The Latest
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Building performance standards becoming key climate policy in US cities: report
The number of jurisdictions adopting standards has nearly doubled since 2020, with legislation enacted in three states and nine localities, says a new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
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Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
Boston commuter rail lines need overhaul, advocates say, as transit agency tackles safety, financial issues
Electric, regional rail would be “an absolute game changer,” says a rail expert, but even 2020 cost estimates top $40 billion, and the MBTA is still recovering from safety failures and revenue shortfalls.
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Single-family rental construction more active than ever
Lifestyle changes and high home prices are driving demand for build-to-rent homes.
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How Panasonic is working on connected-vehicle technology in three states
The Panasonic Smart Mobility office's goal for these real-world projects is to demonstrate the use of vehicle-to-everything technologies at scale and help prepare cities and states for the rollout of connected vehicles.
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State-owned roads blamed for traffic fatality uptick in Austin, Texas, in new report
“Fatal crashes occurring on State-owned roadways increased substantially while those occurring on City-owned streets remained relatively flat,” the city says in a new report.
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Lawmakers urge HUD to prohibit biometric recognition tech in federally-funded housing
Racial bias, harassment for minor rule violations were among their concerns, the lawmakers said in their letter to Housing and Urban Development.
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Debt ceiling deal leaves DOT mostly unscathed, but transportation, housing funds may still be at risk
“We're still assessing the best ways to accommodate the caps and restraints that are part of this deal,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
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Permission granted by Mitchell Hagney
Urban agriculture offers food, climate, cooling benefits — and can pay for itself: report
However, such projects face workforce development challenges and competition for land, say authors of a report presented last week to a San Antonio City Council subcommittee.
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Permission granted by Jill Pavlak
St. Paul, Minnesota, bans truck parking on city streets
The ordinance followed complaints about commercial vehicles crowding roads and blocking a brewery.
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Smart city conferences to attend in 2023
From electric vehicles and micromobility to housing and climate resiliency, here are some notable events for smart city leaders this year.
Updated June 1, 2023 -
Олег Копьёв via Getty Images
Wildfire ‘smelling sensors’ could help first responders protect at-risk communities
A new initiative in Oakland, California, is part of a larger Homeland Security Department effort to understand the potential of environmental sensors.
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Courtesy of Waymo
Robotaxi companies are expanding existing operations — and coming soon to new cities
Despite pushback from the city of San Francisco, two companies received approval to operate driverless ride-hailing vehicles for paying passengers anywhere in the city at any time.
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Courtesy of Serve Robotics
Serve Robotics, Uber Eats will deploy up to 2K delivery robots
Over 200 restaurants in the Los Angeles market already use Serve’s robots to complete deliveries, which the company claims can reduce air pollution.
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Ralph Freso/Getty Images via Getty Images
Q&AWithout chief heat officers, how can smaller cities respond to extreme heat?
“Not every community can afford to have a full-time chief heat officer, so what is the structure that works for smaller and medium-sized communities?” a University of Arizona researcher asked.
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DOT’s Reconnecting Communities highway removal program lacks performance measures: GAO report
The Government Accountability Office report comes as El Paso, Texas; New York City and Philadelphia are looking into decking over major highways that split communities.
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Courtesy of Nuvve Corporation
$400M for low-emission school buses available from EPA grant program
The zero- and low-emission school bus funding has a “particular focus on reducing air pollution in disadvantaged communities overburdened by dirty air," said David Cash, EPA New England regional administrator.
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Construction workers work on an infrastructure project. via Getty Images
To help small cities compete for infrastructure grants, NLC offers a new round of ‘boot camps’
Free technical assistance through the Local Infrastructure Hub aims to help leaders leverage data in grant requests and convey how grants would address federal priorities. Participants will also get one-on-one help, organizers say.
Updated May 31, 2023 -
DedMityay/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
How AI can advance, harm transportation equity
“Responsible AI” is critical because “AI has the potential to either exacerbate or alleviate existing biases and discrimination in transportation,” one researcher said during a Transportation Research Board webinar.
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Shared micromobility boosts job access when linked with public transit: report
While other analyses often make cars falsely appear faster than other modes, this study may provide a more accurate assessment by accounting for factors such as traffic congestion and how people use micromobility, researchers said.
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Ron Smithson/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
Ransomware group messes with Texas
A trio of ransomware attacks targeting the Dallas metro area have the hallmarks of a targeted campaign. They also underscore a very real problem: society is becoming desensitized to disruption.
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metamorworks via Getty Images
Greenhouse gas emissions tracking project addresses ‘flawed’ approach cities use now, researchers say
City Climate Intelligence can provide free, near-real-time information on greenhouse gas emissions at the city, neighborhood, building and street level.
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Shared micromobility companies recommended model regulations. Here’s what they didn’t mention.
Bird, Lime, Spin and Superpedestrian’s recommendations largely leave out safety, infrastructure and community engagement concerns, researchers and micromobility consultants said.
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Scharfsinn86 via Getty Images
Utility plan to build 460 EV fast-charging stations in Colorado angers retailers, other charging proponents
Gas stations, convenience store owners and other businesses say Xcel Energy's plan to own chargers makes it less likely they will install them.
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RudyBalasko via Getty Images
With $200M for electric vehicles, Minnesota aims to boost ownership, charging infrastructure
To increase EV adoption in the state, the new state budget provides consumer rebates, auto dealer grants and more funds for the statewide EV charging network.
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Why cities are investing in government-run gig work platforms
Long Beach, California, was the first U.S. city to launch its own gig-work platform. Now others are considering following suit.
