City of Riverside Places in Top Five in “Equipt to Innovate” National Survey

Published: 5/25/2017

More than 60 cities competed for recognition in strategic planning and performance measurement

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The City of Riverside has placed in the Top Five in the national “Equipt to Innovate” survey, which evaluates how well local governments are engaged in strategic planning and data-driven performance measurement.

The survey was produced by Governing magazine in partnership with Living Cities. More than 300 cities across the U.S. were invited to participate in the survey, which examined policies and practices in many city departments. More than 60 cities completed the survey

“Riverside is the City of Arts and Innovation, and this recognition certainly validates that,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “Our city’s residents and business owners can rest assured knowing Riverside is ready to tackle the challenges facing local governments across the country.”

In addition to the Top Five finish, Riverside also was recognized as being a high performer in both the “dynamically planned” and “broadly partnered” categories of the award. The organization did not release a specific order for those cities that finished in the Top Five.

The “dynamically planned” category recognizes cities that align their department’s goals with a strategic plan, such as the Riverside 2.0 plan that is guiding City Hall’s efforts to be more customer focused.

Key indicators in this category were sustainability and transparency, both of which are core values of Riverside 2.0, and a commitment to tracking and reporting progress toward goals, which Riverside does on a regular basis.

Cities that were credited with being “broadly partnered” included knowledge and input from a variety of sources, including businesses, colleges and universities, sister cities, neighboring jurisdictions, and start-ups to produce positive results. Cities partnered with these groups to “share resources to maximize impact and efficiency,” according to survey organizers.

Riverside places a premium on partnerships. One example of this in Riverside was the partnership that resulted in the Air Resources Board relocating its $413 million testing facility to Riverside. The city’s partners in that effort included UC Riverside, Riverside County, and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.

“Riversiders have always worked together for the betterment of our community, from petitioning for better air quality in the 1970s to bringing Air Resources Board jobs here today,” Mayor Pro Tem Mike Gardner said. “It is encouraging to see those effort recognized by the ‘Equipt to Innovate’ folks.”

More information can be found at: http://www.governing.com/equipt

More information about Living Cities can be found at: https://www.livingcities.org/

-30-