Deep Dive: Page 3
Industry insights from our journalists
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Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Amtrak plans major expansion by 2035 if infrastructure bill passes
Amtrak's expansion plans could connect small towns and reduce inequalities, while boosting development, housing and jobs in cities. However, those ambitions face some hurdles.
Dan Zukowski • Oct. 20, 2021 -
Dave Einsel via Getty Images
The pandemic changed car ownership. How can cities adapt?
Car buyers are thinking about protection from the coronavirus rather than convenience or traffic. That could be bad news for cities looking to get cars off the road for good.
Jason Plautz • Aug. 9, 2021 -
Samuel Corum via Getty Images
10 ways the PRO Act could change the game for employers and organized labor
Currently being considered in the Senate, the bill would strengthen the ability of unions, including those of public sector workers, to form and collectively bargain.
Emilie Shumway • Aug. 2, 2021 -
Courtesy of Cruise
California's first AV public passenger service could provide key industry and market data
General Motors-owned Cruise will operate the first-ever driverless car service in the state. Others in the space said they hope to learn a lot — including how the public reacts — from its efforts.
Chris Teale • Aug. 2, 2021 -
Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Philadelphia's eviction diversion program is a 'lifeline' for tenants
The "nation's largest poor city" has adopted one of the most aggressive eviction diversion efforts in the U.S., in an effort one city council member said she hopes will remain post-pandemic.
Amanda Loudin • June 16, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Smart Cities Dive
Automakers and universities team up to fix AV industry's talent gap
Schools are evolving their courses to keep pace with autonomous vehicle technology changes and build the industry's pipeline of workers.
Chris Teale • May 3, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Smart Cities Dive
Satellite internet: digital divide solution or 'science experiment'?
SpaceX and Amazon have said the technology can help rural America get online, but opponents say it's unproven and not worthy of federal investment.
Chris Teale • March 30, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Smart Cities Dive
Local leaders reckon with ShotSpotter's ambiguous ROI
ShotSpotter CEO Ralph Clark said the company saw 12% YOY revenue growth in 2020, during a recent earnings call. Meanwhile, some experts question the tech's efficacy as cities face strapped budgets and high homicide rates.
Cailin Crowe • Feb. 26, 2021 -
Danielle Ternes/Smart Cities Dive
Power sector experts fight misinformation around Texas outages
Operators will often prepare for peak loads based on historical data, but those forecasts can be less predictable under a changing climate, one expert said.
Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 18, 2021 -
Yujin Kim/Smart Cities Dive
Transit workers face growing rate of assaults: 'There's not much we can do'
Some transit operators are asking for reassignments off the frontlines as they face increasingly violent threats from frustrated riders amid COVID-19.
Chris Teale • Feb. 17, 2021 -
Lawmakers vs. regulators: The fight over Arizona's zero-emissions mandate
Conservatives say the Arizona Corporation Commission's proposed zero-carbon mandate oversteps its constitutional authority while defenders say the legal debate is an excuse to impede the state's climate fight.
Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 11, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Smart Cities Dive
Transit agencies brace for vaccination push amid murky guidance
Though federal agencies have deemed public transit a priority sector for COVID-19 vaccinations, states are charting their own plans to address rider demands and union resources.
Chris Teale • Feb. 1, 2021 -
Permission granted by Parkside Realty Inc.
How COVID-19 will change office, hotel and mixed-use design
There are still unknowns as far as how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the look of new spaces, but flexibility in layouts will be key, design experts say.
Kim Slowey • Jan. 25, 2021 -
Building the drone highways of the sky
UAS corridors or "sky lanes" can facilitate transformational opportunities for cities. Yet the road to integrated drone operation poses a host of challenges.
Nathan Eddy • Dec. 22, 2020 -
Retrieved from Flickr user Kim Seng on November 13, 2020
5G health concerns sow uncertainty amid ongoing rollout
While deployment continues unabated across the U.S., a small coalition of groups and leaders are trying to put the brakes on 5G in a bid to learn more about the technology.
Chris Teale • Dec. 14, 2020 -
Agencies tap public surveys to gauge transit trends
From Idaho Falls to Norman, OK, cities and transit agencies are leaning on carefully crafted surveys to navigate the post-COVID future of transit.
Adina Solomon • Dec. 8, 2020 -
Shopping to shelter: Abandoned mall sites welcome senior housing
A number of cities nationally are looking to "infill redevelopment" of vacant mall sites to bridge the growing housing gap for aging populations.
Joan Mooney • Updated Dec. 4, 2020 -
Rate design innovations are boosting the energy transition
Success with time-of-use rates can allow utilities to integrate more variable and distributed generation, leading to more sophisticated time-varying rates.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 30, 2020 -
Danielle Ternes/Smart Cities Dive
Wildfires pushed PG&E into bankruptcy. Should other utilities be worried?
Catastrophic wildfires, which can lead to billions of dollars in damages, present a unique financial risk that the utility sector will want to get ahead of.
Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 20, 2020 -
Cycling-friendly cities scramble to combat rising bike thefts
Bike Index found thefts increased 68% from March to September, running incongruous to cities' investments in cycling infrastructure and support.
Amanda Loudin • Nov. 19, 2020 -
Behind the scrutiny of Bird's fleet manager program
A recent media report said Bird's fleet manager program is "luring contract workers into debt," while some contractors say the program has been lucrative.
Kristin Musulin • Nov. 11, 2020 -
Will ghost kitchens define the restaurant industry's future?
While investor interest booms and sales have the potential to outpace traditional models, questions linger about how much this emerging market could disrupt business in the long term.
Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 10, 2020 -
"An election official outside and voters outside a voting location in Minneapolis, Minnesota" by Lorie Shaull is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
5 ballot initiatives poised to propel states, cities to 100% clean energy
At the local level, as in previous elections, energy is less prone to partisan politics in 2020.
Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 5, 2020 -
Danielle Ternes/Smart Cities Dive
Ballot billions: Behind the efforts to fund and finance climate action
In a year that virtually depleted municipal budgets, ballot-derived tax and funding measures can be crucial to support city-level climate action. Outside of these measures, how else can cities secure cash?
Kristin Musulin, Chris Teale and Cailin Crowe • Oct. 27, 2020 -
The gas tax was already broken. The pandemic could end it.
As states and cities face infrastructure budget crunches with gas tax revenues down, some are thinking about alternative ways to secure funding.
Jason Plautz • Oct. 26, 2020
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