The Latest

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    Retrieved from Nicole Nabers/X.
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    Fort Walton Beach, Florida’s finance director brings fiscal discipline after a period of scandal

    After a period of scandal and staff turnover, Smart Cities Dive Public Service Award winner Nicole Nabors is rebuilding trust through technology and transparency.

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    Housing energy efficiency requirements rescinded by HUD, USDA

    The 2021 International Energy Conservation Code added $20,000 to the cost of new home construction, according to Trump administration estimates.

  • Shadowy figures walk toward a statue of a person on a horse in a snowstorm.
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    Scott Eisen via Getty Images
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    Boston’s climate plan focuses on local execution, accountability as federal support shrinks

    The city is using dashboards, pilots and partnerships to cut emissions, build resilience at the neighborhood level and “bring more happiness and justice” to Bostonians.

  • Overhead view of dozens of people crossing streets in different directions.
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    Cities urged to apply now for safe streets and roads grants

    The U.S. Department of Transportation’s SS4A funding opportunity may be its last if the program isn’t renewed, a Stantec executive said.

  • A small, futuristic airplane with several vertical propellers flies over water with the skyline of lower Manhattan behind.
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    Courtesy of Joby Aviation
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    Joby Aviation air taxi takes flight in NYC

    The air taxi developer and the Federal Aviation Administration are demonstrating advanced air mobility in a nationwide tour.

  • A concrete building with the words "GROUNDWATER REPLENISHMENT" on it and a white tank in the background.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Water reuse is essential for economic growth, the EPA says. Experts see obstacles ahead.

    EPA’s Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0 positions recycled water as critical to industries like semiconductors and data centers, but local capacity, policy gaps and lingering stigma could complicate delivery, an expert says.

  • A rendering of a skyscraper overlooking a park in a city.
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    Courtesy of Extell
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    New York governor floats tax on high-end second homes in NYC

    New York is one of several states exploring surcharges on second homes. The proposal could generate $500 million in annual revenue in New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

  • Boxes on a train zoom past a railroad crossroad
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    David McNew via Getty Images
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    $1.1B available for railroad grade-crossing safety

    The Crossing Safety Program aims to address the over 2,000 collisions and nearly 300 fatalities yearly since 2021.

  • Smoke billows from tall smokestacks on cluster of buildings.
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    Cities sue EPA for failing to uphold soot standard

    “By ignoring the legal responsibility to uphold its own rule, U.S. EPA is willfully abandoning the agency’s duties under the Clean Air Act,” California Air Resources Board Chair Lauren Sanchez said.

  • A person wearing an orange vest and a white hard hat drinks from a plastic water bottle.
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    Mark Makela via Getty Images
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    City and state climate litigation would be banned under new federal GOP bill

    The Stop Climate Shakedowns Act would strip local governments and others of legal pathways to hold energy companies liable for climate-related costs and assert federal authority over greenhouse gas emissions.

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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Indiana to enforce statewide encampment ban aimed at homeless population

    The law aims to supersede local government policies that are not in compliance with the state’s anti-camping stance.

  • Large group of men and women at a table with confetti flying above them. Sign on table reads Brightline West.
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    Ethan Miller via Getty Images
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    Surface Transportation Legislation

    Bill to streamline transit project permitting introduced in House

    The bipartisan legislation seeks to bring parity between transit and highway projects to the National Environmental Policy Act permitting process.

  • Bridge over blue body of water with city skyline in background.
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    Getty Images
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    Who gets shade first? Austin, Texas, uses Google Earth data to decide.

    By layering heat risk, demographics and tree canopy data, the city is prioritizing vulnerable neighborhoods as extreme heat intensifies.

  • A view of the Houston skyline shows a park and buildings
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    Getty Images
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    Houston expands multifamily recycling pilot

    About half of Houston residents live in apartments, but most lack recycling access. A pilot supported by The Recycling Partnership and Alliance to End Plastic Waste aims to change that.

  • Digital technology vector background depicting a cyberattack.
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    Getty Images
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    AI is making cyberattacks on local governments easier than ever

    A lack of guardrails in internal processes is making governments more vulnerable, a cybersecurity expert says.

  • A street lined with historic brick buildings with forested hills in the background.
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    Getty Images
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    Heat, wildfires drive surge in ozone pollution, report finds

    The American Lung Association’s State of the Air report cites ground-level ozone, data centers and EPA actions as clean-air threats, but cities have levers to curb emissions, an ALA director says.

  • People stand in line to board a green bus seen through a glass partition.
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    How 4 trends favor intercity buses

    As gas prices and air fares rise, more and better buses may entice travelers, an expert says.

  • Two people wearing suits greet each other in front of a black Suburban.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    5 ways these D.C. suburbs are turning climate goals into local results

    Takoma Park, Maryland, and Dumfries, Virginia, are advancing resilience through funding alignment, infrastructure upgrades and resident engagement.

  • Construction continues on the Hudson Gateway Tunnel project
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    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Surface Transportation Legislation

    Civic leaders outline 8 surface transportation priorities

    Nine business-led organizations from major cities urged Congress to support passenger rail and transit programs in upcoming transportation legislation.

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    Getty Images
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    ADA website accessibility compliance deadline extended 1 year for local governments

    While many localities are well-positioned for the accessibility standards, some are still learning about them, an expert said.

  • Many people walking and standing on a train station platform alongside a train with buildings in the background.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Amtrak to get $4.7B for Northeast Corridor projects, opens bids for new long-distance trains

    The U.S. Department of Transportation also opened applications for funding to improve passenger rail ridership and enhance multimodal connections with intercity buses.

  • Aerial view from skyline with skyscrapers in Brooklyn downtown New York on the Hudson river
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    Getty Images
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    $4B affordable housing initiative launches in New York City

    The four-year program invests pension funds into affordable housing efforts, including office-to-housing conversions.

  • A skyline silhouette with orange sky
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    Getty Images
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    Residents in some neighborhoods live 30 years longer. Researchers developed a model to close that gap.

    “Universal basic neighborhood” is a new framework that shows cities how to spread health, not concentrate it.

  • A blue and purple bus along a road in Virginia.
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    Courtesy of Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation
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    Virginia launches cross-state bus service

    The state-supported Tidewater Current route links 10 cities from Virginia Beach to Harrisonburg, with a stop at Richmond International Airport.

  • Line of cars sitting in a traffic jam.
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    Opinion

    Stuck in traffic: How to get the urban mobility dream moving

    Policy fragmentation, weak incentives and political hesitation are stalling the future of urban mobility. Here’s how cities can break the gridlock.