Good Services Lab
Good Services Lab
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Reimagining cities where all can flourish
The Good Services Lab, led by Kimberlyn Leary, Ph.D., MPA, is a think-and-do lab based at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. The lab supports current and future government and community leaders in data-driven innovation and to collaborate across boundaries to advance resident outcomes.
Stay in touch: Fill out our interest form.
Our Practice Areas
- Health and Public Health
- Public Service Delivery
- Environment and Climate
- Wealth, Mobility and Opportunity Gaps
- “AI for Good” in Public Service Delivery
- Democracy and Government Innovation
Team Participation in Executive Education Teaching:
Cross-Boundary Collaboration. Faculty director Kimberlyn Leary, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
Leading City Procurement Reform. Co-faculty directors Kimberlyn Leary and Jeffrey Liebman and the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
Program for New Mayors: First 100 Days. Co-faculty directors Kimberlyn Leary and Mitch Weiss, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative
Health Equity by Design, Harvard Medical School
Our Contributions
Health and Public Health
Environment and Climate
- How City Leaders Can Spur Youth Engagement on Climate. Bloomberg Cities, 2024.
Leading Change
- The Consortia Century: Aligning for Impact. Oxford University Press, 2025.
- Leading with Intentionality: The 4P Framework for Strategic Leadership. HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series, 2022.
- Catalyzing Leadership for Equity. The Urban Institute, 2022.
- Reflecting on America’s claims and settlements as nation reaches 250. Amsterdam News, 2026.
- Kimberlyn Leary: Moving from the hyperlocal to large-scale systemic change. Faculty Focus, 2026.
Equity Innovation Hub
Podcasts
- Evidence in Action: A Podcast of the Urban Institute, since 2024. Cross-sectoral changemakers address the question: What does it look like for evidence to drive change for people and communities?
- Agility at Work, since 2019. This 40-session podcast welcomes authors and other guests to share actionable advice on adaptive leadership and agile negotiation.
- Guest on The Data-Smart City Pod. Episode 97: Good, Responsive Services Start With the Resident. 2026
Our People
Faculty Director, Founder
Faculty Assistant & Project Manager
to Kimberlyn Leary
Senior Strategic Advisor
Fellow
Undergraduate Research Associate
Undergraduate Research Associate
Undergraduate Research Associate
Undergraduate Research Associate
Research Associate
Good Services for Cities
From AI to Main Street
Research-to-Action Field Building
Good Services for Cities
Good Services for Cities
Improving outcomes for city residents by identifying, building on, and scaling leading practices for delivering more effective public services through integrating disciplines like behavioral insights, customer experience, and implementation science.
From AI to Main Street
From AI to Main Street
How will artificial intelligence reshape entrepreneurial opportunity across cities and regions? In Fall 2026, Good Services Lab Fellow Natalie Cofield will be leading a graduate-level study group centered on this question. Across three sessions, students will examine AI not as a tool, but as a structural economic force influencing labor demand, firm competitiveness, and entrepreneurial access across interconnected local and regional economies.
Research-to-Action Field Building
Research-to-Action Field Building
We equip leaders and communities with practical and essential data, tools, and insights to nimbly advance resident outcomes in complex policy, legal, and regulatory environments. Our robust support and mentorship of student researchers working with our team reflects our commitment to practicing the same principles we advance.
Featured Research
Forthcoming:
Setting Up a Youth Climate Action Microgrant Program in Your City: a How-To Guide for City Leaders
