La Plata launches open‑data platform and awards public‑service contracts to cooperatives

The city of La Plata has introduced OpenArg La Plata, an open‑data dashboard developed by Colossus Lab that aggregates municipal indicators on demographics, public safety and education infrastructure. The platform provides a searchable, visual interface for residents, researchers and journalists, and includes a community wall for neighbourhood reporting.

Mayor Julio Alak presided over the allocation of a public‑tender that assigns 53 worker cooperatives to provide municipal services for the next 18 months. The new contracting system replaces a decade of direct awards, aiming to increase transparency, reduce administrative burdens for the cooperatives and ensure predictable payments. Alak described the change as a historic step for the city's public‑service model.