The Latest
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Urban Smart Logistics Institute to study subterranean deliveries
Transporting parcels through subterranean networks could be an "industry game changer" in solving last-mile challenges.
Transportation -
Bloomberg's American Cities Climate Challenge names 4 more winners
Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, OR and San Jose, CA were honored, joining prior victors Atlanta and Seattle as part of a total cohort of 20.
Environment -
Report: More than half of large cities are preparing for AVs
Although the federal government has been making moves, the report says "the action with autonomous vehicles is decidedly taking place on the ground at the local level."
Transportation -
Sidewalk Labs pitches third-party data storage for Toronto project
Bringing in an independent, non-governmental third party could help assuage concerns that Sidewalk Labs will abuse its power, but opens questions about who would manage the data trust.
Governance -
DC launches digital taxi-tracking software
The platform allows for real-time tracking of taxis and limos in the District, in addition to showing the identification number of specific vehicles.
Transportation -
San Francisco passes taxi reforms to ease pain from ride-hailing competition
The meteoric rise of Uber and Lyft has made a crippling dent in the taxi industry, where drivers have reported having to work longer hours for lower pay.
Transportation -
5 key things to know about $500M AdvancingCities Challenge
JPMorgan Chase notes that nearly 2,000 calls have been fielded from communities and private entities eager to apply for the Challenge.
UPDATED: Oct. 18, 2018 at 9:10 a.m.
Resilience -
Deep DiveElectric vehicles: The Swiss army knife of the grid
Experts see a future where electric vehicles provide an array of grid services, from demand response to soaking up excess renewable generation.
Energy & Utilities -
Banks value Uber at $120B ahead of possible IPO
The figure is nearly double the $76 billion value Uber was given during a fundraising round in August, and sets the stage for a potential blockbuster series of IPOs from startups, including competitor Lyft.
Transportation -
Survey: Americans willing to pay more fees, taxes to relieve congestion
More than 80% of respondents said they favored higher taxes if the proceeds were guaranteed by law to be used only for infrastructure.
Transportation -
NYC comptroller aims to end 'two-tiered' transit system with lower rail fares
Scott Stringer called for reducing ticket prices to the subway base rate in a report MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota derided as "fiscally irresponsible."
Transportation -
Chicago mayor proposes $2M to beautify violence-plagued neighborhoods
The investment, to be included in Mayor Rahm Emanuel's 2019 budget proposal, would support jobs for more than 200 citizens.
Resilience -
San Diego set to ban expanded polystyrene products in 2019
The ordinance, which still needs one final step of council approval, will also require businesses to only offer plastic utensils and straws on request.
UPDATED: Oct. 16, 2018 at 9:47 a.m.
Environment -
Lime loses legal bid to block San Francisco scooter launch
A judge rejected Lime's request for a temporary restraining order blocking the city from allowing electric scooters on the street, enabling Skip and Scoot fleets to be released yesterday.
Transportation -
Portland General Electric plans smart grid test project
If successful, the smart grid test would become a national leader for the nascent technology and show the future of utilities where users are more connected with the grid.
Energy & Utilities -
Report: Recession recovery emphasizes divide between prosperous cities, rural regions
A "great reshuffling" of jobs, capital and business creation greatly benefited already affluent areas, data from 2007 to 2016 shows.
Governance -
Baltimore City Council approves Complete Streets bill
The legislation requires the city's Department of Transportation "to the greatest extent possible, promote walking, biking and public transit."
Transportation -
Deep DiveSpotlight: 6 key issues driving the utility sector today
The industry is undergoing a fundamental transition as it moves away from a centralized, baseload-focused past to a more distributed, renewable future.
Energy & Utilities -
Cars may soon be banned in half of London's financial district
The City of London Corporation unveiled plans to develop "pedestrian priority" zones in half of the city's Square Mile that would prohibit vehicle access.
Transportation -
Q&AJohns Creek, GA gives residents easy data access with Amazon's Alexa
The city wants to "democratize data" by enabling residents to ask Alexa more than 200 questions regarding city operations, services and common inquiries.
Tech & Data -
Sponsored4 ways location services are enabling smart places of tomorrow, today
Bluetooth beacons and sensors are powering smart buildings around the world.
Tech & Data -
Increased temperatures linked to mental health issues, study finds
The new findings add to increasing evidence of the impact climate change has on sleep, anxiety and, in some cases, suicidal behavior.
Environment -
Arizona to open Institute for Automated Mobility
The IAM will include a testing track, several miles of real road with technology-neutral infrastructure, a simulation lab and a Traffic Incident Management project to apply public safety policies to AV tech.
Transportation -
WalletHub: San Diego tops list as 2018's greenest US city
The 100 largest U.S. cities were judged on 26 "green" indicators including smart energy policies, amount of green space and greenhouse gas emissions per capita.
Environment -
Airbnb and San Jose, CA partner on emergency housing program
The Host Corps pilot program will recruit homeowners in the city to offer their residences for free after a natural disaster.
Resilience