WORCESTER—The Worcester Regional Research Bureau (WRRB) has once again landed on the national radar, earning a certificate of merit from the Governmental Research Association (GRA) for its digital project exploring local service requests.
The bureau was honored in the Best Digital Communication category for its interactive Where are Worcester’s Woes? StoryMap — a deep dive into the city’s 311 system that visualizes how and where residents report problems to their local government. It’s the second year in a row WRRB has received the award, which was announced at the GRA’s 2025 Annual Conference, held this year in Providence, Rhode Island.
According to the announcement, “a unified resident service system — such as that represented in the 311 data found throughout this StoryMap — allows residents and visitors to the city to easily and closely interact with government officials and to more effectively (hopefully) solve their problems.”
The StoryMap aims to shed light on how city services are accessed, and where gaps may exist. WRRB’s team describes it as a tool to help residents understand their role in shaping government responsiveness — and to provide policymakers with a clearer view of citywide needs.
In addition to the award, WRRB’s Senior Research Associate Josh Boucher was featured on a panel focused on education finance, sharing findings from the bureau’s Paying for a Public Education and Breaking Down the Budget series. The panel also included representatives from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, and Connecticut’s School+State Finance Project.
The GRA, established in 1914, is a national network of public policy and civic research professionals. Its annual conference travels to cities across the country — with past hosts including Philadelphia, Worcester, Asheville, and now Providence — and aims to recognize innovative research that informs better government.
