Blame local zoning, not Wall Street, for this housing crisis

The Latest

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  Chicago bike-share program rolls out charging stations for e-bikes

  Lyft and CDOT will gather data during the initial pilot to guide the charging station network expansion.

  Transportation

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  As destructive wildfires increase, new model can calculate property risk

  A nonprofit's online tool identifies a home's wildfire risk based on publicly available data and property details. Nearly 80 million homes are expected to face some level of risk by 2050 as climate change continues.

  Climate & Resilience

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  Traffic fatalities hit 16-year high in 2021, with pedestrian deaths up 13%

  While 2020's increases were shocking, 2021's numbers are worse, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data. Communities can now apply for $1 billion from the infrastructure law for greater transportation safety efforts.

  Transportation

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  A new Maryland-based nonprofit aims to create a hub supporting women of color entrepreneurs

  Backed with funding from the county government, The 3rd’s founder says the model could help lift women of color-owned businesses in other cities as well.

  Governance

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  Mobility leaders seek to 'unburden' people from private cars

  A group of over 50 public, private and nonprofit leaders announced a Shared Action Mobility Agenda at the National Shared Mobility Summit today. Among their goals, the group plans to reframe the narrative around car ownership.

  Transportation

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  Violence against mayors is becoming increasingly common: survey

  Women mayors of color report the highest rates of harassment and threats, according to an Oklahoma State University study. The trend could deter some women from seeking reelection or running for public office.

  Governance

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  Uber increases EV incentives to achieve its all-electric by 2030 goal

  The company announced new efforts to entice drivers to switch to EVs and the addition of "premium" electric vehicles in a press conference today on expanding its event, food delivery and travel services.

  Transportation

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  Biden administration addresses the affordable housing crisis with new plan

  The plan proposes using federal grants to encourage cities to relax their zoning and land-use policies while providing new financing options for manufactured homes, accessory dwelling units and small-scale developments.

  Buildings & Design

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  Motional, Uber Eats launch autonomous delivery pilot project in Santa Monica, California

  Uber Eats customers can opt into curbside delivery and a Motional autonomous vehicle might deliver the order using Hyundai IONIQ 5 vehicles.  

  Transportation

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  Washington, DC, is 'ideally poised for electrification,' Sierra Club finds. The city's gas utility disagrees.

  Renewable natural gas and green hydrogen could help the nation's capital avoid costly electric grid upgrades, according to Washington Gas.

  Buildings & Design

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  White House vows to speed up environmental review for federal infrastructure projects

  The new action plan will help streamline permitting and accelerate projects, Biden administration officials said earlier this week.

  Buildings & Design

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  'Citizen scientists' help track urban heat in 14 US communities

  For a more complete picture of urban heat, climate research and consulting firm CAPA Strategies is working with NOAA and city and county residents to combine community engagement, on-the-ground data collection and modeling.

  Climate & Resilience

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  Chicago launches digital equity council to address racial barriers to internet access

  The city's new council comes as President Biden announced a discounted internet service earlier this week that could potentially provide free internet for millions of U.S. households. 

  Tech & Data

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  Opinion

  Corporate housing is key to addressing tight housing market, relocating workers

  As workers increasingly migrate to suburbs and smaller cities, high housing costs and limited supplies might delay a home purchase. Regulations aimed at vacationers shouldn't limit extended-stay rental options.

  Housing

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  These 3 technologies could make self-driving cars safer

  With autonomous vehicles already operating in several cities, technology companies are working on high-definition maps, better artificial intelligence models and remote control for fleets when needed. 

  Transportation

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  Governments clear a path for tiny homes to address housing crisis in cities

  Accessory dwelling units and tiny homes that are constructed in factories off-site and installed in backyards are often subject to restrictive zoning rules, building codes and pushback from neighbors. That is starting to change. 

  Buildings & Design

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  Smart Cities Connect

  NIST working group to tackle smart cities' ethical quandaries

  The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Global City Teams Challenge launched a working group on diversity, equity, integrity and technology, researching best practices in areas like community engagement. 

  Tech & Data

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  Transit agencies struggle to access funding, rights-of-way, due to complex governance structures

  During a recent Eno Center for Transportation webinar, agency leaders from Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Vancouver, British Columbia, shared the challenges that current governance systems can create. 

  Transportation

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  States band together to push for nationwide fleet electrification

  A coalition of 17 states from across the country as well as Quebec and Washington, D.C., signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on an action plan for pushing truck and bus electrification in their states.

  Transportation

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  California approves $11.7M vehicle-to-grid pilots in PG&E footprint

  The programs will support the build-out of bidirectional charging equipment, which regulators say can provide broader resiliency benefits.

  Updated May 9, 2022

  Transportation

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  As scooter activity rebounds, San Diego cracks down with new restrictions

  With the return of riders and tourists following the pandemic's dramatic dip, the city proposes quadrupling operator fees and tightening regulations in response to dangerous sidewalk use. 

  Transportation

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  Smart city tech standards essential for cities to realize the tools' potential: report

  The promise of interoperability and connected sensors has been hard to achieve, in part due to "vendor lock-in" and incompatible devices. Standards across the sector can help overcome those obstacles, ABI Research finds.

  Tech & Data

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  Tenants facing eviction fared better under NYC's legal assistance program: study

  Since New York became the first U.S. city to guarantee universal legal representation to low-income tenants in housing court, Princeton researchers say eviction warrants and monetary judgments against them are down.

  Housing

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  Delivery services extend gas incentives as drivers face high gas prices

  DoorDash's program, which provides drivers 10% cash back on gas purchases on a prepaid Visa card, will now run through August. Grubhub and Waitr have similar incentives, while Uber Eats has imposed a fuel surcharge on customers. Higher fuel prices and overall inflation are both affecting restaurants' recovery. 

  Transportation

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  GM and INRIX collaborate to provide safety data, insights to transportation officials

  Combining data from GM's connected vehicles and INRIX's analytics platform with public data, the application aims to help communities prioritize road safety needs, evaluate plans and make a case for federal funding.

  Transportation

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