The Latest

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    Permission granted by Frederick County, Maryland
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    Nominate a project for the 2026 Smart Cities Dive Community Project Awards

    The awards will highlight innovation and effective use of technology to solve real community problems.

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    stock.adobe.com / Yaroslav Astakhov

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    Sponsored by Neumo

    How self-service is revolutionizing state and local government

    Governments are moving from people-dependent processes to people-centric self-service. Here's why.

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    Courtesy of Donaldson Impact Investments
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    How local incentives helped clinch an apartment deal in a rent-controlled Maryland county

    Investors took advantage of Montgomery County’s by-right Payment in Lieu of Taxes program to buy a multifamily building that will be converted to a mixed-income affordable housing community.

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    Robyn Griggs Lawrence/Smart Cities Dive
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    Mayors speak with one voice: Housing tops nation’s urban agenda

    At the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ annual meeting, bipartisan mayors from cities of all sizes called affordable housing their most pressing challenge and urged Congress to pass the ROAD to Housing Act.

  • Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks into a microphone behind a wooden podium on stage at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Illinois governor vows continued housing push as statewide zoning proposal hits a wall

    The Illinois Municipal League actively opposed the housing bill that it said would preempt local land use and zoning authority.

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    (2026). "Full Committee Markup (June 4, 2026)". Retrieved from T&I Committee Republicans/YouTube.
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    Surface Transportation Legislation

    House transportation committee commits to ‘safety, reliability’ while reviewing Trump FY 2027 budget ask

    “We've had a productive session so far,” said Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., during a markup session of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

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    Getty Images
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    More federal funding for local parks could soon be available. Here’s how to apply.

    A new funding round could provide cities with up to $15 million for parks and recreation projects. Local engagement and implementation plans could make or break applications, experts say.

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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    To celebrate a growing subway line, LA throws a launch party

    The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority emphasized the D Line's impact on the communities it will serve amid the glamor of the launch's dignitaries and celebrities.

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    Permission granted by Family Promise
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    HUD’s point-in-time count misses this form of homelessness

    Millions of people are estimated to be in “doubled-up” housing situations. Monitoring the trend could help cities prevent more of them from ending up on the street, one researcher says.

  • Aerial view of downtown Long Beach, California, with ocean in the background
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    Getty Images
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    Cities see opportunity in emerging sports markets

    Long Beach, California, and five other cities are exploring how to capitalize on women’s sports and minor league franchises “to create permanent economic activity,” Mayor Rex Richardson says.

  • Several people seen from behind walking toward an intercity bus in a garage.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    How do transportation agencies address human trafficking? US DOT awards recognize innovation

    New “counter-trafficking tools, initiatives, campaigns, and technologies” can qualify for monetary awards in a program accepting applications through June 22.

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    Courtesy of Samsara
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    Q&A

    AI to find clogged drains? Possibilities, misconceptions and more on AI’s growth in the public sector

    Smart Cities Dive spoke with Samsara Senior Vice President for Sales Engineering Tim Nagy about the rise of AI in local government and what the future could entail.

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    Getty Images
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    How Charleston, South Carolina, is setting the stage for thousands of affordable homes by 2032

    An “aggressive” new housing strategy includes pre-permitting city land and preapproving housing designs to fill gaps more quickly, the mayor said. 

  • A sign at a crosswalk with a push button.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    To help public agencies reduce roadway risk, platform combines diverse datasets

    The Safety Hub tool from Replica and Arity gives communities “the insight they need to act before tragedy occurs,” Arity’s president said.

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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Lawsuit targets fair housing rule change

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s final rule amending how the Equal Credit Opportunity Act is applied “effectively guts” fair lending protections, according to four plaintiffs.

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    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Homelessness dropped 3% last year after record highs: HUD

     A 4% decrease in people seeking emergency shelter was the largest contributor to the decline, according to the annual report.

  • A blue vehicle on a flatbed truck along a highway with other cars.
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    The image by Mliu92 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Waymo rolls out purpose-built robotaxis

    New autonomous vehicles featuring Waymo’s latest software are expected to perform better in harsh winter conditions.

  • A sprawling water treatment plant on the shore of a large body of water.
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    Justin Sullivan/ via Getty Images
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    Cities push Congress to avert water infrastructure funding cliff

    With enhanced funding from the Biden-era infrastructure law set to expire and proposed federal cuts on the table, local government and water groups are urging lawmakers to reauthorize key drinking water and wastewater programs.

  • A man in a suit wearing sunglasses with two uniformed people alongside at a podium speaking to a group of people.
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    Retrieved from U.S. Department of Transportation/X.
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    Washington Union Station renovation gets $466M from US DOT

    The Department of Transportation will take a lead role in redeveloping the station and increasing its revenue potential.

  • Tall green grass stands in front of a calm lake on a sunny day with a sailboat and canoe on the lake in the distance.
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    Getty Images
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    A housing raffle is one community’s effort to ensure new homes go to current residents

    Elk Grove Village, Illinois, created a “first-of-its-kind” public-private partnership to give residents first dibs on a new batch of single-family homes.

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    Getty Images
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    How 2 cities are rethinking hiring approaches to fill public works jobs

    Baltimore cut hiring bottlenecks, while Columbus, Ohio, partnered with a women’s prison to connect overlooked workers to city careers, Work for America case studies found.

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    Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    To expand housing, Maryland is turning to its largest landowner: itself

    New laws zone land near transit for housing and delay local impact fees for developers.

  • A person stands at a podium with the seal of the Philadelphia mayor, surrounded by other people.
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    Permission granted by Philadelphia City Council
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    Philadelphia clean energy campaign turned millions invested into billions saved. Here’s how.

    By blending public and private financing, green banking and a coalition of labor, housing and community partners, the city generated 11,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in energy savings — with minimal federal dollars, an economic impact report found.

  • Aerial view of bumperto bumper traffic on an 8-lane freeway.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    California considers high-speed buses

    Buses traveling at 120 mph on dedicated freeway lanes would connect San Francisco and Los Angeles in just over three hours, a California Department of Transportation research report estimates.

  • data centers, heat emissions, thermal plumes, ASU, David Sailor, nearby neighborhoods
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    George Frey / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Data centers raise temperatures up to 4 degrees in nearby neighborhoods: study

    Thermal plumes from four data centers near Phoenix threaten to raise the energy burden on surrounding neighborhoods during the extended summer cooling season, researchers found.

  • Many rows of people at dark brown tables.
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    (2026). "Full Committee Markup Part 2 May 21, 2026" [Video]. Retrieved from T&I Committee Republicans/YouTube.
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    Surface Transportation Legislation

    Transit, Amtrak cuts advance in House appropriations bill

    The one-year bill cuts public transit funding by 22%, Amtrak by 69% and Capital Investment Grants by 78% for fiscal year 2027 but puts “a historic amount of funding” into bridges.