The Latest

  • A Sound Transit Express bus moves through downtown Seattle.
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    Courtesy of Sound Transit

    Seattle-area kids can ride transit free starting Sept. 1

    Targeted funds from the Move Ahead Washington mass transit package, aimed at developing the next generation of transit riders, will cover costs related to the Sound Transit Board’s new policy.

  • Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gives the thumbs up as he leaves the Senate Chamber after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act at the U.S. Capitol August 7, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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    Drew Angerer/Getty Images via Getty Images

    Mayors and city leaders voice support for Inflation Reduction Act

    The bill, which passed the Senate on Sunday, represents the largest climate investment in U.S. history and has garnered support from cities seeking to lower greenhouse gas emissions and boost resilience.

  • The smart city of cyberspace and metaverse background concept, 3D rendering
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    KanawatTH via Getty Images

    Why cities are exploring metaverse technology

    Santa Monica, California, and Seoul, South Korea, are among the cities exploring how metaverse technology can improve city services or attract and boost businesses. Still, some people fear it could leave residents behind.

  • Four city officials standing around an organics recycling bin, with a white sanitation truck in the background
    Image attribution tooltip
    Michael Appleton. Retrieved from Flickr.

    New York City rolling out ‘largest curbside composting program in the nation’ with Queens expansion

    After years of budget cuts and political shifts, the Department of Sanitation says this latest organics recycling iteration will be its most cost-effective and efficient approach yet. Drop-off bins are also being added in other boroughs.

  • Buildings in Bethesda, Maryland.
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    DenisTangneyJr via Getty Images

    Building performance standards momentum slowly grows in the wake of White House efforts

    A Maryland county’s policy represents one of the only major updates so far, but more localities have said they’ll pursue standards. Funds in the Inflation Reduction Act could provide new incentives to decarbonize buildings.

  • A blurred bus drives down a city street next to a bus lane.
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    ollo via Getty Images

    Cities hope bus-mounted cameras will hold bus lane violators accountable

    Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., are among the cities trying this technology to identify perpetrators, but legal snags and questions about effectiveness remain.

  • Close-up of the right rear of a small SUV with Uber and Lyft stickers on the rear window, with a blurred group of people standing to the right.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images

    Uber, Lyft post-pandemic ridership recovery continued in Q2

    Executives at the ride-hailing companies reported during earnings calls this week that ridership grew while wait times declined over the past year, as drivers return to the apps following the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • A series of tall office buildings.
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    franckreporter via Getty Images

    Yardi: Office-to-multifamily conversions pose cost, logistical challenges

    Despite predictions earlier in the pandemic, these conversions have proven to be a “slow, niche trend” that largely delivers high-end housing.

  • An aerial view shows people walking past a homeless encampment in the afternoon heat on July 21, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona.
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images

    Grim picture of worsening US housing crisis presented in Senate hearing

    While Republican lawmakers blamed the crisis on government regulations, experts and Democrats called for expanded rental protections and measures to expand the nation’s housing stock.

  • An orange and white subway train in an underground station in Boston.
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    Alex Rodas via Getty Images

    Boston transit system shutting down a major rail line to fix safety problems

    Runaway trains, a fire and long-delayed maintenance issues are prompting a 30-day shutdown of the MBTA’s Orange Line, used daily by around 100,000 people. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the shutdown “will be tremendously stressful for the region.”

  • A modern, mid-rise apartment building with a wood and white panel facade.
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    Colleen Michaels via Getty Images

    To meet demand, US needs 4.3M more apartments by 2035

    The nation lost 4.7 million affordable units between 2015 and 2020, and now faces a 600,000-unit deficit, according to a new study.

  • United Auto Workers President Ray Curry stands at a podium in an automotive assembly plant under a sign that reads, "A future made in America."
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    Nic Antaya via Getty Images

    EV manufacturers, regulators debate US ability to hit 50% sales goal by 2030

    The right federal policy and charging infrastructure, as well as solutions to supply chain issues, are critical to meeting the goal of half of new vehicle sales being electric by 2030, said Center for Automotive Research event panelists.

  • San Francisco's Pit Stop public restroom.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by San Francisco Public Works
    Deep Dive

    Two cities’ approaches to increasing public bathrooms

    After officials were confronted with problems linked to the lack of public restrooms, San Francisco committed to improving access. In Seattle, a nonprofit is taking the lead.

  • Tulsa skyline with a park, pond, and fountains in the foreground.
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    Davel5957 via Getty Images

    Incentive programs have lured thousands of remote workers from major metro areas to small cities

    Nearly four years have passed since Tulsa Remote began promising $10,000 to workers who’d relocate to the Oklahoma city for at least one year. Here’s where that program and similar efforts stand today.

  • homeless encampment california oakland tent city
    Image attribution tooltip
    Florin, Fabrice. (2016). "Oakland Visit" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.

    $2.8B for homeless services available from HUD

    Rapid re-housing and services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as programs that address youth homelessness, are explicit targets of this year's funding.

  • A red car and black car are half-submerged on a flooded road bordered by trees as a person in rainwear walks with his back to the camera.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

    Federal Highway Administration announces $7.3B in grants for transportation resilience

    Communities can use these funds to prepare highway, transit, pedestrian, bicycle and port facilities to better withstand natural disasters.

  • Five white TGV high-speed trains are lined up at a large train station in Paris.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
    Q&A

    Congressman Seth Moulton looks to bring true high-speed rail to American cities

    A longtime high-speed rail advocate, Moulton wants Congress and the private sector to pave the way for bullet trains across the U.S., saying federal dollars favor highways and development in coastal cities.

  • An illustration shows a white bullet train on a viaduct crossing over a road with several pickup trucks on it.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Texas Central

    High-speed rail efforts in the US: a history

    Decades of plans and money have so far failed to bring a bullet train to the United States. Three projects that are underway hope to change that. 

  • Concept rendering of the proposed City of Telosa.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by BIG and Bucharest Studio

    For his new smart desert city, billionaire Marc Lore eyes Nevada, Utah and Arizona

    During a town hall in New York City, the Diapers.com founder and his team envisioned Telosa having dozens of “15-minute cities” and a resident-controlled endowment to help pay for government services.

  • Two construction workers in reflective vests and blue hard hats stand on scaffolding.
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    Scott Barbour via Getty Images

    The top 10 US metro areas for construction starts

    The value of the commercial and multifamily sectors rose in top metro areas in the first half of 2022, per a new report.

  • Looking into a Tesla showroom, a person opens the door of a red car and looks inside.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski

    EVs are the fastest-selling used cars in 9 major metro areas

    Cities in California, Colorado, Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania saw buyers choose used electric vehicles at faster rates than gas-powered vehicles. The data could help cities determine where demand for EV chargers will grow.

  • An installed Portland Loo public toilet. Philadelphia plans to install six Portland Loos starting this fall.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by The Portland Loo
    Deep Dive

    The struggle to find a public toilet

    U.S. cities don't have enough public toilets. Coupled with a homelessness crisis, the shortage brings health and safety concerns. Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., are among the cities working toward equitable hygiene.

  • A woman in a wheelchair at a train station with several other people walking by, with a train behind them.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Scott Olson via Getty Images

    Cities can soon tap into rail station accessibility improvement grants

    The Federal Transit Administration is releasing $343 million in competitive grants through its All Stations Accessibility Program to help bring older rail transit stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

  • An engineer checks the installation of heat pump on a model house.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Leon Neal/Getty Images via Getty Images

    Electric heat pumps will be the cheapest clean option to heat most US homes by 2030: ACEEE

    To advance the transition to carbon-free heating, a report calls for additional research and development, incentives and grants to support installation, minimum efficiency standards for heating equipment, and other policies.

  • West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is standing, holding a cell phone with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer alongside.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images

    EV tax credits revived in Schumer, Manchin agreement on proposed reconciliation package

    The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 would eliminate the 200,000-unit phase-out of credits for manufacturers, a key concern for automakers and EV buyers. The Senate is expected to vote on it next week as part of a reconciliation package.