Buildings & Design

  • A man framing the roof of a small cabin
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    Building a granny flat or tiny house in Charlotte, North Carolina? The city might spot you up to $80K.

    Housing-strapped Charlotte is loaning homeowners money to build smaller rental accessory dwelling units on their properties.

    By • Oct. 27, 2025
  • Aerial shot of high-rise buildings in a downtown
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    New York City is having an office-to-housing conversion boom. Could Chicago be next?

    Chicago has a higher downtown office vacancy rate than the Big Apple. Housing advocates say those buildings could help address the affordable housing shortage.

    By • Oct. 20, 2025
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline➔
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • Rendering of stadium surrounded by city.
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    Permission granted by BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group
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    Stadiums

    As stadium boom resumes, ‘private funding’ often comes with public strings

    Cities eager to tout privately financed sports stadiums are still spending big through tax breaks, land deals and public financing that shift costs back to taxpayers.

    By Vicky Uhland • Oct. 20, 2025
  • A crowd of people gather on the front steps of an older multistory building decorated with blue banners.
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    Bill Pugliano via Getty Images
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    Detroit to build new multimodal transportation hub

    The proposed intercity bus and Amtrak station next to the restored Michigan Central Station “will grow our regional economy,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

    By • Oct. 17, 2025
  • An aerial view of a city with mountains in the distance
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    Stairway to housing? This California city legalized single-staircase apartments

    Culver City, California, joins a growing number of cities rethinking two-staircase building code requirements, a move advocates say could boost affordable housing development.

    By • Oct. 16, 2025
  • Scaffolds covering a building in New York City.
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    Zoning reforms, tax incentives help drive NYC’s office-to-housing boom

    Office conversions have nearly tripled as the city takes action to address a housing shortage and historically high office vacancy rates.

    By Joe Burns • Oct. 9, 2025
  • Low angle view of a modern style apartment building, with lots of windows on a sunny, cloudy day
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    Modern multifamily buildings see ‘far better fire safety outcomes’ than other housing types, Pew report finds

    Fire deaths in modern multifamily homes occur at one-fourth the rate of those in modern single-family homes, the report found.

    By • Oct. 1, 2025
  • Man is a suit at a podium in front of a sign that reads "NLC - National League of Cities"
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    Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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    Top smart city conferences in 2026

    Technology, housing, climate action, transportation, public safety and more take center stage at events for local government leaders in 2026.

    By Smart Cities Dive Staff • Oct. 1, 2025
  • A curved wall of windows with concrete between them.
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    5 forces driving building retrofits and how cities can lead the shift

    With nearly 1.5 billion square feet of aging stock in sustainability-focused markets, local governments are positioned to accelerate decarbonization, a JLL report finds.

    By • Sept. 23, 2025
  • A line of people, including several police officers, with shovels
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    Permission granted by City of Charlotte
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    All-electric firehouse and net-zero police station help Charlotte, N.C., meet climate goals

    The city has invested $36 million to build the facilities, which align emergency response with an ambitious strategic energy initiative.

    By • Sept. 18, 2025
  • A building sits in the center of the frame on a bright day with trees and foliage out front.
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    Courtesy of City of Lancaster
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    California city adopts AI permitting

    Lancaster will embark on a public-private partnership with Labrynth, a contractor-side artificial intelligence permitting platform, to speed up the review process.

    By Matthew Thibault • Sept. 12, 2025
  • Podcast cover image for "Cities in Motion," presented by TomTalks and Smart Cities Dive, featuring an aerial view of a busy urban highway network.
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    Danielle Ternes/Smart Cities Dive
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    Sponsored by TomTom

    [Podcast] Key trends in urban mobility transformation

    In this podcast series, explore trending topics related to the larger theme of urban mobility transformation challenges and opportunities.

    By Smart Cities Dive's studioID • Updated July 10, 2025
  • Rendering of river splitting off in two directions with greenery and beaches along its banks and buildings in the background.
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    Permission granted by Wenk Associates
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    Green infrastructure

    Denver development recruits its river for urban flood control

    The River Mile project is treating the South Platte River as natural infrastructure, delivering flood protection, recreation and economic opportunity on land once considered undevelopable.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
  • An interior rendering of a new, state-of-the-art soccer stadium, with players on the pitch and fans packing the stands.
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    Courtesy of Chicago Fire FC
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    Stadiums

    Chicago unveils $650M stadium plan key to neighborhood redevelopment

    The new Chicago Fire stadium is the catalyst for a 62-acre, pedestrian-oriented neighborhood featuring a riverwalk and interconnected community developments.

    By Matthew Thibault • July 18, 2025
  • metal thefts, copper tubing, copper wire
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    Surging copper thefts heighten facility risks

    Buildings and infrastructure are increasingly vulnerable as copper prices hit record highs.

    By Robert Freedman • July 17, 2025
  • A facade of a sustainable glass office building with a tree for reducing carbon dioxide.
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    New certification strategy helps align cities’ green, healthy building goals

    A WELL-LEED dual certification shortcut has led to more than 250 million square feet of building space meeting both climate and wellness targets.

    By Joe Burns • July 16, 2025
  • Sec. 179D commercial building energy efficiency deduction, Foreclosurepedia
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    End of tax incentive in Trump’s new policy bill could derail office conversions

    Although the deduction is about making commercial buildings energy efficient, it’s been key to owners’ willingness to invest in obsolete and financially distressed properties, supporters say.

    By Robert Freedman • July 11, 2025
  • Ramp structure and staging and storage facility, part of the Midtown Bus Terminal Redevelopment in New York City.
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    Courtesy of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
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    New York Port Authority set to begin work on $1.87B bus terminal facility

    The staging and storage facility is part of the $10 billion Midtown Bus Terminal Redevelopment in New York City.

    By Julie Strupp • July 8, 2025
  • Stoplights and street between two tall buildings with more tall buildings in the background.
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    Cities can decarbonize buildings while cutting costs, new road map says

    The guide from Climate Mayors and Veolia aims to help cities tackle one of their biggest greenhouse gas emissions challenges, even as federal support for energy efficiency and decarbonization shrinks.

    By • July 7, 2025
  • An empty office in a downtown in the process of a conversion.
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    JuliaMag via Getty Images
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    Office conversions accelerate, but many older buildings face demolition: reports

    Residential conversions are helping address housing shortages in some communities, but high costs and incompatible structural designs remain challenges.

    By Joe Burns • June 26, 2025
  • Interior rendering of a modern convention center with high ceilings, a large glass wall on the left, an escalator leading to an upper level with glass railings, and a geometric star-shaped cutout on the right wall.
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    Retrieved from Dallas Convention Center on June 04, 2025
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    Dallas hires Turner, AECOM for convention center renovation

    The project, worth $3.7 billion overall, will expand the current facility to more than 2 million square feet.

    By Jennifer Goodman • June 5, 2025
  • Construction workers begin to rebuild a business
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Private construction pullback drags down overall spending

    Nearly 22% of contractors have reported project delays or cancellations due to tariff-related impacts, according to Associated Builders and Contractors.

    By Sebastian Obando • June 3, 2025
  • Row of white hard hats with green ribbons placed on shovels for a groundbreaking ceremony.
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    Permission granted by Schneider Electric
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    Sponsored by Schneider Electric

    Public facility investments that unlock financial resilience

    Why investing into infrastructure improvements enables economic growth, mitigates the impacts of extreme weather, and provides a way to capture and reinvest cost savings.

    May 19, 2025
  • Library in big letters on the sidewalk with building in back ground
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    City of Cedar Park

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    2024 Crown Communities: Cedar Park Public Library

    The newly built public library is the anchor of a new downtown district for the Central Texas city, where it serves as the “front porch” of the community.

    By • April 18, 2025
  • A building rooftop covered in solar panels.
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    Permission granted by LeFrak
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    Q&A

    Jersey City developer completes solar housing retrofit it says is largest of its kind

    The 450 solar panels at the apartment complex offset the property’s HVAC and common area emissions by 13%, the developer's community relations head said.

    By Mary Salmonsen • April 17, 2025