PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA – For the third consecutive year, the City of Long Beach has been recognized as the first-place Top Digital City for its population size in the 2023 Digital Cities Survey, an annual survey that evaluates how cities across the nation use technology to advance city goals, operations and services to the community. Long Beach has been recognized as a Top 10 Digital City for thirteen consecutive years.

“We are proud to be recognized as a top digital city for three consecutive years,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “Our City’s use of technology and data to support critical initiatives highlights our unwavering commitment to advancing equity and inclusion, as well as addressing the digital divide in Long Beach.”

Now in its 23rd year, the annual survey recognizes cities nationwide that utilize technology to tackle social challenges, enhance services and strengthen cybersecurity, among other initiatives. It honors cities in five population classifications, with Long Beach assigned to the 250,000 to 499,999 population category.

“The Digital Cities survey winners continue to push the envelope of how government agencies deliver modern services during a period of rapid technological change,” said Todd Sander, Vice President for the Center for Digital Government and Governing Institute. “Today we recognize and congratulate these trailblazers who are helping to build a government that works for everyone.”

Long Beach stands out for its distinct technology vision and its fundamental role in how the City functions. From the “Go Long Beach” app to permit management software, technology is instrumental to improving the lives of residents, serving businesses and providing a high-quality experience for visitors. Equipping City staff with the technology tools and skills to succeed is equally essential. Long Beach is committed to creating technology and data-informed solutions to maximize collective impact and the ability to serve, understand, engage and meet residents’ expectations. This year’s designation was based on the City’s progress through the following key initiatives:

• Supported the City’s homelessness emergency by providing critical technology infrastructure and equipment, technology solutions and data analysis and reporting via coordinated efforts for the City’s Tiny Homes infrastructure, Safe Parking Program sites for people living in vehicles, the Mobile Access Center and field command center.
• Additionally supported the City’s homelessness emergency by developing: the homelessness services and information hub, a comprehensive one-stop-shop of homelessness information, data and resources available on the City’s website; a homelessness digital dashboard to track results; a development map to show progress on affordable housing projects; a homelessness survey with 2,846 responses that included an analysis of the qualitative feedback using AI technology; and collaborating with Long Beach Television to conduct weekly live broadcasts with Mayor Rex Richardson to provide timely information to the public pertaining to the homelessness emergency.
• Launched a new technology pilot program, the Long Beach Collaboratory (LB Co-Lab), an immersive technology training program convened of 30 local stakeholders from four under-resourced Long Beach neighborhoods. LB Co-Lab is a new model of smart cities that will ensure that the City invests in context-appropriate technology enhancements based on community-identified needs while teaching community members how to navigate the tech world.
• Forged a partnership with the Coding it Forward Civic Innovation Corps program to enhance the City’s in-house data analysis capacity. In 2022 and 2023, the City welcomed 11 Summer Fellows with software engineering, data analysis, service design and product management expertise to work on several high-impact technology and innovation projects.
• Developed a first-of-its-kind Digital Rights Platform intending to improve the legibility and visibility of smart city technologies and educate the public about the City’s data privacy practices. The City received a grant from the National Science Foundation to continue deploying and testing the Digital Rights Platform through 2024.
• Instituted the Digital Inclusion Initiative to advance digital equity and inclusion for communities and neighborhoods most in need. Through the Initiative, the City deployed more than $2.7 million in federal digital equity grant funding under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in collaboration with 11 community partner organizations. 
• Tackled digital inequality in Long Beach through funding and building collaborative partnerships with community organizations to administer over 2,400 hotspots and 2,900 free computing devices to qualified Long Beach residents, businesses and nonprofits.

“I am thrilled that we are being recognized for our people-focused approach to using data and technology to solve civic challenges” said Chief Information Officer and Technology and Innovation Department Director Lea Eriksen. “Our team has worked hard this past year to support critical city initiatives like homelessness, and it is an honor to be recognized again!”

The top 10-ranking cities in each of the five population categories, among other awardees, will be honored during the Digital Cities Survey Awards on Nov. 16, 2023. The complete list of this year’s winners is available on the CDG website.

The CDG is a national research and advisory institute focused on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The CDG is a division of e.Republic, a national publishing, event, and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation. 

About the City of Long Beach  
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. To learn more about Technology and Innovation, visit: longbeach.gov/ti.

About the Center for Digital Government
The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute focused on technology policy and best practices in state and local government. CDG is a division of e.Republic, the nation’s only media and research company focused exclusively on state and local government and education.