The City of Phoenix Shows Government Can be Innovative (Downloadable Version Only!)

The government of Phoenix, Arizona, has been attracting a lot of attention lately. In an international competition to recognize the best-run city government in the world, Phoenix was awarded the Carl Bertelsmann Prize. The city, which was praised for its highly efficient and customer-oriented programs, shared the top prize of $180,000 with Christchurch, New Zealand. Not only that, but Phoenix was also recognized as the best-managed of the nation's 30 largest cities by Financial World and was the only competitor to receive a straight "A" report card in the annual "State of the Cities" rankings. And in a survey of Phoenix residents, the city government earned an 81 percent approval rating.