The Latest
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Kendall Davis/Smart Cities Dive
Podcast
City Surveillance Watch
A comprehensive archive of the limited audio series from reporter Kate Kaye, who explores the inherent dichotomy of the city technologies that can double as surveillance.
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Kendall Davis/Smart Cities Dive
Deep DiveTracking the impact of coronavirus on US cities
U.S. home prices rose 10.1% in December, the fastest surge since 2014. Meanwhile, the San Diego City Council approved an $83 million program to help low-income residents cover unpaid rent and utilities.
UPDATED: Feb. 24, 2021 at 10:05 a.m. -
Screenshot via America Is All In
Climate leaders go 'all in' to halve emissions by 2030
The new "America Is All In" coalition of U.S. communities, businesses and institutions, has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 with support from the federal government.
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Airbnb joins frenzy of tech firms landing in Atlanta
The company will open a technical hub in the city to serve as a regional base for "hundreds" of employees to support the local workforce.
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Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners
Georgia smart city living lab unveils 5G incubator
Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners partnered with T-Mobile and Georgia Tech to help developers build test cases for 5G technology like drones and robotics.
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Residents' climate anecdotes to inform San Diego resilience plan
Following hazard vulnerability assessments, the city is nearing a resilience draft plan focused on wildfires, sea level rise, extreme heat and flooding.
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Economic rebound could derail progress on Paris climate goals, experts warn
The U.S. power sector has exceeded previous emissions goals and will continue to do so, a new report says. Progress could be thwarted by rising emissions in the transportation sector.
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Danielle Ternes/Smart Cities Dive
Deep DivePower sector experts fight misinformation around Texas outages
Operators will often prepare for peak loads based on historical data, but those forecasts can be less predictable under a changing climate, one expert said.
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Courtesy of B2 Civic Solutions
A smart city consultant takes the lead on a county's vaccine rollout
Former Kansas City, MO Chief Innovation Officer Bob Bennett oversees vaccines for Wyandotte County, KS, and is using his 'smart city' experience for an efficient, equitable distribution.
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Yujin Kim/Smart Cities Dive
Deep DiveTransit workers face growing rate of assaults: 'There's not much we can do'
Some transit operators are asking for reassignments off the frontlines as they face increasingly violent threats from frustrated riders amid COVID-19.
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Minneapolis bans facial recognition to dismay of city police
The Minneapolis City Council passed a surveillance ordinance that police say was "crafted and approved without any consideration" from the department.
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Webster, Tony. (2018). "Kansas State Capitol in Topeka" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Topeka, KS extends remote worker relocation program
GO Topeka will dedicate another $300,000 to lure talent to the state capital, after the program's initial year successfully brought in 40 remote workers.
UPDATED: Feb. 17, 2021 at 10:13 a.m. -
Miami vies for the title of 'Bitcoin City'
Along with proposing the use of cryptocurrency in city governance, Mayor Francis Suarez introduced Venture Miami and appointed the city's first VC-in-residence — all in a matter of days.
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iStock via Getty Images
Uber, Lyft pursue diverging paths in quest for profitability
On separate Q4 earnings calls, Lyft officials emphasized how AVs will be crucial long term, while Uber said delivery services will be key as they try to move into the black.
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Seattle mayor approves updated energy code
Mayor Jenny Durkan signed the updates into law, dubbing the city's building energy code as "among the strongest in the nation."
UPDATED: Feb. 12, 2021 at 9:51 a.m. -
SonderBruce. (2017). "I-5 southbound traffic approaching Downtown Seattle" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
The system of GHG emissions reporting is broken, experts say
As the media points fingers at cities for underreporting carbon emissions, some argue the blame should instead be placed on a lack of guidance.
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sestovic/E+/Getty via Getty Images
Security flaws enabled Tampa-area water utility hack
Authorities found poor security hygiene — weak passwords and an outdated operating system — played a role in the hack.
UPDATED: Feb. 12, 2021 at 10:05 a.m. -
Boring Co. proposal for 4-mile California loop advances
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority voted unanimously to move forward with the proposal from the Elon Musk-owned company.
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Deep Dive
Lawmakers vs. regulators: The fight over Arizona's zero-emissions mandate
Conservatives say the Arizona Corporation Commission's proposed zero-carbon mandate oversteps its constitutional authority while defenders say the legal debate is an excuse to impede the state's climate fight.
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Auto industry embraces Biden's electrification efforts
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation said it will work with the administration on an electrification program to bring all automakers "under a unified set of common requirements."
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Courtesy of Shot Spotter
Oakland, CA to reconsider 'totally unproven' ShotSpotter tech
Oakland Privacy Commission Chair Brian Hofer says he recognizes some benefits of ShotSpotter, such as getting police to crime scenes faster — but he isn’t so sure it’s worth the money.
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Barnes, Elvert. (2021). "IMG_8075" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Police departments face scrutiny for COVID relief spending
From Honolulu to Grand Rapids, MI, city police departments are under the microscope for potentially controversial purchases with pandemic relief dollars.
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Ford bets $29B on leading the 'electric vehicle revolution'
CEO Jim Farley said on an earnings call that the automaker has more than doubled its commitment to spend on automation and electrification until 2025.
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Kendall Davis/Smart Cities Dive
Podcast
City Surveillance Watch: Setting Guardrails
In the final episode of this three-part series, reporter Kate Kaye assesses existing government policy and law for surveillance tech. (Spoiler: there isn’t much.)
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Courtesy of Populus
Transit agencies must play lead role in MaaS growth: report
Populus said while the public sector can take advantage of efforts to integrate transportation in one place, they must ensure systems are interoperable and beneficial for residents.
