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There is untapped power in public spaces to foster social connections. As our neighborhoods and schools—the places where we normally make social connections—are becoming ever more income-segregated, cities all over the world are pursuing practical ways to spark connections using parks, markets, and other civic spaces that bring visitors from all walks of life together.

Savannah’s i-team is co-creating flood solutions with residents using hyper-local knowledge that national data models miss.

BCPI Summer Scholars partnered with city halls nationwide in 2025 to spur innovation in public safety, sustainability, and climate resilience.

Friction in partnerships catalyzes innovation. Learn how cities like Amsterdam are leveraging partnerships to enhance the design and governance of public spaces.

BCPI Summer Scholars partnered with city halls nationwide in 2025 to spur innovation in public safety, sustainability, and climate resilience.

The Public Innovators Network Summit brought 155 city leaders together to reimagine how governments sustain innovation and improve residents’ lives.

BCPI Summer Scholar Lyonne Zhu reflects on her summer embedded in Newark City Hall, exploring how resident-led public innovation drives sustainable change.
Metadescription: BCPI Summer Scholar Lyonne Zhu reflects on her time in Newark City Hall, exploring how resident-led public innovation drives sustainable change.

Sixteen U.S. cities launched their Love Your Block mini-grant competitions to fund community investment projects.

The Path to Public Innovation Playbook compiles 10-plus years of city experiences of Innovation Team best practices into a comprehensive guide for local governments seeking to drive meaningful change.

As innovators, we face a pressing challenge: the need to design cities that embrace and support everyone – including those who live with a disability.

In cities around the world, public innovation is inspiring new creativity, ambition, and change to address the toughest challenges and largest opportunities.

In 2021, Reykjavík’s leaders faced an urgent need for better, faster support for students. Through the work of the city’s digital i-team, with backing from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, city leaders launched an ambitious plan to merge digital innovation with human-centered care to create A Better City for Children.

Inaugural Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow Terrance Smith highlights how trustworthiness is at the core of cities’ successful innovation efforts.

Digital Innovation of Bogotá’s Care Blocks Bogotá, Colombia, has long been a model city for…

Nine Johns Hopkins graduate students are working with city leaders across the Americas to support transformative public innovation projects tackling issues from climate change to wealth inequality.

Times of crisis often reveal the power of a city’s ability to innovate. In the City of Los Angeles…

Discover how 16 US cities are igniting neighborhood transformation with the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation Supported Love Your Block grants.

The City of Lancaster’s block-by-block approach to improving resident quality of life – sparked by Love Your Block program participation – is now a model for public innovation citywide.

Innovative work from leaders in Orlando, Florida is helping to address one of the toughest issues facing many cities across the world: youth homelessness.

In “Inclusive Placemaking: Tom Lee Park, Memphis,” researchers from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins explore four key lessons from Memphis that can aid other cities in putting equity commitments into action.

The inaugural BCPI Summer Scholars took the stage at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center to showcase the result of blending academic rigor and real-world experiences.

Inaugural Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow and public trust researcher Terrance Smith shares on the impacts of trustworthiness and partnership in the lives of residents in one of Colombia’s most well-known cities.

Established and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and led by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, Love Your Block is a grant program that helps U.S. mayors and cities strengthen neighborhoods through resident-powered improvement projects.

Every city leader knows the moments of deep frustration—whether created by systemic silos, budget…

This summer, five Johns Hopkins graduate students are boosting public innovation capacity for mayors and city hall leadership teams as part of a new, exclusive learning opportunity offered by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins.

The pandemic prompted innovation, but leaders must embed it in governance culture. Stephen Goldsmith and Amanda Daflos advocate data use, staff empowerment, diversity, and procurement. They assert it’s time innovation become the governance standard.

Today, the story of public innovation across the world is stronger than ever—showing up in new…

Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow Tommi Laitio discusses how shared management in public spaces, like those in Fortaleza, Brazil, fosters equity and public innovation. Initiatives such as “Microparks” show positive outcomes and potential for other cities.

Orlando tackles youth homelessness with diverse teams and community engagement, leveraging the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation’s training. Their approach led to impactful research, federal funding, and inclusive solutions.

Gender equity is vital for inclusive government innovation. Diverse gender perspectives must shape decisions and include all identities. At the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, we prioritize gender diversity to create programs that benefit all.

Inaugural Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellows Tommi Laitio and Terrance Smith led a Johns Hopkins intersession course on public sector innovation.

Tommi Laitio, Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow, explores the concept of conviviality–living harmoniously with differences–within these environments and highlights the need to embrace discomfort and create spaces where everyone is valued.

Public innovation is shaping effective government solutions. Discover how leaders challenge norms and redefine boundaries in communities in “Public Innovation: 6 Ways Local Governments are Breaking Boundaries.”

Tommi Laitio, Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow, explores shared spaces in cities and examines the balance of freedom and structure for better urban living through intentional design and action through the lens of global case studies.

Former Executive Director of the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins, Amanda Daflos, marks her first year at the Center and reflects on its first-year impact on transforming government and improving lives.

The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation is now training 13 diverse cities in five countries with the 2022 Innovation Training Program, equipping city leaders with innovative tools to address pressing challenges like climate change and violence.

n 2021, the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation thrived, driving public innovation through teams, grants, and training. Exciting plans ahead for 2022 in partnership with cities worldwide.

BALTIMORE (October 20, 2021) — Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University announced…