CityWork is a research and geospatial analytics practice. We turn civic data into evidence, maps, tools, and analysis that help governments, nonprofits, and organizations of all sizes act with confidence.
We're an end-to-end spatial data practice, combining deep expertise with practical delivery. We work across the full lifecycle of a client's data — from strategy and data design through modeling, implementation, and ongoing operations — using transparent methods and evidence-led analysis throughout.
Our core value is asking better questions. So often, spatial data gets stuck in a hall of mirrors, trapping us inside more about what we know…
Our reputation is built on combining thinking outside the box with technical excellence to offer a fresh perspective. Developed in a collaborative relationship, we deliver our clients real results that result in real change.
CityWork's founding question is “what does it mean to live well in the city together?” Through data analysis, GIS mapping, and research for local governments and nonprofits, we reshape social and political narratives to challenge the status quo of urban inequality.
Understanding how cities work, and who they work for, requires asking hard questions. Through custom data analysis, GIS mapping, and policy research, we help local governments and community organizations translate those questions into evidence that supports legislative action, grant applications, and program development.
We’re a small practice based in Norfolk, Virginia. But our footprint is global. We work with deep institutional knowledge of systems across North America, Europe, and the Global South, connecting global expertise to local challenges.
Small means the distance between the question and the person doing the work short. There’s no extra layers, no unnecessary handoffs. No losing the point somewhere between the meeting and the final product.
Sometimes fewer people means paying closer attention. When the work calls for more expertise, we bring in exactly the right people. We have a deep bench of researchers, data scientists, specialists, anthropologists, economists, and community organizers we work with.
Most of what's known about a city is locked in silos, paywalled reports, and consultants' decks. We work the other way. Our research is free- no paywall, no sign up required. Our findings are built to be used to build a better city.
Measuring heirs property across the Richmond region — how many homes and parcels are affected or at risk, what they're worth, and where they concentrate.
About the project →Research and mapping for the office of Delegate Jackie Glass — county-by-county analysis of what gets seized, what gets returned, and who never sees their property again.
About the project →We start with what you're trying to decide, prove, or change — then work backward to the evidence that would actually move it.
We gather, clean, or construct the data from scratch. Methods are documented and reproducible, so the work stands up to scrutiny.
Maps, dashboards, white-label apps, and reports written for the people who have to use them — staff, boards, funders, the public.
Data goes stale. We keep tools updated, train your team, and stick around for the follow-up questions.