The Latest
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Courtesy of Volvo Trucks
California approves expedited pathway for near-term utility EV investments
The decision will help California move toward its goal of deploying five million zero-emission vehicles by 2030, along with 250,000 light-duty or passenger vehicle chargers by 2025.
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Challenge to Berkeley gas regulation dismissed, a win for cities in carbon emissions fight
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit last week that challenged the city's restrictions on natural gas in new low-rise residential buildings, a major boost for local governments looking to follow suit.
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Becky Phan
Chicago creates new waste strategy to tackle low recycling rate
Unlike other major cities like New York and Los Angeles, Chicago has not set a zero waste target. The city's chief sustainability officer says the focus now is more so on "interim steps," from reducing food waste to recycling textiles.
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Courtesy of Volvo Trucks
Southern California Edison plans for 38,000 EV charging stations in next five years
The utility's $436 million program, the largest initiative of its kind by any investor-owned utility, will include an "added emphasis" on installing electric vehicle chargers in multifamily apartment and condo buildings.
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Taylor McKnight/Smart Cities Dive
What Works Cities awards 4 cities top honors for data usage
The Bloomberg Philanthropies nonprofit arm recognized 16 cities total for improving city services and promoting civic engagement with data, key factors for a strong COVID-19 response.
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Permission granted by Greater Wichita Partnership
Wichita, Kansas, to revive its downtown with unique 'Midwestern placemaking' design
The National Endowment for the Arts awarded the city and local partners $75,000 to pair artists with local businesses to create storefront "front porches," helping the local economy recover from the pandemic.
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wipusit Kansarn. (2015). "_PIC1729-as-Smart-Object-2" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Global cities still falling short on governance of smart city tech: report
As many localities adopt new technologies, they often lack basic governance policies around data privacy, accessibility and cybersecurity, according to a World Economic Forum report.
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Stefani Reynolds / Stringer via Getty Images
Too few companies advocate for climate-friendly policies despite lofty goals: report
Only around 40% of the country's top 100 firms lobby for green legislation, according to sustainability nonprofit Ceres. We have "run out of time to waste," a spokesperson said.
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Permission granted by Cailin Crowe
Cities along Great Lakes will need $2B to address coastal damage: survey
Despite 95% of city officials reporting they’re highly or moderately concerned about coastal damage, just 11% say they have a “high level of capacity” to respond, a Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative survey finds.
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Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Local leaders from 12 cities to attend vacant property leadership institute
Amid expectations the number of vacant proprieties will rise due to the pandemic, local leaders from across four states will attend an intensive training to learn how to best transform and maintain them.
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Joe Raedle, Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Condo collapse spurs inspections, questions about other city towers
Florida municipalities ramp up building inspections after uneven and lax enforcement, and as insurers and residents across the country ponder the implications of high-rise living.
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Permission granted by Swiftmile
Berlin Shell stations to include Swiftmile micromobility charging hubs
Home to Europe's largest micromobility fleet, the German city's charging hubs could offer lessons for U.S. cities seeking to support the micromobility boom and electric transportation.
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Brian Tucker/Smart Cities Dive
New England and the South shoulder highest US energy costs, survey finds
Connecticut, Massachusetts and Georgia face some of the highest energy costs, according to WalletHub, potentially accelerating a shift towards solar and other distributed resource solutions.
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Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
New York passed LA as the most congested US metro region in 2020: report
Traffic delays dropped to levels not seen since 1997 during the pandemic. Congestion is already starting to pick back up, though, with experts saying delays will eventually return to 2019 levels.
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Opinion
Giving new life to deserted parking garages
Cities' declining dependence on cars and commutes may point to a novel solution for the lack of affordable housing in cities, writes The Traffic Group's Wes Guckert.
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Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Transit workers risk 'great ambush' without federal investment in training, labor leaders say
The INVEST in America Act provides funding for the first national training center for transportation workers, which leaders say will be crucial in addressing a skills gap and a shrinking worker pipeline.
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Permission granted by SEPTA
Philadelphia challenge looks to use AR to improve transit accessibility
The smart city challenge will also invite people with disabilities to share their public transportation experiences via a survey to inform competition ideas.
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Cooper Neill via Getty Images
3 smart-city groups across Arizona, Texas form multistate collaboration
The three regional cooperatives, the North Texas Innovation Alliance, the Connective and the Southern Arizona Smart Region, will work together to advance funding models and promote new technology.
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Maddie Meyer via Getty Images
Office demand sluggish in cities with greater share of remote-friendly jobs
Cities like Seattle and Boston have recovered the least, while Chicago, New York and Los Angeles have fared much better in their office market recovery.
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John Moore via Getty Images
Final eviction moratorium extension provides 'breathing room' for cities
The extension comes as millions are behind on rent. The White House followed it with actions to help state and local governments avoid a wave of evictions, an issue discussed at a recent Eviction Lab and Pew Charitable Trusts event.
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The image by Reinhold Möller is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
WRI names Rosario, Argentina, as 'Prize for Cities' winner
The city's sustainable food initiative, a program that addresses inequalities and the effects of climate change by providing low-income residents with access to underused land to grow food, led to its win.
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sestovic/E+/Getty via Getty Images
House passes broad bipartisan measure to help states fund energy cybersecurity efforts
Representatives voted in support of a program that will help states secure energy infrastructure against cyber and physical threats, setting up financial incentives for private sector assistance.
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Win McNamee via Getty Images
Infrastructure deal could offer window of opportunity for $1.1B smart cities bill
House Democrats have reintroduced the Smart Cities and Communities Act, with the hope that some elements of the of the bill can be folded into Biden's sweeping infrastructure plan.
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Andrew Burton via Getty Images
Most major US cities have become more segregated in recent decades: report
University of California at Berkeley researchers find that 80% of metro regions have become more segregated from 1990 to 2019. Some leaders are looking to reparations to address segregation and other effects of systemic racism.
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The image by Mike Gonzalez/TheCoffee is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Q&AHow a 'Digital City Hall' helped Santa Monica, California, work through COVID-19
Once "drowning under paper," CIO Joseph Cevetello said the city government's strategic planning around technology prepared it for the sharp transition to remote work, even with a 30% workforce reduction.
