By Lisa Mae Fiedler and Elise Allari

This time last year the world was a different place. U.S. Cities were in the full swing of pandemic response efforts, with many jurisdictions suspending normal operations to focus fully on COVID-19. Despite these monumental challenges, 54 cities completed a What Works Cities Certification Assessment during the crisis to benchmark their progress toward becoming a data-driven and well-managed local government. This year we celebrated our largest cohort of Certified cities, including two cities that made the Certification honor roll. …