The Latest

  • A person with a handheld camera films another person standing and holding their arm.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Frederick County, Maryland
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

  • A person in a yellow rain covering pulls a cart in front of tents on a sidewalk
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    $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.”

  • People dressed for work stand at a train station as an electric-powered train pulls in.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

  • DHS logo
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.

  • A train car full of people all wearing yellow shirts.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Adam Gray via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    World Cup drives record public transit ridership in US match cities

    Transit agencies in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Seattle are reporting new highs in ridership on certain game days.

  • A blue tent on a city street with a view of skyscrapers in the background
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Judge rules against HUD’s ‘rapid, untimely overhaul’ of homeless funding

    Although the agency’s “hastily” made changes were deemed procedurally incorrect, the court denied a request to block anti-housing-first policy changes in the next round of Continuum of Care grants.

  • A white, red and black aircraft with six propellers parked on an apron.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Toyota Motor Corp.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Joby, Toyota form electric air taxi joint venture

    The new entity aims to support the certification and commercial production of Joby’s eVTOL aircraft. The companies' strategic alliance has been in the works since 2024.

  • Construction workers high up on large pedestals with cranes nearby.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Justin Chechourka/California High-Speed Rail Authority
    Image attribution tooltip

    Will US high-speed rail projects ever leave the station?

    California’s San Francisco-Los Angeles project looks to the private sector for help, but other privately funded projects are struggling.

    Updated July 2, 2026
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Discounted AI services coming to California cities, counties as state partners with Anthropic

    Local governments in California will receive a 50% discount on Claude, the company’s AI productivity assistant, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced.

  • People using equipment and walking around in an outdoor fitness station covered with a large fabric shade with a grassy field behind them
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Aging, mobility and resilience projects get $8.3M from AARP

    Fast-track projects ranging from safer streets and transit access to home-sharing and disaster preparedness were among those funded at a record level this year. 

  • A large round machine with cutting wheels on its green face inside an industrial building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Gateway Program
    Image attribution tooltip

    Hudson Tunnel funding restored by federal court

    Construction of the $16 billion project in New York and New Jersey can now continue. The Trump administration froze its funding, causing work to briefly stop in February.

  • Immigrants Naturalized As US Citizens at USCIS
    Image attribution tooltip
    John Moore via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How a changing US immigration landscape is impacting the housing crisis

    Housing demand is falling due to restrictive immigration policies, but the affordable housing shortage continues, says the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

  • A person wearing a suit standing at a podium with two U.S. flags behind.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cities address root causes of health disparities

    A National League of Cities accelerator is helping local governments build cross-department solutions and design policies that distribute health benefits more evenly.

  • A low building marked "Blade" on a low pier with water in the foreground and a taller building behind.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
    Image attribution tooltip

    NYC prepares electric air taxi vertiports

    Existing heliports need charging infrastructure and additional electrical power to accommodate initial flights expected to begin later this year.

  • Smoke and steam pouring from smokestacks with orange sky in background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    EPA’s tougher soot standard upheld in court

    The D.C. Circuit rejected a challenge from states and industry groups, leaving the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter in place as litigation over implementation continues.

  • Yellow earth mover moving a pile of soil on a pier jutting out from a beach.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by NYC Clean Soil Bank
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion

    Cities are throwing away millions. Soil banking offers a better way.

    Local governments can cut costs, reduce emissions and build resilience by treating excavated soil as a resource.

  • Rows of seated people facing a stage and large screen showing a woman speaking.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Top smart city conferences in 2026

    Technology, housing, climate action, transportation, public safety and more take center stage at events for local government leaders in 2026.

    Updated June 29, 2026
  • Three mobile homes rest beyond a small field of grass on a sunny day.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    This low-cost housing option is expensive to build. New law, regulatory tweaks could change that.

    Rule changes proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Congress’ pending Road to Housing Act could clear the way for cheaper manufactured homes. But will cities accept them? 

  • A backhoe at a construction site with a train passing behind.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Utah Transit Authority
    Image attribution tooltip

    New bus rapid transit line opens in Salt Lake City

    Bus ridership is near pre-pandemic levels, the Utah Transit Authority said.

  • Hawaii, Wolford v Lopez, Alito, Supreme Court, SAF
    Image attribution tooltip
    MollyNZ via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Allowing guns in stores is the default, Supreme Court says

    In shooting down a Hawai'i law, the top court puts the onus on owners of public-facing private property to say guns are prohibited if they want to keep their property gun-free.

  • The Dallas cityscape.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    These 10 metro areas have added the most housing units since 2020: report

    Texas metro areas have led the nation’s 6.6% uptick in metro-area housing units, an Urban Institute analysis found.

  • A stone building with a seal and FEMA written on it.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    FEMA

    FEMA offers $1.5B in anti-terrorism funding as local governments assume larger security role

    Applications are open through July 24 for grants supporting cybersecurity, emergency coordination, election and border protection and transit security.

  • An aircraft with multiple rotors on the ground against a background of blue skies and crowds.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Eve Air Mobility
    Image attribution tooltip

    Air taxi manufacturer Eve Air Mobility takes a different path to flight

    The Florida-based company, closely linked to aircraft manufacturer Embraer, sees air taxis as a way to relieve traffic congestion in crowded cities.

  • A worker installs a solar panel on a flat, white rooftop with a palm tree in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Sunrun
    Image attribution tooltip

    VPP using residential batteries, smart thermostats could ease data center grid crunch, developers say

    Sunrun, Tesla and Renew Home say 9 million homes could provide a faster alternative to infrastructure expansion for cities managing data center acceleration.

  • President Donald Trump speaks with the Washington Monument in the distance.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Trump blocks Road to Housing Act after it passes Congress

    Municipal leaders, who have long sought federal action to address the housing crisis, say this bill is the answer. President Trump said he won’t sign it until an election law overhaul is approved.