The Latest

  • A man cycling to work on an e-bike in Downtown Los Angeles.
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    halbergman via Getty Images
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    Micromobility ridership up 16% in US cities in 2023

    Even as shared bike and scooter rides continue to grow, affordability and limited city resources threaten future success, according to a new National Association of City Transportation Officials report.

  • Teal and orange color of NYC midtown view and the East river from Roosevelt Island
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    Tanaonte via Getty Images
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    Building performance standards are likely not preempted by federal law, attorney says

    Such policies are likely safe even after a federal appeals court struck down Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation gas ban in new construction, said Daniel Carpenter-Gold, staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center.

    Updated July 24, 2024
  • A facade of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signage on the wall of its building
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    Joe Cicak via Getty Images
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    EPA announces nearly $160M to cut construction emissions

    Grant recipients will help disclose the environmental impacts of manufacturing construction materials as some cities eye ways to reduce buildings’ embodied carbon.

  • A row of electric vehicle chargers is seen from one end with a dark red vehicle parked and plugged in to the nearest charger.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    How cities are using Biden’s $4.3B climate pollution reduction grants

    The grants “put local governments in the driver’s seat to develop climate solutions,” a federal official said. Cities and counties plan to use the money for electrification, bike-sharing, solar power and more.

  • An illustration of a high-speed train in California's Central Valley.
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    Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
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    Tracker

    US high-speed rail projects: The latest news

    Train-maker Alstom is suing the Federal Railroad Administration, alleging that it improperly issued a "Buy America" waiver that let rival Siemens Mobility become the preferred bidder for Brightline West train sets.

    Updated July 23, 2024
  • A view of the facade of New York City Hall and Manhattan Municipal Building in lower Manhattan, New York City.
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    Mark Zhu via Getty Images
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    600+ NYC facilities pledge to cut energy use as part of expanded demand response program

    The city also plans to install over 1,150 real-time meters in municipal buildings to help manage electricity use, according to its Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

  • A person in a suit stands at a podium with a microphone. A woman stands behind him with hands clasped in front of her. Behind them are flags.
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    Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    US mayors react to Biden’s election dropout

    President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he is ending his reelection campaign. “He worked hand in hand with us to deliver some of the most consequential legislation for cities,” one mayor said.

  • An angular view of the U.S. Capitol building against a clear blue sky.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    US House appropriations bill would slash DOT grants by $2B in FY2025

    House Republicans set out their priorities for transportation funding but acknowledge that the November election’s outcome will likely decide future spending.

  • A low angle of tall buildings in Manhattan
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    franckreporter via Getty Images
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    New York wants tall commercial, multifamily buildings to test low-carbon heating retrofits

    Seven finalists in a $10 million competition will develop heating and distribution systems that can be installed without displacing occupants, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week. 

  • Trees and sitting people are silhouetted against a white government building and blue sky.
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    Andrew Harnik/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    14 attorneys general press FEMA to define heat, wildfire smoke as major disasters

    The state officials are the latest to call on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to update its definition of major disasters eligible for federal money as key funds run low.

  • A blue New York City transit bus marked "clean-energy bus" travels along the curb lane under a sign for Fifth Avenue, with trees in the background.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    New York MTA sued for alleged cuts to bus service

    A New York state judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday ordering the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to restore service that existed prior to July 12.

  • Aerial view of Jacksonville, Florida, with an elaborate highway interchange intersection showing
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    Bilanol via Getty Images
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    US attorneys aim to protect state emissions targets rule

    The federal government seeks to instate a 2023 Federal Highway Administration regulation after lower courts dealt blows to the policy.

  • A man helps a person in a wheelchair up a ramp into a vehicle.
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    Courtesy of May Mobility
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    Cities are paying this robotaxi company to work with them

    May Mobility operates self-driving vehicles to fill gaps in service and provide more accessible options for wheelchair users.

  • Several rats on the ground next to full black trash bags.
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    Chanawat Phadwichit via Getty Images
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    Boston has a new anti-rat plan. Here are 3 takeaways.

    “We’re working to make Boston a home for everyone. Except for rats," Mayor Michelle Wu said as the city released a report by a leading urban rat researcher.

  • Sun sets in the clouds over the Interstate Bridge across the Columbia River, which connects Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.
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    Long_Strange_Trip_01 via Getty Images
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    DOT rolls out $5B in bridge infrastructure grants

    The grants will fund 13 economically significant projects to address traffic and freight bottlenecks.

  • Nighttime view of Chinatown Gate in Boston.
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    Maddie Meyer via Getty Images
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    $607M in US DOT grants available for reconnecting communities

    This will be the final round of grants under the Biden administration's pilot program to restore neighborhoods split by highways and other transportation infrastructure.

  • A group of people hold a house on a city street. Other people stand in the background in yellow and orange safety vests.
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    Courtesy of NYC Water
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    NYC bets big on porous pavement with $32M flood-control project

    It's the city's first large-scale implementation of the approach after years of testing different porous pavement products.

  • Penn Station Partners, Amtrak’s redevelopment group, placed the project on hold
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    Courtesy of Amtrak/Lawrence Green
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    Construction project abandonments surge

    Developers are also delaying jobs, including Amtrak’s $175 million redevelopment of Baltimore’s Penn Station.

  • Eight bicycles docked at a station under trees next to a sidewalk.
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    The image by Michael Slaten is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Bike-sharing’s future in Houston is uncertain after system shutdown

    The local transit agency was supposed to build a new bike-sharing system before the city’s old one shut down. It didn't, and nobody knows what will happen next.

  • Loper decision ending Chevron deference doctrine
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    Anna Moneymaker / Staff via Getty Images
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    House GOP looks at transportation regulations in light of Chevron doctrine ruling

    Chairs of the Transportation and Infrastructure and House Oversight and Accountability committees asked three Cabinet leaders to compile information dating back to Jan. 20, 2021.

  • A person in a coat rides a bicycle holding a red DoorDash bag.
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    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    NYC delivery worker earnings up 22%

    The city says workers’ earnings shot up after it began enforcing its new $17.96 per hour app-based delivery wage. DoorDash, however, called the city’s report “misleading and blatantly biased.”

  • Los Angeles skyline in background with a busy freeway in the foreground.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    3 strategies to decarbonize transportation: US DOT report

    To meet U.S. greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Paris Agreement, the Transportation Department says the U.S. must reduce transportation emissions to near zero.

  • An elevated shot of a street lined with high-rise buildings. One person walks across a crosswalk.
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    John Moore/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Seattle encourages office-to-residential conversions with new law

    The city's mayor said Seattle needs to take advantage of every tool available to fend off a housing shortage as downtown buildings sit empty.

  • A person looks at a flooded highway with a partly submerged white pickup truck.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    FEMA tightens flood resilience rules for federally funded infrastructure

    Projects like schools, fire and police stations, sewers, roads and bridges will be affected by the new Federal Emergency Management Agency policy. 

  • A billboard over a California highway reads "Extreme Heat Stay Cool Drink Water"
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Proposed OSHA heat rule leaves waste industry with operational questions

    Waste and recycling groups say the proposed standard raises practical questions of how to change schedules and other operations to better protect workers from the heat.