253 articles by Robyn Griggs Lawrence

• Supreme Court hears arguments in Boulder County, Colorado, climate case

  Oct. 6, 2026

• Weaker fuel-efficiency standards target of local and state government lawsuit

  Oct. 5, 2026

• Cities, states sue EPA over power plant emissions rollback

  Oct. 2, 2026

• Flock fight moves to Congress

  Oct. 1, 2026

• Court blocks FEMA from tying public safety grants to election policies

  Sept. 30, 2026

• Data centers are stress-testing local governments. Here are 5 strategies to rein them in.

  Sept. 29, 2026

• Second federal judge overturns $7B Solar for All cancellation by Trump administration EPA

  Sept. 25, 2026

• How a water infrastructure crisis became a riverfront opportunity in Columbia, South Carolina

  Sept. 24, 2026

• Green roofs, reflective materials on bus shelters aim to beat the heat in NYC pilot

  Sept. 23, 2026

• Cities get more say in data center development under new California laws

  Sept. 22, 2026

• EPA unlawfully canceled $7B Solar for All program, judge rules

  Sept. 21, 2026

• Local water projects on path to federal support as WRDA 2026 clears House

  Sept. 18, 2026

• Cities, states sue DHS over plan to deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits

  Sept. 15, 2026

• EPA scraps Biden-era power plant carbon rules, moves to eliminate all power-sector GHG standards

  Sept. 14, 2026

• The ‘next 9/11’ may not look like 9/11, former FDNY fire chief says

  Sept. 11, 2026

• 2026 Smart Cities Dive Community Project Award Winners: Solving real community needs

  Sept. 10, 2026

• Participatory budgeting behind bars: Durham, North Carolina, gives incarcerated residents a say

  Sept. 10, 2026

• Financing climate resilience: 3 ways cities are pivoting as federal funding dwindles

  Sept. 4, 2026

• Water cybersecurity gets federal boost in 10 cities and Texas

  Sept. 1, 2026

• Stormwater ‘sponges’ take root in Queens, New York, to curb flooding

  Aug. 31, 2026

• States move to rein in license plate surveillance as cities face growing scrutiny

  Aug. 28, 2026

• 3 things cities should do before approving another data center

  Aug. 27, 2026

• ICE is using shock gloves. Local police shouldn’t, a policing expert says.

  Aug. 25, 2026

• Sweeping new data center rules give local governments more leverage in Pennsylvania

  Aug. 19, 2026

• FEMA public safety grant policy challenged in city, county lawsuit

  Aug. 18, 2026

• Extreme indoor heat is a housing violation, Arizona warns landlords

  Aug. 17, 2026

• Steamy-hot subways are a problem in New York. They could become a clean-energy asset.

  Aug. 12, 2026

• Protecting water systems from cyberattacks: 5 steps cities can take now

  Aug. 11, 2026

• As Flock surveillance camera backlash grows, one governor tells cities to pause installations

  Aug. 10, 2026

• $20B in federal climate grants unblocked by appeals court

  Aug. 5, 2026

• 30+ water utility cyberattacks expose a vulnerability across US cities

  Aug. 3, 2026

• Boston’s $10B coastal resilience infrastructure plan wins access to billions in federal funding

  July 30, 2026

• Clean water funding map would get redrawn under Senate bill

  July 27, 2026

• States sue over FEMA tying public safety funding to elections, immigration

  July 24, 2026

• Harley-Davidson replaced pavement with flood protection, creating a new Milwaukee park

  July 23, 2026

• 3 steps on extreme heat every city should take

  July 22, 2026

• 5 extreme heat communication strategies from mayors in hot cities

  July 16, 2026

• Local projects would get billions under water infrastructure bill

  July 15, 2026

• With extreme rainfall overwhelming Chicago’s sewers, the city tries a new approach

  July 13, 2026

• Election security requirements added to FEMA homeland security grants

  July 9, 2026

• Extreme heat road map urges cities to rethink resilience

  July 8, 2026

• EPA’s tougher soot standard upheld in court

  June 29, 2026

• FEMA offers $1.5B in anti-terrorism funding as local governments assume larger security role

  June 25, 2026

• Climate migration is coming. Cincinnati wants to shape its effects.

  June 24, 2026

• DOJ subpoenas of Minnesota city and state leaders quashed in federal court

  June 23, 2026

• Crime is falling. Why don’t residents feel safer?

  June 18, 2026

• Emergency managers welcome House proposal to strengthen FEMA funding

  June 12, 2026

• Secure America Act expands ICE funding, puts new pressure on ‘sanctuary’ cities

  June 11, 2026

• Is FEMA ready for disaster season?

  June 10, 2026

• What the World Cup reveals about cities’ growing heat risk

  June 9, 2026

• Housing tops nation’s urban agenda, mayors say

  June 5, 2026

• Nominate a project for the 2026 Smart Cities Dive Community Project Awards

  June 2, 2026

• Cities push Congress to avert water infrastructure funding cliff

  June 1, 2026

• Philadelphia clean energy campaign turned millions invested into billions saved. Here’s how.

  May 28, 2026

• Los Angeles is reimagining parks as water infrastructure

  May 27, 2026

• How 4 cities are reshaping parks into strategic climate and community infrastructure

  May 22, 2026

• Cincinnati is turning a blighted former landfill into a solar energy hub

  May 20, 2026

• FEMA’s $1B BRIC relaunch prioritizes shovel-ready projects

  May 19, 2026

• Cities sound alarm on crumbling water infrastructure

  May 15, 2026

• Aging infrastructure, climate risks shake water sector confidence: report

  May 13, 2026

• These 12 cities are leading on environmental health, African American Mayors Association says

  May 12, 2026

• DOJ targets ‘sanctuary’ rules in Albuquerque, New Mexico

  May 11, 2026

• FEMA Review Council pushes disaster responsibility to cities, states

  May 8, 2026

• DOJ sues Minnesota to block climate lawsuit against oil companies

  May 6, 2026

• 7 ways cities are hardwiring climate action

  May 5, 2026

• Meet the 2026 Smart Cities Dive Public Service Award winners

  April 30, 2026

• This New York City leader unlocked a century of data, turning paper files into actionable intelligence

  April 30, 2026

• Boston’s climate plan focuses on local execution, accountability as federal support shrinks

  April 29, 2026

• Water reuse is essential for economic growth, the EPA says. Experts see obstacles ahead.

  April 28, 2026

• City and state climate litigation would be banned under new federal GOP bill

  April 27, 2026

• Cities sue EPA for failing to uphold soot standard

  April 27, 2026

• Who gets shade first? Austin, Texas, uses Google Earth data to decide.

  April 24, 2026

• Heat, wildfires drive surge in ozone pollution, report finds

  April 23, 2026

• 5 ways these D.C. suburbs are turning climate goals into local results

  April 22, 2026

• Boston eyes water-based thermal network to ease grid strain

  April 17, 2026

• How much power do cities have over data centers?

  April 16, 2026

• Cool Cities Lab heat-mapping tool helps cities target relief where it’s needed most

  April 13, 2026

• Affordable housing standard evolves from sustainability to resilience

  April 9, 2026

• The EPA wants to test for microplastics in drinking water. Here’s what that means for cities.

  April 8, 2026

• Trump’s FY27 budget slashes climate and disaster funding, shifting costs to cities and states

  April 6, 2026

• How cities can encourage faster, cheaper rooftop solar

  April 2, 2026

• Cities, states, environmental groups sue EPA over repeal of mercury and air toxics standards

  April 1, 2026

• Extreme heat is here. Here’s how 2 cities plan to deal with it.

  March 26, 2026

• Trump housing order could mean new barriers to federal funding for cities

  March 25, 2026

• Cities sue EPA over endangerment finding repeal

  March 20, 2026

• 5 tools local governments are using to block ICE detention centers

  March 18, 2026

• Lawsuit claims NCAR changes pose ‘direct threat’ to US security

  March 17, 2026

• Amid nationwide extreme weather, scientists and Colorado leaders fight to save NCAR

  March 16, 2026

• What is a ‘sanctuary’ city? Lawmakers still can’t agree.

  March 13, 2026

• Federal funding at risk as House advances anti-sanctuary bill

  March 10, 2026

• Better weather forecasts, disaster reviews the goal of new federal bills

  March 6, 2026

• DHS funding impasse freezes security grants, stalls local law enforcement

  March 5, 2026

• Can AI close the language gap in disaster warnings? A federal watchdog raises concerns.

  March 2, 2026

• Before the world arrives for the LA28 Olympics, the goats are going to work

  Feb. 25, 2026

• 4 ways cities can shape data center impact

  Feb. 24, 2026

• States sue Energy Department for terminating $8B in clean energy funding

  Feb. 20, 2026

• Environmental groups are suing the EPA for gutting a key climate rule. Cities and states vow to do the same.

  Feb. 19, 2026

• FEMA must restore $4.5B in resilience grants within weeks, judge rules

  Feb. 18, 2026

• California DOJ probes civil rights violations in Eaton Fire response

  Feb. 17, 2026

• FEMA shutdown threatens local reimbursements, training and long-term recovery

  Feb. 13, 2026

• 6 investments to maximize climate resilience

  Feb. 10, 2026

• A US senator introduced a bill to ‘end sanctuary cities.’ The cities are doubling down.

  Feb. 9, 2026

• Kansas City, Missouri, moves to the forefront of data center zoning with new ordinance

  Feb. 6, 2026

• Local officials nationwide move to hold federal immigration agents accountable after Alex Pretti’s death

  Jan. 29, 2026

• How Trump could make good on his threats to cut ‘sanctuary’ city funding

  Jan. 28, 2026

• Federal immigration agents to begin leaving Minnesota, Frey says

  Jan. 27, 2026

• After Pretti shooting, Minneapolis warns immigration operation is straining public safety resources

  Jan. 26, 2026

• Lawsuits target EPA rollback of coal plant water pollution standards

  Jan. 23, 2026

• Supreme Court broadens police authority for warrantless home entry

  Jan. 22, 2026

• Minnesota police chiefs call out federal immigration agents while mayors face DOJ subpoenas

  Jan. 21, 2026

• Chicago, New York mayors vow to fight Trump’s ‘sanctuary’ city funding cuts

  Jan. 14, 2026

• Illinois and Minnesota sue to halt federal immigration enforcement tactics

  Jan. 13, 2026

• Local officials move to hold federal immigration agents accountable after Minneapolis shooting

  Jan. 12, 2026

• State, federal authorities clash on Minneapolis ICE shooting

  Jan. 8, 2026

• Court blocks ‘arbitrary and capricious’ changes to FEMA grants

  Jan. 6, 2026

• What Trump’s National Guard withdrawal means for cities

  Jan. 5, 2026

• Supreme Court blocks National Guard deployment to Chicago

  Dec. 23, 2025

• Emergency managers, meteorologists push back against breakup of NCAR climate research center

  Dec. 19, 2025

• Appeals court to reexamine EPA’s power to block climate grants

  Dec. 18, 2025

• As EPA moves to fast-track data centers, some cities are moving to slow them down

  Dec. 17, 2025

• Local governments need to step up as FEMA’s future remains uncertain, experts say

  Dec. 16, 2025

• Emergency managers expected direction on FEMA’s future. They got silence instead.

  Dec. 12, 2025

• Judge blocks federal control of California National Guard

  Dec. 11, 2025

• DOJ sues Illinois over law tightening state limits on immigration enforcement

  Dec. 10, 2025

• Drug use on public transit erodes safety and traumatizes staff. A 7-step plan can help cities respond.

  Dec. 9, 2025

• Facing extreme rainfall and flooding, NYC is turning Brooklyn’s Prospect Park into a natural buffer

  Dec. 8, 2025

• Minneapolis draws a line on federal immigration tactics

  Dec. 5, 2025

• Accelerator aims to strengthen resilience in Austin-San Antonio region

  Dec. 2, 2025

• Shifting water infrastructure decisions to local governments could accelerate housing, advocates say

  Dec. 1, 2025

• EPA moves to roll back Biden-era particulate limits, signaling a major shift in clean air policy

  Nov. 26, 2025

• The World Cup is coming to Atlanta, spurring a historic district’s rebirth

  Nov. 25, 2025

• How cities are building climate resilience even as federal funds disappear

  Nov. 21, 2025

• Investing in next-generation emergency response: 2024 Crown Communities Award

  Nov. 17, 2025

• ICE can access most state driver databases. States have the power to stop it, these federal lawmakers say.

  Nov. 14, 2025

• Cities sue over DOJ’s bid to tie policing grants to immigration, DEI policies

  Nov. 13, 2025

• St. Paul, Minnesota, and environmental groups sue over canceled DOE clean energy grants

  Nov. 12, 2025

• AI tools for law enforcement are proliferating. Now cities and states are setting guardrails for their use.

  Nov. 7, 2025

• States sue FEMA over new grant rules

  Nov. 6, 2025

• Federal judge permanently bars National Guard troops in Portland

  Nov. 4, 2025

• Newsom moves to reclaim control of California National Guard

  Nov. 3, 2025

• NYC’s co-ops worry they can’t afford to decarbonize. A new road map offers a path from fear to funding.

  Oct. 31, 2025

• 5 actions cities can take to keep climate goals on track

  Oct. 29, 2025

• FEMA delays $11B in reimbursements as states brace for tighter disaster budgets

  Oct. 28, 2025

• National Guard in cities: What leaders need to know as legal battles intensify

  Oct. 24, 2025

• Police chiefs say the nation’s rhetoric has become dangerous. They’re calling for a reset before more violence erupts.

  Oct. 22, 2025

• Ninth Circuit agrees to rehear Oregon’s challenge to troop deployment in Portland

  Oct. 21, 2025

• States sue EPA over canceled Solar for All grants

  Oct. 17, 2025

• Cities must act now to secure remaining IIJA funds: NLC

  Oct. 15, 2025

• Harris County, Texas, sues EPA over canceled Solar for All funds

  Oct. 14, 2025

• Judge keeps Illinois troop deployment on hold pending Supreme Court action

  Oct. 10, 2025

• 5 things keeping emergency managers up at night

  Oct. 8, 2025

• Appeals court allows Trump to federalize but not deploy National Guard in Portland as troops move into Chicago

  Oct. 6, 2025

• Communities brace for fallout as DOE terminates nearly $7.6B in clean energy project funding

  Oct. 3, 2025

• Judge rebukes DHS for defying order on FEMA grant conditions

  Oct. 1, 2025

• Illinois officials condemn federal troop request for Chicago

  Sept. 30, 2025

• 5 steps to disaster-proof your city as FEMA pulls back

  Sept. 30, 2025

• Portland and Oregon sue Trump administration over National Guard deployment order

  Sept. 29, 2025

• An Indiana councilman saw politics turning toxic. Now he’s launching a national civility movement.

  Sept. 26, 2025

• How NYC is turning ambitious climate goals into results

  Sept. 25, 2025

• White House will revoke EPA climate endangerment finding Thursday, Leavitt says

  Sept. 24, 2025

• 5 forces driving building retrofits and how cities can lead the shift

  Sept. 23, 2025

• Mayors group joins legal battle against LA National Guard deployment

  Sept. 22, 2025

• All-electric firehouse and net-zero police station help Charlotte, N.C., meet climate goals

  Sept. 18, 2025

• Cities can lead the way on resilient cooling, report says

  Sept. 17, 2025

• Trump signs order to deploy National Guard to address Memphis crime

  Sept. 16, 2025

• EPA moves to end greenhouse gas emissions reporting

  Sept. 15, 2025

• Trump says he’s sending National Guard to Memphis

  Sept. 12, 2025

• 9 ways the FEMA Act would reform federal disaster response

  Sept. 11, 2025

• Traffic cameras double as a hurricane-response system in this South Carolina county

  Sept. 10, 2025

• Supreme Court clears path for ICE to resume stops in LA

  Sept. 9, 2025

• Chicago officials decry ‘militarized’ immigration operation

  Sept. 8, 2025

• National Guard troops headed to New Orleans for extended operation, Louisiana governor says

  Sept. 4, 2025

• Posse Comitatus ‘is alive and well,’ legal expert says. What does that mean for Trump’s military use in US cities?

  Sept. 3, 2025

• New data tool helps Gulf Coast cities pursue disaster funding as federal resources shrink

  Aug. 28, 2025

• After Katrina, green infrastructure aims to supplement the rebuilt — but still vulnerable — levees

  Aug. 27, 2025

• Chicago draws a line on federal troops

  Aug. 25, 2025

• Hurricane Katrina’s legacy is a warning for today’s city leaders

  Aug. 22, 2025

• Judge blocks Trump from halting funding to 34 ‘sanctuary’ cities

  Aug. 20, 2025

• Should schools be the centerpiece of heat resilience action?

  Aug. 19, 2025

• Cities brace for legal battles as Bondi’s ‘sanctuary’ deadline looms

  Aug. 18, 2025

• 2028 Olympics security plan tests LA-federal partnership

  Aug. 15, 2025

• Texas city pioneers tech that uses waste heat to generate drinking water

  Aug. 13, 2025

• Judge declines to halt National Guard use in LA

  Aug. 12, 2025

• What NEPA rollbacks mean for local projects

  Aug. 11, 2025

• Trump administration asks Supreme Court to overturn ban on ICE enforcement methods in LA

  Aug. 8, 2025

• AI could cut disaster infrastructure losses by 15%, new research finds

  Aug. 6, 2025

• ‘RoboCops’ may be headed to the US

  Aug. 5, 2025

• Denver development recruits its river for urban flood control

  Aug. 4, 2025

• Community-based safety solutions drive 22.6% drop in homicides since 2020, Democratic mayors say

  Aug. 1, 2025

• EPA’s move to gut key climate regulation raises stakes for city leaders

  July 30, 2025

• Municipal codes, financial incentives are driving the retrofitting boom, new research finds

  July 29, 2025

• Trump’s ‘sanctuary’ policies lawsuit against Minnesota officials dismissed

  July 25, 2025

• Cities move beyond law enforcement to treat root causes of crime

  July 24, 2025

• 3 keys to building climate resilience from the ground up

  July 22, 2025

• Bill seeks to fill federal void on heat protection for public workers

  July 21, 2025

• DOJ threatens to subpoena California sheriffs in seeking county jail data

  July 18, 2025

• Local officials hold the key to life-saving flood and weather warnings

  July 17, 2025

• $10B lawsuit targets LA over ‘epic failures’ in Palisades Fire

  July 16, 2025

• Most states couldn’t afford disaster recovery without FEMA: report

  July 15, 2025

• 5 steps cities can take to prevent a flood tragedy like Kerr County’s

  July 14, 2025

• $2.8B Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant program must resume, judge rules

  July 11, 2025

• Cities see sharp decline in police fatalities

  July 10, 2025

• Trump’s ‘sanctuary city ordinance’ lawsuit against LA dismissed

  July 9, 2025

• Detroit deploys drones and AI to target building efficiency improvements

  July 8, 2025

• Cities can decarbonize buildings while cutting costs, new road map says

  July 7, 2025

• FBI director calls for local law enforcement vigilance in ‘heightened threat environment’

  June 26, 2025

• Why some cities are bucking state sanctuary laws

  June 25, 2025

• As FEMA shrinks, cities face rising burdens — and risks

  June 24, 2025

• US, global cities tout emissions reductions

  June 23, 2025

• New tool maps urban heat disparities block by block

  June 18, 2025

• New AI tool helps cities respond to shrinking urban canopy

  June 16, 2025

• City leaders blast EPA’s rollback of power plant pollution standards

  June 13, 2025

• Drone as First Responder program set for takeoff following Trump executive order

  June 12, 2025

• Why sanctuary cities say they won’t back down

  June 10, 2025

• US mayors: Keep troops out of our cities

  June 9, 2025

• Local leaders warn U.S. Senate not to pull the plug on clean energy credits

  June 6, 2025

• Is your city prepared to weather the storm without FEMA?

  June 4, 2025

• Mayors call for action amid rising antisemitism

  June 3, 2025

• Trump administration deletes ‘sanctuary city’ list after backlash

  June 2, 2025

• AI, drones, private radar fill gaps from National Weather Service cuts

  May 30, 2025

• With AI, post-tornado assessments could be ‘near-instantaneous’

  May 28, 2025

• DOJ dismisses lawsuits against Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, police departments

  May 22, 2025

• Reimagining ‘managed retreat’ in a new reality

  May 20, 2025

• Supreme Court narrows police immunity in use-of-force cases

  May 19, 2025

• Thermal energy networks need municipal participation: report

  May 16, 2025

• 16 cities and counties fast-track sustainability through national initiative

  May 14, 2025

• Mayors flag Medicaid cuts as a public safety issue

  May 13, 2025

• Mayors call arrest of Newark, N.J., mayor ‘deeply troubling’

  May 12, 2025

• NOAA stops tracking cost of extreme weather and climate disasters

  May 9, 2025

• Report ranks states’ efforts to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning

  May 8, 2025

• Lawsuit challenges NYPD “gang database”

  May 6, 2025

• Trump budget proposal slashes climate funding

  May 5, 2025

• 3 cities join lawsuit challenging mass layoffs of federal workers

  May 2, 2025

• Trump directs Justice Department, military to support local law enforcement

  May 1, 2025

• Cities lose “critical guidance” from climate report: former NOAA official

  April 30, 2025

• 5 ‘sanctuary cities’ sue DHS to restore counterterrorism funds

  April 29, 2025

• New policy resource helps cities finance and maintain tree canopies

  April 28, 2025

• Justice Department cancels hundreds of public safety grants

  April 24, 2025

• Nearly half of US residents breathe unhealthy air: report

  April 23, 2025

• Atlanta to launch Climate Resilience Action Plan

  April 21, 2025

• Behavior science, data could provide low-cost solutions to gun violence

  April 17, 2025

• Judge unfreezes billions in IRA, IIJA funds

  April 16, 2025

• Prepare now to protect urban forests from storms

  April 14, 2025

• Building music ecosystems can strengthen local economies and tourism, advocates say

  March 29, 2023

• Flexible rent payment options gain popularity as affordability decreases

  Jan. 18, 2023

• Demand soars for EV charging at apartments

  Dec. 13, 2022

• Owning a home costs 35% more than renting in high-growth cities: report

  Dec. 6, 2022

• Big cities are not dead, real estate researcher says

  Nov. 22, 2022

• Landlords bear the burden of gun safety in their communities

  Oct. 12, 2022

• Sleeping pods: coming to a high-rent neighborhood near you?

  July 6, 2022

• Housing activists work to move the needle on affordability

  June 16, 2022

• YIMBY: The making of a movement

  June 15, 2022

• Meet the YIMBYs

  June 13, 2022