Opinion: Page 9

The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders


If you are interested in having your voice heard on Smart Cities Dive's Opinion page, please read our editorial guidelines and fill out the submission form here.

  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Toa55 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How city leaders can develop, manage and maintain strategic partnerships

    Now more than ever, the pandemic and economic crisis have exacerbated the need for municipal leaders to collaborate with other sectors including nonprofit, business, and philanthropy

    Megan Sheekey • Feb. 22, 2021
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Toa55 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Online sales tax collections proving essential for many state and local governments during COVID-19

    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.Many state...

    Scott Peterson • Feb. 18, 2021
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Toa55 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    2021 will be remembered as a year filled with challenges, marked by the pandemic

    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.With infec...

    Andy Castillo • Feb. 17, 2021
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Toa55 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Hi-tech sewers can help safeguard public health, environment and economies

    In the wake of the coronavirus, economic recovery is top of mind for all city leaders, the majority of whom believe that investing in infrastructure and technology can spur a rebound.

    Luis Montestruque • Feb. 17, 2021
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Toa55 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Five reasons why city managers should put utility vehicles to work

    With their versatility and reliability, UTVs are the perfect vehicle to help keep a city or county running smoothly.

    Eric Organ • Feb. 10, 2021
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Toa55 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Global pandemic ignites new era of public safety innovation

    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.History sh...

    Paul Steinberg • Feb. 7, 2021
  • Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Mack Male is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    For this micromobility boom to last, we need to address parking

    For micromobility to rise to the next level, we must make the public space provisions to ensure that riding a bike or e-scooter is as safe and convenient as driving a car. 

    Shabazz Stuart & Carl Vernersson • Jan. 4, 2021
  • Cleantech needs to be useful first, sustainable second

    While the cleanest tech may be what many retailers and consumers are looking for, it's the precise opposite of what our commercial buyers want.

    Darren Anderson • Dec. 21, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Aditya Prabaswara is licensed under CC BY 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 ways smart infrastructure shapes communities for the better

    From improved transportation to data-driven decisions, smart cities are using technology to raise the bar for the world of tomorrow.

    Forrest Senti • Dec. 18, 2020
  • Amazon truck loaded for Prime Day.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Amazon
    Image attribution tooltip

    How IoT can help cities survive the holiday 'shipmageddon'

    The sooner delivery services begin tapping available technologies, the sooner we can reduce chronic issues like holiday congestion and shipping delays.  

    Jonathan Sparks • Dec. 14, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Ryan Hallock is licensed under CC BY 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    A preventative approach to pavement management

    By focusing on preventative maintenance, local governments can unlock climate, economic and societal benefits while conserving time, money and manpower.

    Alison McGee & Samantha Stephan • Dec. 7, 2020
  • Pandemics have historically altered urban housing. COVID-19 will do the same.

    Necessity is the mother of invention, and this pandemic has created a variety of new necessities for urban residents and their environments.

    Demetrios Barnes • Dec. 4, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash
    Image attribution tooltip

    How automation can alleviate law enforcement bias in transportation

    Deploying automated traffic enforcement systems can free up law enforcement resources to be allocated in communities where they are needed most. 

    Holly Cooper • Dec. 2, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    4 strategies to rapidly scale clean energy in the next decade

    To fully realize our shared climate goals and rebuild our economy, we must prioritize and enact policies to accelerate the national transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.

    Cameron Bard • Nov. 30, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Populus
    Image attribution tooltip

    Understanding the risk of swappable e-scooter batteries

    These three critical tests will need to be passed to determine if swappable e-scooter batteries can overcome their safety and sustainability risks.

    Scott Rushforth • Nov. 25, 2020
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Toa55 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Promoting municipal employees’ volunteer efforts

    Research shows when companies support employee participation in volunteer activities, employees’ pride in the company increases, as well as employee engagement, performance, commitment and job satisfaction.

    Sheila Diann Hammon, Richelle Sandlin • Nov. 23, 2020
  • Cities are cutting emissions with an unlikely aid: concrete

    Cutting emissions from concrete in public infrastructure projects is an under-utilized and low-cost policy option that governments can readily pursue.

    Eric Dunford • Nov. 23, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Montgomery County Planning Commission is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    Wastewater surveillance may be key to widespread COVID-19 detection

    COVID-19 presents a rare opportunity for researchers to refine and implement wastewater-based epidemiology testing to fight the pandemic and manage future infections.

    Leanne Huysentruyt • Nov. 20, 2020
  • 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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Toa55 via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The trouble with overtime

    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.Internal a...

    Jennifer Dowd • Nov. 18, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Stock Catalog is licensed under CC BY 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    The Prop 22 debate revealed a need for more equitable mobility in California

    Just as the pandemic exposed grave vulnerabilities in Los Angeles' tattered mobility safety net, so too did the AB5 saga.

    Dave Gallon • Nov. 16, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Esurance
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cities are only ‘smart’ when IoT works in real time

    Despite the hoopla, smart cities are failing to accomplish most of what's being promised because of lagging software technology.

    Marty Sprinzen • Nov. 11, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    The image by Chad Davis is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    A parametric approach to pandemic resilience

    We do not have years of precedents to formulate a response to COVID-19. Therefore, pandemic planning processes must be agile and flexible to incorporate continuous uncertainty and change.

    Jason King and Evangelos Pantazis • Nov. 6, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Digital transformation in utilities starts on the frontlines

    As COVID-19 kicks the utility industry's digital efforts into high gear, companies should first focus on building a connected workforces.

    Cristian Grossmann • Nov. 2, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Wikimedia Commons
    Image attribution tooltip

    Prop 22 will shake up fundamental insurance policies

    No matter which side of the fence the California ballot measure falls, it will shake up the gig economy and impact operator insurance strategies.

    Wil Hamory • Oct. 29, 2020
  • Image attribution tooltip
    "Inside Empty CTA L Brown Line Car" by Raed Mansour is licensed under CC BY 2.0
    Image attribution tooltip

    Transit must think outside the box to rebuild ridership

    Associations have developed frameworks to guide public transit agencies toward recovery, but they may not go far enough to innovate the industry.

    Ben Haynie • Oct. 26, 2020