The Latest

  • An aerial view of a train statin alongside a highway with crowds of people walking toward the gray station building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Sound Transit
    Image attribution tooltip

    Floating light rail bridge — the world’s first — opens in Seattle area

    Crowds showed up on opening day to ride the Crosslake Connection expansion to Sound Transit's Link 2 Line, expected to carry 50,000 daily riders.

  • An intersection in Washington, DC, showing two facades of an office building about seven stories tall.
    Image attribution tooltip
    "1625 Massachusetts Avenue NW.jpg" by APK is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    Office-to-housing conversions grew 28% last year

    New York City led other cities in converted residential units by a wide margin, followed by Washington, D.C., and Chicago, according to RentCafe.

  • A curved beige building with rows of square windows.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Highsmith, Carol M. (2011). "Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, headquarters of HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
    Image attribution tooltip

    HUD investigates Washington state housing program

    The agency claims the Covenant Homeownership Program, which aims to remedy historic housing discrimination, may be racially discriminatory toward White people and other groups.

  • Aerial shot of buildings on a sunny day
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    New York City program aims to fast-track affordable housing on city-owned land

    The Neighborhood Builders Fast Track program will cut pre-development timelines for some projects nearly in half, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

  • View of dark interior with a woman entering from the street through a glass door.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Bus industry group launches scholarship for human trafficking survivors

    Traffickers often use intercity buses to transport victims, according to the American Bus Association.

  • Various buckets filled with food scraps like banana peels, onion skins, and kale being repurposed for chicken feed.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Alamy
    Image attribution tooltip

    3 communities find success promoting composting

    Stakeholders in three states discussed how local governments can work with composters to maximize diversion in a webinar the Institute for Local Self-Reliance hosted Wednesday.

  • A person with gray hair wearing a jacket with a "Miami-Dade County" patch at a microphone holding up a brochure that says "ARE YOU READY?"
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Extreme heat is here. Here’s how 2 cities plan to deal with it.

    From data-driven targeting to cross-agency coordination, Miami-Dade County and Philadelphia are mitigating heat risk with concrete interventions.

  • People sitting at desks sorting mail-in ballots.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 strategies to help transit ballot measures succeed

    Early planning and collaboration with professionals and legislators are key to gaining support for locally funded transit improvements, experts say.

  • Golden hour captures autumn's vibrant hues in Fort Wayne, Indiana, featuring the modern Martin Luther King Bridge over a serene river with downtown skyline backdrop.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Indiana city bans groups from sending it homeless individuals from other jurisdictions

    Fort Wayne, Indiana, is imposing penalties of up to $2,500 for organizations that relocate unhoused individuals to the city without approval.

  • A man holds an electric vehicle charger.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Puget Sound Energy is turning to EVs for backup power and grid support

    The utility is partnering with Ford and Kia to test whether electric vehicles can keep homes running and support grid resilience during outages.

  • Wood frames for homes under construction surrounded by dirt with a concrete road in the foreground.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Trump housing order could mean new barriers to federal funding for cities

    Local governments may need to ease zoning and environmental rules to stay eligible for federal support, an attorney says.

  • Detroit, Michigan, USA downtown skyline from above at dusk.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Detroit to dedicate 100% of city-owned commercial property sales proceeds to affordable housing fund

    The measure is expected to generate $4 million annually for affordable housing development and preservation.

  • construction team with lead pipes
    Image attribution tooltip

    Courtesy of Courtney Steger

    Image attribution tooltip

    Nominate someone today for the 2026 Smart Cities Dive Public Service Awards

    Submit your nominations by March 31 to recognize outstanding local leaders who are making an impact in their communities.

  • A white vehicle outfitted with many sensors stopped at a curb in with people and buildings in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
    Image attribution tooltip
    Tracker

    Robotaxis: The latest developments

    Zoox will begin testing in Miami and Austin, Texas, and expand operations in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

    Updated March 25, 2026
  • An apartment building converted from an office building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Sares Regis Group
    Image attribution tooltip

    Office-to-housing conversion initiatives proliferate in California

    State policymakers have been pursuing policy changes that remove barriers to converting older commercial buildings into housing, with mixed success.

  • Aerial view of a city with a river running through it at dusk.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cities struggle to meet drinking water PFAS standards by EPA deadline

    Communities are grappling with how to fund removing PFAS “forever chemicals” from their water supplies, experts said during a National League of Cities panel.

  • AI chat bot, Programmer using generative artificial intelligence for software development inside office.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    43% of public sector employees use AI at least a few times a year, Gallup finds

    Less than 40% of the public sector employees surveyed said their organization has a clear AI strategy, according to a recent poll.

  • A man seen from behind, dressed in black, walks though a mockup of a bus door in an exhibit hall.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Wabtec Corporation
    Image attribution tooltip

    How smart transit bus doors could improve passenger safety

    An artificial intelligence system from Wabtec can detect when riders enter or exit a bus.

  • Several people stand at a podium in a large, brightly lit industrial building next to a subway car on rails.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA
    Image attribution tooltip

    New York’s MTA plans to replace more than a third of its subway fleet

    “We are in the midst of a public transit renaissance in New York,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul.

  • File folders with tabs that say "Funding," "Projects," "Grants"
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    City officials urge federal grant application reform

    The “mind-numbing” grant application process could be improved through preparation, intention and building connections, city leaders said during a National League of Cities panel. 

  • A small one-room building in the backyard of a larger brick building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development on March 23, 2026
    Image attribution tooltip

    NYC reinvigorates push for ADUs

    The city launched a dedicated website and is restarting a program to offer up to $395,000 to help qualifying homeowners build an ancillary dwelling unit.

  • The road for a new residential subdivision stands out against existing homes.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion // Surface Transportation Legislation

    To make housing more affordable, invest in infrastructure

    Homes need roads, water systems and power to serve them. A good start is renewing the federal surface transportation funding set to expire in September, writes a building materials executive.

  • A power plant emitting smoke from smokestacks surrounded by a neighborhood with a street in the foreground.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cities sue EPA over endangerment finding repeal

    A dozen cities and counties join states in challenging EPA’s rescission of a cornerstone climate rule, which leaves cities “to bear the costs of hotter summers, dirtier air, and extreme weather,” Denver’s mayor said.  

  • A white SUV on a stage with a many speaking to an audience.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Phillip Faraone via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Uber to buy up to 50,000 robotaxis from Rivian by 2030

    The agreement includes an upfront purchase of 10,000 Rivian vehicles, with an option for 40,000 more. Uber previously committed to buy up to 20,000 autonomous vehicles from Lucid. 

  • Sandstone neoclassical Idaho State Capitol building against mountain backdrop. Afternoon light illuminates the dome.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Idaho updates grant-management system with cloud-based platform

    The modernization project consolidated multiple grant processes across state agencies into one system. It’s already saving time.