Opinion: Page 3

The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders

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  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Cleveland’s new strategic plan focuses on making city government work better

    As Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb stepped onto the Music Hall stage in the city’s Public Auditorium on March 5, 2024, it was hard not to lose your place on the continuum of past, present and future.

    Andrew Kleine • Sept. 11, 2024
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    Justice40: Getting federal funds to communities that need it most

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.President Bide...

    Laurie Mazur • Aug. 19, 2024
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    Manatee County Sheriff’s Office transforms performance management to improve service

    Residents are flocking to Manatee County, Fla. From 2010 to 2021, the county’s population grew by a whopping 33% to 429,000.

    Julie Beckwith • Aug. 16, 2024
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    Prioritize play to help your city thrive in a post-pandemic world

    More joyful public spaces can offer a path forward for cities as housing and work trends weaken their relationships with residents.

    Paul Kalbfleisch • Aug. 13, 2024
  • Bumper-to-bumper cars and trucks on a midtown Manhattan street.
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    Congestion pricing alone won’t solve New York’s traffic problem

    Car-free streets, dedicated bus lanes, lower speed limits and variable toll pricing are among other cities' strategies for success, says TomTom's VP for traffic and travel information.

    Ralf-Peter Schäfer • Aug. 6, 2024
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    Digital permitting: Building stronger communities and centralizing asset data

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Permitting...

    Dan Puerling • July 16, 2024
  • Eviction notice on door of house with brass door knob.
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    The White House just took steps to combat housing discrimination. States and local governments should follow.

    As the country’s eviction epidemic grows, lawmakers must take aim at tenant screening practices locking millions out of affordable housing.

    Jasmine Rangel • July 9, 2024
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    WIFIA funding helps communities address the impacts of climate change

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Changes in...

    Dallas Shattuck • June 14, 2024
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    How one city is proactively managing AI use—and what local governments can learn from it

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.AI (artificial...

    Todd Hurley • April 8, 2024
  • A technician connects cable on a solar rooftop array.
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    Utilities must come clean about the full value of community solar

    Utilities often oppose customer-driven, third-party-owned energy projects like community solar because they threaten to supplant utility investments and utility shareholder profits.

    Jeff Cramer and John Farrell • April 3, 2024
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    What is going on with Vision Zero

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.In 2019, t...

    Wes Guckert, PTP • March 27, 2024
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    Local government climate coalitions are delivering state policy results

    Environmental justice legislation in Colorado and energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in Wisconsin are two recent coalition accomplishments.

    Lindsay Ex and Erick Shambarger • March 26, 2024
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    5 tips for building highly utilized curbside EV chargers

    Think about EV charger placement and features that provide value to community residents, visitors and business owners, says the president and CEO of EV charging company Volta.

    Brandt Hastings • March 22, 2024
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    The art of dismantling the “unfortunate process”

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Procuremen...

    Christopher E. Burton • March 6, 2024
  • A rendering of an Electric Era charger charging a vehicle.
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    To spur more EV chargers, regulators must get creative with demand charges

    No matter what the incentives for installing an EV charger, very few businesses will enter this marketplace if selling the product leads to thousands of dollars in charges that aren’t made up for with revenue.

    Chris Kaiser • Jan. 8, 2024
  • An artistic rendering of a building which is transitioning from fossil fuel use to renewable sources like solar panels
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    The US could still get to net-zero

    The country could reduce nearly 90% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 without any Hail Mary innovations.

    Michael Jung and Adam Agalloco • Dec. 1, 2023
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    EPA should put landfill methane on COP28 agenda: former Oregon governor

    States like Oregon are curbing landfill methane emissions to help achieve climate goals. Kate Brown says the EPA should take greater action on this issue ahead of COP28.

    Kate Brown • Nov. 8, 2023
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    Big power’s EV charging strategy: Raise rates, overpromise, underdeliver, repeat

    We grant publicly regulated utilities certain privileges in exchange for reliability and affordability. When they try to leverage that privilege to corner a new market, they deserve plenty of pushback.

    Jay Smith • Nov. 6, 2023
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    How public-private partnerships are fueling growth in Orlando

    The city of Orlando is the center of a growing, thriving metropolis that is home to more than two million residents.

    Craig Ustler • Nov. 3, 2023
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    ‘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. 

    Ellia Thompson • Oct. 31, 2023
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    Dam engineering on a deadline: When Leominster, Mass. was inundated by an epic rainfall event

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.Engineers who ...

    Anders Bjarngard • Oct. 26, 2023
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    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.

    Sloane Wright • Oct. 25, 2023
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    Colleges can take steps to address the affordable housing crisis

    From contributing underutilized land to tapping government support, institutions can help alleviate the problem — and get a return on their investment. 

    Eric Maribojoc • Oct. 17, 2023
  • A detailed landscape design plan showing topographic contour lines, orange building illustrations, green trees, and directional arrows. The layout includes winding paths and clustered vegetation. A triangular scale ruler lies on the left, and three colored pencils, colored blue, green, and yellow, rest on the lower right corner of the page.
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    How governments can help older adults age in place during a housing crisis

    Editor's note: This article was originally published in American City & County, which has merged with Smart Cities Dive to bring you expanded coverage of city innovation and local government. For the latest in smart city news, explore Smart Cities Dive or sign up for our newsletter.As a short...

    Michelle Kobayashi • Sept. 29, 2023
  • An aerial view of a wind farm in Iowa.
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    Community solar is hot. Why not community wind?

    Perhaps the biggest difference between yesterday’s community wind and today’s community solar markets is in their business models, which reflect their respective market and policy environments. 

    Mark Bolinger and Bentham Paulos • Sept. 27, 2023