Can Sun Belt cities go from danger zones to pedestrian-friendly?

Tucson, Jacksonville, Los Angeles and other fast-growing, car-centric cities are focusing on street design and other strategies to slow drivers.

EPA kicks off effort to help communities use climate, environmental justice funds

The agency will host a six-day “national virtual open house" starting on Nov. 6, which will include panels about how communities can use “historic” federal funds to address pollution and climate change challenges. 

Ørsted cancels two offshore wind projects along New Jersey coast

The projects became financially unworkable due to supply chain problems and increased interest rates, the company said. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called Ørsted’s decision “outrageous.”

US drivers kill 20 pedestrians a day. Here’s what cities are doing about it.

Targeted interventions aim to reduce the higher pedestrian death rates in communities of color and low-income communities and make cities more walkable for all.

How cities can decarbonize delivery in the era of online orders

A new action guide by the National League of Cities points to emerging policies and technologies to combat increasing air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and traffic congestion.

Boston’s year-old $2.3B Green Line Extension needs repairs

Construction wrapped on the light rail project in December 2022, but it turns out the rails were placed too narrowly, said the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s general manager.

US DOT awards over $82M in grants for safer streets to 235 communities

Although most grants were under $1 million, Baltimore received nearly $10 million to pilot road safety strategies and install sensors at key intersections.

Local officials demand federal policy to reduce landfill methane emissions

Ground-up strategies to bring down such emissions are insufficient, more than 50 local elected officials said in a letter to the U.S. EPA.

‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ law aims to help battle California’s housing crisis

The recently signed bill allows religious groups and nonprofit colleges to build affordable housing on their land without strict adherence to zoning standards. 

White House advances office-to-residential conversions with new resources

The guidance, financing and technical assistance aim to address a 30-year high in office vacancies and ease the affordable housing crisis.

Legal fights over air taxi regulation stand in the industry’s way

The technology is largely there for short-haul urban rides to become a reality, but uncertainty over governing jurisdictions is one of the issues keeping the industry grounded.

Austin, Texas, mandates commercial composting for apartments

The city is offering thousands of dollars in rebates to early adopters and requiring properties to educate tenants and employees about the program.

‘It has already begun’: Senate sounds off on climate disruption to supply chains

With droughts and heat waves affecting crops and shipping routes this year, the budget committee looked at the rising costs extreme weather will have on supply lines.

DOE issues draft plan to speed up, improve grid interconnections

The draft road map aims to transform grid interconnection processes, a major hurdle to the Biden administration’s goal of decarbonizing the power sector by 2035.

Los Angeles region to accelerate clean energy efforts in run-up to 2028 Olympics

The road map sets new and more granular decarbonization targets, said a co-chair of the public-private partnership behind the plan.

Debate swirls at NYC hearing on proposed delays to building emissions enforcement

Participants weighed in on whether “good-faith efforts” toward compliance should delay penalties and whether renewable energy credits provide a worrisome loophole.

Updated Oct. 30, 2023

Is Phoenix’s construction market hot? It depends on who you ask.

With few natural disaster risks, a stable climate and business-friendly practices, the Arizona metropolis has experienced a burst in industrial building.

California suspends Cruise robotaxis for misrepresenting safety

The General Motors subsidiary withheld portions of a video showing a recent incident that left a pedestrian severely injured, the state DMV said.

EPA pours $128M into environmental justice projects

The Environmental Protection Agency chose 186 projects led by community groups and local governments and counts several waste and recycling initiatives among its recipients.

Why payments to government agencies should be easier

“Increasingly, government agencies — and the people they serve — need a payments system that is connected across departments and jurisdictions,” writes one payments executive.

31 ‘tech hubs’ unveiled by Biden administration

The federal government is betting on the hubs to transform into globally competitive innovation centers. Phase 2 of the initiative — a competition for millions of federal dollars to implement local plans — starts now.

70+ cities, groups report progress a year after committing to shared-mobility goals

The shared-use mobility “action agenda” seeks to reduce reliance on private vehicles while creating more sustainable and equitable transportation systems.

Groups push for landfill methane action from local governments as ‘low-hanging fruit’

New EPA data shows the waste sector continues to dominate U.S. methane emissions. But groups believe new federal funding is aligning with a growing awareness of opportunities to make a dent in those numbers.

What isn’t in the White House’s climate resilience plan

Unveiled last month, the plan offers more to like than not, said the executive director of University of Miami’s Climate Resilience Academy. But he pointed to key shortcomings.

High hopes for US high-speed rail

Only 50 miles of high-speed track currently exist in the U.S., but an expansion could create thousands of jobs and slash greenhouse gas emissions, says a Mineta Transportation Institute study.