The exponential growth of data presents cities with an opportunity to address the challenges they face, not the least of which doing better with less. Many cities have now embarked upon an open data approach, which constitutes an important step towards democratic transparency and reflects their openness to usage-based innovation.

Some pioneering North American cities have appointed Chief Data Officers and data teams tasked with collecting, standardising and cross-referencing data that could be helpful for urban development.

How can we use the city’s historical data to promote the predictive maintenance of urban infrastructure? How can we use accurate, real-time mapping of people’s movements to improve their wellbeing and respond to their needs? How can we use an analysis of individual and collective consumption data and weather forecasts to adapt the energy supply of the city in real time?

La Fabrique de la Cité has invited representatives from the cities of Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Pittsburgh – five cities involved in exploiting urban data to varying degrees of course, but united behind one constant principal: the need for political determination and immediate consultation with the private sector. The present document illustrates the strategies implemented thus far and highlights a number of recent promising projects.