destination, once synonymous with posh poolside living and shopping, had gained a reputation as “a honky-tonk” rather than a “more elegant desert” city, he said.

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