Centennial, Colorado, under the leadership of City Manager John H. Danielson , and Peoria, Illinois, under the leadership of City Manager F. Patrick Urich, were among several U.S. cities that were selected to participate in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Innovation Teams program.

The purpose of the Innovation Teams program is “to improve the capacity of City Halls to effectively design and implement new approaches that improve citizens’ lives – relying on data, open innovation, and strong project and performance management to help mayors address pressing urban challenges.”[1]

The grant money will be used to hire innovation teams to address pressing challenges in the recipient cities. Using a data-driven approach, the teams will help cities develop and implement innovative approaches to problem solving.

The city of Centennial will be looking at transportation issues, including the needs of an aging population.

The aging infrastructure of the water system will be the focus of the Peoria innovation team.

Application was by invitation. Cities had to have a population of 100,000 or more and the mayor’s term must have two years remaining.