The Latest

  • The train model of CRRC during the 5th China International Industrial Design Expo in Wuhan International Expo Center on August 5,2022 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
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    Getty Images/Stringer via Getty Images
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    Philadelphia transit agency cancels railcar contract with China-based supplier

    CRRC MA failed to deliver any of the 45 double-decker passenger cars ordered in a 2017 contract. Subway cars from CRRC MA for a Massachusetts transit agency have been plagued by defects.

  • Flooding along a developed coast at night with city in the background
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    Scott Eisen/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Boston teams with climate tech company to map floods as they happen

    The low-lying coastal city will use the technology to target alerts, evacuations and post-disaster resources to the neighborhoods that most need the support. 

  • An empty office with computer equipment
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    miodrag ignjatovic via Getty Images
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    House bill aims to turn unused or underused government facilities into affordable housing

    The U.S. General Services Administration, along with two other federal agencies, would be required to report to Congress on federal properties that are suitable for residential conversion.

  • A New York City Bus driver wears a protective mask during the coronavirus pandemic on May 27, 2020 in New York City
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    Cindy Ord via Getty Images
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    Transit worker safety the focus of FTA plan updates

    Meant to address bus collisions, assaults on transit workers and other risks, the updates to Federal Transit Administration rules would also give transit workers more say in workplace safety.

  • Aerial shot of city with lines connecting different locations
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    alexsl via Getty Images
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    Notable 2024 conferences for smart city leaders

    Newly added events focus on building energy codes, micromobility, economic development and transportation electrification.

    Updated April 15, 2024
  • DOT headquarters in Washington, D.C., showing the name of the department.
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    Retrieved from FHWA.
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    80 transportation infrastructure resilience projects get $830M from USDOT

    The grants are the first of their kind dedicated to protecting surface transportation systems from climate change-driven extreme weather, the agency said.

  • An illustration shows a white bullet train on a viaduct crossing over a road with several pickup trucks on it.
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    Courtesy of Texas Central
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    High-speed rail project in Texas gets high-level US, Japan support

    The Texas Central project would connect Dallas and Houston using Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train technology. Amtrak announced its involvement in August.

  • A parking space painted with "EV charging only" with a charger behind it
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    5 ways cities can accelerate EV charger deployments equitably

    Seek community input, learn from other cities, reduce regulatory barriers and other ideas from participants in the DOE’s Clean Energy to Communities Program.

  • An range and white Chevy Bolt EV robotaxi operated by Cruise crosses an intersection San Francisco.
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    Courtesy of Cruise LLC
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    Cruise robotaxis will return to Phoenix to collect mapping data

    It's the company's first deployment of vehicles on public roads since it recalled its robotaxis last fall.

  • A Las Vegas city articulated bus making a left turn onto South Las Vegas Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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    sanfel via Getty Images
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    How transit agencies can succeed at outsourcing operations

    A new report from the Eno Center for Transportation delves into public transportation best practices for a successful relationship with the private sector.

  • Aerial shot of solar panels with a single person in a hard hat working on top of panels
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    Eloi_Omella via Getty Images
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    DOE awards $27M for communities to plan a clean-energy future

    This is the first funding round for the Energy Future Grants initiative, which launched last year to help communities plan for transportation and building electrification, microgrids and solar projects.

  • A Tesla dealership in Austin, Texas
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Elon Musk teases Tesla robotaxi

    The CEO’s announcement comes five years after he first told investors Tesla expected to put one million robotaxis on the road in 2020.

  • Keolis operates Boston-area commuter trains for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Transit ridership up 16% in 2023: APTA report

    While ridership on public transportation reached 79% of pre-pandemic levels last year, stark differences emerged across transit modes and cities.

  • Brainard speaks to Senate Banking Committee during her nomination hearing
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    Biden has proposed ‘the boldest housing plan in a generation,’ his economic advisor says

    The plan would expand tax credits for affordable housing developers, a proven way to boost supply, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard said.

  • Northeast's Largest Public Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Station Opens At JFK Airport.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    How cities are building out public EV charging infrastructure

    As more electric vehicles hit the road, municipalities and property owners are working with contractors to deploy EV chargers at libraries, airports, parks and other sites.

  • A crane demolishing a house
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    temmuzcan via Getty Images
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    This city wants to deconstruct buildings to balance climate goals with growth

    Tacoma, Washington’s city council recently directed the city manager to propose ways to boost deconstruction and salvage in the community. It may be challenging given that demolition is often cheaper and easier.

  • An above-ground train snakes through buildings in an urban downtown
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    AlbertPego via Getty Images
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    How to ease the path to transit-oriented housing development

    Public transportation agencies “just [don’t] have the land resources on hand to make it feasible,” said the author of a recent Urban Institute analysis on funding transit-oriented development.

  • Energy Department Secretary Jennifer Granholm behind a podium speaking.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Rooftop heat pump technologies can save US businesses $5B annually: DOE

    A new U.S. Department of Energy program aims to bring higher-efficiency rooftop heat pump technologies to market as soon as 2027.

  • A person rides by on a Bird scooter as a pedestrian with headphones in walks in the other direction. Behind them is a waterway, benches and city buildings.
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Bird reorganizes into new company as it emerges from bankruptcy

    An executive for the micromobility operator thanked city partners for maintaining trust through the process, which has resulted in a new private parent company for Bird and Spin, which Bird acquired last year.

  • A man on a bike and a woman on a scooter ride past a coffee shop.
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    Courtesy of Lime
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    Lime’s total rides, gross bookings hit record in 2023

    As Lime increased fleet sizes and added new markets, its trips doubled in more than 42 cities globally from 2022 to 2023, the micromobility company said.

  • An older and younger person kneel in a workshop as they examine a grey concrete tile on the ground.
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    Courtesy of Consensus Digital Media/Purdue University
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    Indiana DOT, Purdue collaborate on highway that charges EVs

    Researchers will embed coils in a quarter-mile stretch of concrete roadway to produce a magnetic field that can recharge vehicles while they drive.

  • Car traffic lines up on a highway with rolling hills in the background
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    A traffic ‘mass exodus’ may follow the April 8 eclipse. Here’s how one region is preparing.

    Millions of U.S. travelers caused mass traffic jams around the 2017 solar eclipse. Communities in the path of totality are working to better prepare for next week’s event.

  • Two people on a residential rooftop drilling solar panels in
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    These 8 nonprofits got $20B from the Biden administration for local clean energy financing. Now what?

    The “green bank” funds must be obligated by September 2024 amid efforts by Republican lawmakers to repeal the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

  • An older adult in a wheelchair exits a bus on a ramp.
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    ferrantraite via Getty Images
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    $20.5B in federal funds for public transit available in FY 2024

    The funding will support urban, rural and tribal communities with grants "to start new projects, fix old infrastructure, and ensure fast, safe, convenient service,” the acting Federal Transit Administrator said.

  • The outside of Rochester, Minnesota's City Hall and Government Center.
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    "Government Center Building" by Jonathunder is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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    Inside the rise of groundwater-based geothermal heat pumps

    The technology, which is cost-effective across 75% of the U.S. landmass and ideal for space-constrained users, could eventually displace utility gas service, proponents say.