The Latest
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Brian Tucker
Deep DiveMapping the impact of dockless vehicles
This week: Spin sets its sights on Europe, the Dutch government sells illegally-parked scooters at auction and more in our roundup.
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Brian Tucker / Waste Dive
How many curbside recycling programs have been cut?
Our sister publication Waste Dive has kept a running tally of 70-plus municipal suspensions or cancellations of curbside recycling. Read the full list here.
UPDATED: Feb. 26, 2020 at 11:43 a.m. -
Courtesy of RapidSOS Press Kit 2019
RapidSOS enhances ability to pinpoint wireless 911 calls
The company's new tool will give public safety agencies more precise location data to track calls from mobile phones, connected vehicles, buildings and even medical devices.
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Retrieved from Bird on February 24, 2020
Bird Pay connects scooter riders with local businesses
Bird riders in the Los Angeles area will be able to use the app for purchases at participating businesses as a way of encouraging more scooter trips.
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Wikimedia Commons
Ride-hailing pollutes 70% more than trips it replaces: study
The Union of Concerned Scientists points to significant emissions from "deadheading," which takes up 40% of ride-hailing miles traveled. Lyft, however, says the report is "misleading."
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Uber
Uber will pilot ads atop vehicles in 3 cities
The company launched a new division to support the initiative, which aims to install displays on thousands of cars in Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix by April 1.
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Courtesy of IBM Call for Code 2020
IBM tackles climate change in 2020 Call for Code challenge
The open source technology challenge coincides with the 75th anniversary of the UN, which is demanding a "global reality check" on the state of the climate.
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Charlotte, NC's green tariff solar deal could spark wider trend in cities
The city council approved a 35-megawatt project to generate 24% of its municipal electricity, making it the most populous U.S. city to acquire large-scale solar through a green tariff.
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MTA NYC Transit / Marc A. Hermann
Transportation is 'climate enemy #1': report
The Environment America Research & Policy Center and the Frontier Group outlined three top strategies for decarbonizing the transportation sector.
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White House: Cities impose 'excessive regulatory barriers' on housing
The annual report of the Council of Economic Advisers calls out 11 cities where housing is "particularly difficult to build" due to measures such as zoning controls and energy efficiency mandates.
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Dallas creates task force to study Airbnb regulations
The group will evaluate how the city regulates short-term rentals in an effort to mitigate impacts on "neighborhood quality of life."
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Adobe Stock
OpinionAre smart cities actually safer?
No longer can municipalities operate in silos if they want to achieve safer communities. Now, they must integrate people, places and processes to prepare and respond thoroughly.
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The 'water literacy' lessons cities can learn from Cape Town
The city almost became the first to run out of water in 2018. Since then, local leaders have put the onus on residents to help avoid repeats.
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Buffalo, NY mayor pledges to become 'nation's leading intelligent smart city'
The mid-sized city will tap public-private partnerships and bolster initiatives like smart sewers, an open data portal and connected street lights.
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Chris Teale/Industry Dive
Spin deploys first public charging hubs in Phoenix
The Spin Hubs, powered by Swiftmile, are available in the public rights-of-way of two locations that are popular start and end points for scooter rides.
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Arizona set to preempt local natural gas bans
The state legislature passed a bill to prevent cities from banning natural gas infrastructure in new buildings, which is a growing trend in California.
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Seattle unveils Zillow-powered affordable housing search tool
The online tool allows local nonprofit Housing Connector to upload affordable housing inventory and streamline the search process for tenants who need affordable housing.
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Getty Images
Deep DiveOutpacing an outbreak: How tech helps cities handle public health threats
AI, analytics and drones are among the technologies used to respond to health crises like coronavirus, though regulatory and privacy concerns have posed obstacles for cities.
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Los Angeles considers plan to let transit riders skip lines at LAX
The motion would give priority security line access to travelers who arrive to the airport via Metro rail and buses, the LAX Flyaway bus or privately-operated scheduled bus services.
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Chris Teale/Industry Dive
3 keys to creating behavioral change in cities: report
Effective relationships, parallel strategies and communication with target audiences are all crucial for systemic behavioral change, according to a new report from Meeting of the Minds.
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New York City Department of Transportation
Citi Bike e-bikes return to NYC
The Lyft-owned electric bike fleet is returning to the city after being pulled in April 2019 due to safety concerns over malfunctioning brakes.
UPDATED: Feb. 20, 2020 at 9:46 a.m. -
City Tech Collaborative
City Tech launches solution to clear up curbside chaos
Curb space competition can be fierce. A new solution intends to help cities understand curb demands to make informed choices about pricing and space prioritization.
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12 cities with curbside recycling expansion potential: report
The Recycling Partnership's report on the future of U.S. recycling argues that investment in these cities would yield "some of the highest, single-city jumps in material recovery," reaching 1.62 million total households.
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Houston to city departments: You're each responsible for resilience
The city's new resilience plan, centered on preparing Houston for climate-related disasters, is accompanied by a requirement for departments to appoint resilience officers within 60 days.
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Jeff Bezos commits $10B to climate. How should he spend it?
The funding "dwarfs other philanthropy in this realm," and could go toward anything from an amplified Beyond Carbon campaign to a mass EV rollout, stakeholders said.
