The Latest

  • People walking on a station platform as a silver trains lettered "CTA" has its doors open.
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    Brian Kersey via Getty Images
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    Chicago-area transit agencies face fiscal and federal threats

    The Northern Illinois transportation authority that oversees bus, train and commuter rail services warned of a $770 million funding gap.

    Updated March 25, 2025
  • Interior of the new Terminal E at Southwest Florida International Airport.
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    Courtesy of Lee County Port Authority
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    $1.1B southwest Florida airport expansion breaks ground

    Suffolk’s Terminal E project in Fort Myers, Florida, is the largest municipal construction effort in county history.

  • Two men and two woman seated on a stage in front of a backdrop that reads "NLC - National League of Cities."
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Nearly 3,000 city leaders gathered in Washington last week. Here’s what they had to say.

    Mayors, council members and nonprofit leaders heard from Vice President JD Vance, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and others at the National League of Cities meeting.

  • A massive cargo ship sits in the middle of a river surrounded by debris.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Maryland officials failed to test Key Bridge vulnerability

    The National Transportation Safety Board said the span was nearly 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold and urged owners to evaluate 68 older bridges across the country.

  • NYC DDC, Kodua, Foley, Joshi, Constantino, roof, facade, $10.7M
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    Courtesy of DDC
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    $10.7M court upgrade to be one of the last projects to use NYC’s old contracting method

    The city’s new method of contracting will help projects like the judicial center renovation get done sooner, city officials say.

  • Aerial view of pilings and workers constructing a large viaduct.
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    Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
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    Can USDOT kill California high-speed rail?

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told the Federal Railroad Administration to review the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco project with an eye toward clawing back $4 billion in federal funds.

  • Closely spaced single-family homes with telephone poles, wires and palm trees lining the street.
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    MattGush via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    3 concerns about California’s neighborhood decarbonization pilot program

    Decarbonization is essential to achieve carbon neutrality, but tenants and low-income homeowners might pay a steep price due to factors they can’t control.

  • An aircraft marshaller directing a fighter jet into a hangar.
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    SSgt Celeste Zuniga/DVIDS

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    Fort Worth, Texas, sues 3M, Dupont, DOD over PFAS contamination

    The city said the chemical manufacturers sold and distributed PFAS-containing firefighting foam to the U.S. Navy and Air Force.

  • buildings in Bethesda, Maryland
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    Denis Tangney Jr. via Getty Images
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    Maryland’s Montgomery County sets energy use standards for multifamily, commercial buildings

    The regulations, which apply to buildings 25,000 square feet or larger, are a part of the county’s efforts to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

  • Man standing in a suit in front of a U.S. and EPA flags.
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    (2025). "EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin Launches the Greatest Day of Deregulation in American History" [Video]. Retrieved from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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    EPA to review ‘waters of the U.S.’ rule

    The rule defines which wetlands or bodies of water fall under the Clean Water Act. The three previous presidential administrations have adjusted its scope.

  • Woman and man seated on a stage in front of a banner that reads "NLC - National Leage of Cities."
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    City leaders name housing, public safety and infrastructure as top issues

    The National League of Cities Congressional City Conference brought together 3,000 city leaders to discuss these issues, with appearances from EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Vice President JD Vance.

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    Denis Tangney Jr. via Getty Images
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    New York state offers $5M for existing building energy innovations

    Providers that have already received federal, state, local or other incentive funds can receive up to $1 million to accelerate development of their energy efficiency solutions, the state energy research authority says.

  • An aerial view of Madison, Wisconsin.
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    AlenaMozhjer via Getty Images
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    Madison, Wisconsin, benchmarking program to phase in smaller buildings

    Continuous benchmarking and system tune-ups can help owners and operators reduce annual energy use and provide cities with necessary information for setting performance targets, experts say.

  • Two men shaking hands in front of a sign that reads "The White House - Washington."
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Up to $51B in transportation grant awards at risk, advocacy group says

    Transportation for America analyzed a leaked Department of Transportation policy memo that targets road safety, bicycle and electric vehicle infrastructure projects.

  • An aerial view of a stadium dome torn apart revealing the field below.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Tampa Bay Rays exit $1.3B stadium deal

    After Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field and created economic uncertainty in St. Petersburg, Florida, funding delays were too much, the team’s owner said.

  • Photo looking up at a high rise building
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    Retrieved from Screenshot: Google Maps.
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    Baltimore property set for office-to-residential conversion for sale

    The developer planned to turn the historic One Calvert Plaza into apartments before facing financial difficulties.

  • A Chicago Transit Authority electric bus stopped near the Navy Pier.
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    Courtesy of Regional Transportation Authority
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    Transit agencies continue to add zero-emission buses to their fleets

    More than 7,000 full-size battery and fuel cell electric buses are in use or on the way, according to Calstart’s latest report, but shifting federal policies could affect future growth.

  • EPA to end environmental justice programs, monitoring tools

    As part of the Trump administration’s end to environmental justice programs, it has cut off access to EJScreen, a monitoring tool used to track environmental justice metrics. 

  • Man is a suit at a podium in front of a sign that reads "NLC - National League of Cities"
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    JD Vance calls for zoning, regulation reform to improve housing affordability

    Vice President JD Vance, speaking at the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference, also blamed immigrants for competing with U.S. citizens for housing.

  • An image of a man's face appears amid a soft foreground and background.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    EPA revisiting dozens of climate, environment rules in ‘day of deregulation’

    The agency said it would roll back a range of rules and programs, including some that are foundational to its efforts to address climate change. A new WOTUS definition is expected, as well as rollbacks to an emissions reporting program.

  • People on a subway platform hold up cell phones to photograph a new subway train arriving in the station with a sign announcing its inaugural ride
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    New approaches to procurement can drive innovation in public transit

    The lengthy process from RFP to equipment delivery can result in trains that are already obsolete when they go into service. New technologies and procurement approaches could help.

  • A man at a podium with a sign reading "National League of Cities Congressional City Conference" surrounded by other men and women.
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Mayors condemn ongoing federal funding freeze

    Infrastructure, child care, Meals on Wheels and after-school programs are among those impacted, elected officials and nonprofit leaders said at a National League of Cities meeting this week.

  • A man with silver hair speaks at a podium.
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    Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images
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    DOT removes equity, environmental factors from IIJA funding decisions

    The move rolls back a Biden-era policy that included these considerations in decision-making criteria for infrastructure projects.

  • Protesters rally outside of the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    How DOGE will impact Washington, DC-area apartment owners

    Cuts to the federal workforce have multifamily pros wondering about potential effects on one of the country's hottest markets.

  • Clients checking in for services at The Beacon, a Houston-based service provider for individuals experiencing homelessness. The organization is part of the Houston region's continuum of care.
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    Permission granted by Chris Kuhlman
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    $3.6B in homelessness, domestic violence funding still frozen, nonprofits say

    A new motion asks the judge for clarity where the plaintiffs say Trump administration funding disbursements are falling short of a preliminary injunction's requirements.