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Amid push for 222K new homes, Massachusetts eases variance request requirements
The reform measure asks local zoning boards to weigh variance requests for their potential benefits to the community.
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Local projects would get billions under water infrastructure bill
The Water Resources Development Act, which would provide $30.5 billion for state revolving funds, passed unanimously through House and Senate committees.
Updated July 16, 2026 -
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Congestion pricing has little to no effect on NYC parking: report
Tight parking conditions largely predated the program, the report found. Increased parking use, where it occurred, was likely due to economic growth.
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New York freezes new large data center projects for one year
The first statewide moratorium will give officials time to evaluate impacts on electricity demand, water resources, infrastructure and surrounding communities, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said.
Updated July 15, 2026 -
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US pedestrian deaths decline for third straight year
The estimated reduction in pedestrian fatalities in 2025 came as cities and states increase law enforcement and other measures, the Governors Highway Safety Association said.
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Top concerns of city leaders: 4 takeaways from NLC’s State of the Cities 2026
As they face shrinking federal support and housing shortages, city leaders focus on attracting business for economic growth, a National League of Cities report found.
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Community solar, incentives helped New York reach 8 GW of distributed solar capacity
Consistent incentives, standardized utility processes and regulatory collaboration are key to rapid growth, experts say.
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Bipartisan federal housing bill becomes law
Widely championed by municipal groups, the bill provides more federal housing funding and new financing tools and could ease some regulatory burdens.
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Courtesy of Governor Kathy Hochul/Flickr
Faster buses, more reduced fares goal of New York city, state agreements
More automated camera enforcement of bus lane infractions also will come from agreements between New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
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Permission granted by Vashon Jordan Jr./Chicago Office of the Mayor
With extreme rainfall overwhelming Chicago’s sewers, the city tries a new approach
A $12 million pilot for underground stormwater storage targets flooding in historically underserved neighborhoods.
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$1.1 trillion a year in federal funding at risk in proposed OMB grant overhaul, municipal leaders warn
Local officials are urged to comment before July 13 on a regulatory change that would expand agencies’ power to cancel grants and alter how they manage annual funding.
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Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
TrackerRobotaxis: The latest developments
Waymo will add four more cities but awaits a permit to operate in Washington, D.C.
Updated July 10, 2026 -
The image by Tdorante10 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
NYC commercial composting requirements could grow under new law
Waste officials could expand organics diversion requirements if they find sufficient processing capacity and costs competitive with landfilling or incineration.
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$1.73B for roads, bridges, transit and other projects allocated in USDOT awards
More than three-quarters of grants went to road and bridge projects, while public transit received less than 10% of total award funds.
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Election security requirements added to FEMA homeland security grants
The agency is requiring states and “high-risk urban election jurisdictions” to use paper ballots and verify voter citizenship. Previous immigration and diversity-related restrictions have sparked state and local government lawsuits.
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California return-to-office mandate puts state buildings to the test
As more than 100,000 state employees shift to four in-office days, experts say the bigger question is whether government offices are designed for how people work today.
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Courtesy of Brightline Florida
Brightline Florida rail company faces bankruptcy
Despite strong ridership on the Miami-Orlando, Florida, rail line, the company’s $5.5 billion debt puts its future in doubt.
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Extreme heat road map urges cities to rethink resilience
Treat extreme heat as a chronic risk, the Federation of American Scientists says. It offers solutions ranging from grid resilience to cooling access.
Updated July 8, 2026 -
Courtesy of Kennedy Wilson
LA to get 4,000 affordable housing units via adaptive reuse, new construction
The former LA World Trade Center will be converted into 512 affordable units to kick off the effort.
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Permission granted by Frederick County, Maryland
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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Scott Olson via Getty Images
Resilience projects need funding. Green banks could help them reach new investors, one researcher says.
A hybrid institutional capital model could package small infrastructure resilience projects to make them attractive to institutional investors, a new research paper proposes.
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Permission granted by Waterton
4 takeaways from the NLIHC national renter survey
Many renters facing unaffordable rents lack other housing options, according to the 2025 National Renter Survey by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
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$900M in homelessness funding restored to California local governments
The state nearly doubled its prior proposal to fund a program that city leaders have called “the backbone of the state’s local homelessness response system.”
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Courtesy of Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
Electric commuter rail line extension aims to bring economic benefits to northern Indiana
A branch of the South Shore Line, the Monon Corridor is expected to generate $2.7 billion in private investment to northwestern Indiana when combined with another completed project.
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New critical infrastructure cybersecurity framework features government, regional council options
The Trump administration has said it wants to push more cybersecurity resilience responsibilities to the state and local levels.
