The Latest

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    Steven Kriemadis via Getty Images
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    Tariff uncertainty shaking border city ‘to the core,’ mayor says

    The U.S. trade fight with Canada is causing businesses to cut back on investment and hiring, Rochester Hills, Michigan, Mayor Bryan Barnett says.

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    Permission granted by Function Health
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    Sponsored by Function for Work

    First responders know how to stay healthy. Their jobs make it harder.

    Give first responders better health information—so they can know where to focus.

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    Getty Images
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    AI transparency is key for local governments, residents say

    Residents' comfort with AI use in local government is holding steady, but rollouts must be thoughtful, a PayIt survey found.

  • An aircraft with multiple rotors in flight among blue skies and clouds.
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    Courtesy of Archer Aviation
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    Archer Aviation to send its air taxi on tour in 3 states

    The air taxi developer aims to show how its electric vertical takeoff and landing  aircraft can beat driving on local trips.

  • A person in a leather jacket, jeans and baseball cap pushes a cart with a tarp over it while walking across a crosswalk. Another person walks in the opposite direction on the crosswalk. Behind them is a bus and street signs.
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Homeless services contracts to get a ‘reset’ in San Francisco

    The city plans to reissue more than $500 million in annual grants and contracts, with an emphasis on outcomes.

  • Yellow sign that says "Slow Deaf Child" on a city street
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    The image by RoadTrafficSigns.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Opinion

    For accessibility, the ADA set the foundation. Here’s how cities can aim higher.

    Let's move beyond minimum standards so deaf and hard-of-hearing residents don't have to rely on context clues and other people during emergencies.

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    Getty Images
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    Fair housing construction accessibility complaints now have a deadline, HUD says

    Accessibility claims related to multifamily building design and construction must be filed within one year of the initial certificate of occupancy, the new guidance says.

  • A person stands at a podium with a sign that says Community Climate Bank surrounded by other people.
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    Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Financing climate resilience: 3 ways cities are pivoting as federal funding dwindles

    Local leaders are turning to layered programs, new financing tools and deeper community engagement to prepare for extreme weather.

  • A white vehicle outfitted with many sensors stopped at a curb in with people and buildings in the background.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Tracker

    Robotaxis: The latest developments

    Tesla’s two-seat Cybercabs begin offering public rides today in Austin, Texas.

    Updated Sept. 4, 2026
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    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    AI oversight still lacking in NYC despite city progress: state audit

    The city has “partially implemented” state recommendations to bolster AI governance, the New York State comptroller found.

  • People stand on a subway platform next to a silver train.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Ridership up, crime down on LA Metro transit system

    New transit openings, major events and a drop in crime helped bring riders back, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority said.

  • A person's uses a computer keyboard with one hand and points to a map on a screen with the other.
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    Getty Images
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    Local government is fragmented. Here’s how AI is helping residents navigate it.

    Virtual assistants are searching across agencies and data sets to deliver answers, maps and resources through simple, conversational questions.

  • An automated metal food waste bin sits on the side of the road
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    Megan Quinn/Smart Cities Dive
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    Food waste collection for multifamily housing expands in D.C.

    The city's smart bin program will add another 20 collection locations. It’s part of an effort to increase multifamily composting efforts to meet D.C.'s zero waste goal to divert 80% of waste by 2040.

  • Person in blue suit at a podium surrounded by people beside and behind.
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    (2026). "Thune: Congress Has Important Work Ahead, Starting With Government Funding" [Video]. Retrieved from John Thune.
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    Surface Transportation Legislation

    House sends stopgap funding bill to White House with less transportation funding

    Public transit faces a 20% cut and passenger rail an 83% cut in the reconciliation bill, which funds the federal government until Dec. 11.

    Updated Sept. 2, 2026
  • A person wearing a suit and red tie sitting at a table adjusts glasses.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Congress delays OMB grant overhaul in temporary spending bill

    The stopgap spending bill pauses the proposed rewrite of the Uniform Guidance through Dec. 11, but the fight over federal control of grantmaking is far from over.

    Updated Sept. 2, 2026
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    New York’s congestion pricing program has not affected air quality, study finds

    The study addresses fears that the program would increase pollution if drivers tried to avoid the toll.

  • A bustling downtown skyline featuring an iconic blue bridge and clear skies.
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    Getty Images
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    For affordable housing fund, Cleveland embraces private partnerships

    The city launched a fund to build up to 3,000 affordable housing units using leftover American Rescue Plan Act money.

  • Two people wearing suits sit at a table with U.S. and Texas flags behind them and other people sitting around them.
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    Courtesy of Office of the Texas Governor
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    Water cybersecurity gets federal boost in 10 cities and Texas

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is putting nearly $12 million behind water-system cybersecurity and resilience as the White House connects Texas utilities with free cyber defense resources.

  • A silver elevated train over a city street with a tall building in the background.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Chicago-area transit agencies start operating under new regional authority

    The state restructured the six-county Northern Illinois transit system last year and provided $1.5 billion for transportation and transit-oriented development.

  • A digital sign outdoors announces absentee ballots are available.
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    Ayman Haykal via Getty Images
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    Weather, wayfinding, wait times: How government digital signage can keep things fresh

    Governments are diligent about keeping digital signs updated, but opportunities to take full advantage of the signage remains, a Kitcast report found.

  • Microsoft, Mount Pleasant, Wis., data center noise, lawsuit, low-level hum, dBA monitors
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    Courtesy of Microsoft
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    Data center noise lawsuits test limits of local ordinances

    A low-level hum coming from a Microsoft data center that’s hard to measure is a nuisance that’s hurting property values, Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, residents allege.

  • Aerial view of homes in a dense neighborhood.
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    Getty Images
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    Social housing program gets city task force sign-off in Portland, Maine

    The task force encouraged the city to establish pilot programs aimed at complementing the “tools that we already have” to address affordable housing, a city councilmember said.

  • A strip in the middle of a city roadway with plants and a large grill over an opening.
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    Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Stormwater ‘sponges’ take root in Queens, New York, to curb flooding

    As part of its larger green infrastructure program, the city is repurposing existing hardscape to capture millions of gallons of stormwater before it overwhelms sewers.

  • A green, blue and white SUV lettered "Prokel Mobility" on a road in front of a multistory building.
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    Courtesy of ProKel Mobility
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    As transit ridership more than doubles in North Miami Beach, first- and last-mile service expands

    Transit provider ProKel Mobility helped the community redesign its bus routes to connect with surrounding transit networks.

  • A winding road with a few cars through a hilly landscape.
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    Getty Images
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    DOT proposes streamlining land leases along roads, railroads for utility use

    Revenues from the leases could fund repairs and upgrades for roads, bridges, tunnels and railroads along the corridors, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation proposal.

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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    States move to rein in license plate surveillance as cities face growing scrutiny

    Arizona, Connecticut, Florida and South Dakota are pushing for statewide rules. The issues “are too great to be decided in isolation at the local level,” the Arizona attorney general’s office says.