The Latest

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    Robyn Griggs Lawrence/Smart Cities Dive
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    Plan now for 2027’s top smart city conferences and events

    Technology, transportation, housing, climate, finance and more are on the agenda for local government leaders at these upcoming gatherings.

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    Nic Antaya via Getty Images
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    DOT proposal tying grants to birth, marriage rates could disrupt projects, senator says

    The change could affect transit project funding and trigger new reviews and requirements. Sen. Patty Murray called it "bizarre and dystopian."

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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Battery-powered trains coming to Chicago: a first look

    Commuter rail systems like Chicago's Metra are exploring battery-electric trains to increase service while reducing diesel exhaust pollution and noise.

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    These cities rely less on property taxes to fund city services

    Smaller cities should emulate larger cities’ more diversified approach to design fairer tax systems, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says.

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    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    HUD’s biggest changes in 2026 to date

    The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is seeking to “lead a renaissance of housing revitalization,” Secretary Scott Turner said. Here are the steps it's taken this year.

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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    3 transit leaders explain how they fund major projects

    Chicago, New York and Seattle transit leaders outlined their solutions to revenue shortfalls, legal challenges and inflationary pressures at an American Public Transportation Association conference.

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    Permission granted by SFPUC
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    Water reuse at the building level could help cities close the infrastructure gap

    San Francisco’s water reuse ordinance offers a model for cities looking to stretch supplies, lower infrastructure costs and take advantage of public-private partnerships.

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    Getty Images
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    Integration plays key role in curbside organics programs, report finds

    Local governments should take a holistic approach to drive participation and cost efficiency, the Natural Resources Defense Council found.

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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    3 Sun Belt mayors seek more public transportation as their cities grow

    Voters who once turned down funding for public transportation now see the need as their cities' populations grow and residents gravitate to downtowns, panelists at an American Public Transportation Association conference said.

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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    FEMA violating court order on $1B in public safety grants, states’ lawsuit says

    The states are seeking enforcement of a permanent injunction that bars the agency from conditioning emergency management and counterterrorism funds on federal immigration cooperation.

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    Getty Images
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    Bipartisan housing agenda links federal support to local building rules

    The Build America Caucus proposes 60 policy measures to accelerate development, including “right-to-build zones” and faster federal multifamily lending.

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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    $2.2B in FEMA disaster mitigation grants in limbo, GAO says

    More than 700 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants are unresolved. The delays threaten to drive up costs and strain local governments, a Government Accountability Office official says.

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    Getty Images
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    HUD manufactured housing plan aims to spur production

    The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act ushers in significant changes to how the affordable housing type can be built and opens a path to a “repeatable multifamily construction” framework.

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    Courtesy of ABC Companies/Cor
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    2 bus companies plan to enter US transit market by 2028

    ABC Cos. is launching a new line of transit buses, while VinFast will bring its Vietnamese-made electric buses here via a new partnership.

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    Getty Images
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    County, state financial leaders call for more federal housing support

    “We know our communities, and we're ready to build. We just need a federal partner willing to build with us,” Coconino County, Arizona, Treasurer Sarah Benatar said.  

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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    What the Senate permitting bill means for local infrastructure projects

    The bipartisan proposal would streamline reviews and permitting and require data centers to pay for their share of transmission costs. Here's what local government associations think of it.

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    CJ Gunther via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Put communities before political parties

    Elected officials must be willing to acknowledge and confront entrenched interests, political party pressure and cumbersome rules if they want to deliver on their promises.

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    More diverse housing types could result from new laws in California

    From cheaper ADUs to streamlined “missing middle” housing to high-rises in transit-rich cities, the state adopted a slew of housing reforms.

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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Restored Solar for All funding won’t cover the disruption’s ‘devastating’ costs, grantee lawsuit says

    Termination of the $7 billion program created additional costs for recipients, developers and the low-income and disadvantaged communities that were to benefit, the plaintiffs say.

  • People hold signs that say, "Stand with Communities, Not Big Oil" and "The People v. Big Oil"
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    Finn Gomez via Getty Images
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    Supreme Court hears arguments in Boulder County, Colorado, climate case

    In a case that could affect dozens of similar lawsuits nationwide, the justices are weighing whether cities and counties can use state courts to seek damages from fossil fuel companies.

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    Getty Images
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    The $2 trillion growth opportunity hiding in small cities

    “Micropolitan” communities must build the infrastructure, workforce and partnerships to attract venture capital, according to a report from McKinsey and Heartland Forward.

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    Opinion

    It’s time to demand results from homelessness services

    Outdated models and undertrained workers will not solve the problem.

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    Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
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    Effort to streamline housing environmental review standards, regulations kicks off at HUD, USDA

    The agencies signed an MOU to advance deregulatory measures for rural housing outlined in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.

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    Getty Images
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    Weaker fuel-efficiency standards target of local and state government lawsuit

    A coalition of cities, states and counties are challenging the Trump administration’s rollback of vehicle efficiency rules, citing consumer costs and pollution.

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    NYC’s building performance mandate sees strong compliance in first year

    About 95% of required properties filed compliance reports in 2025, with 95% of those meeting emissions goals. For some of the others, fines have started.