For the Building Performance Standards Coalition to be effective, the White House must think bigger

The former head of the U.S. Green Building Council weighs in on how federal, state and local government partners can go beyond just reducing building emissions as they pursue decarbonization.  

By Mahesh Ramanujam • April 8, 2022

Latest UN climate change report shines new light on well-documented urban mitigation strategies

Cities must push harder to decarbonize buildings and transform transportation norms, the report suggests, as the next three years are critical if the world is to change the course of global warming.

By Maria Rachal • April 5, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Energy Codes and Building Performance Standards

Cities are using these levers to meet climate goals and address everything from data centers to building decarbonization.

By Smart Cities Dive staff

Baltimore company turns empty offices into apartments

A real estate firm CEO explains the key challenges of converting old office buildings to apartments beyond the design limitations.  

By Leslie Shaver • April 4, 2022

Transit-oriented development catches on as cities need to boost ridership and housing supply

Cities are opting to build mixed-use developments near public transportation, but experts in Seattle, Atlanta and elsewhere say getting it right is a big challenge.

By Adina Solomon • April 1, 2022

IDC names 17 winners for its 2022 North America Smart City Awards

From Schenectady, New York, to Santa Ana, California, the group recognized smart city accomplishments across 14 categories for its fifth annual awards.

By Cailin Crowe • March 30, 2022

Affordable housing funding would expand in Biden’s FY23 budget

With no path forward for housing provisions of last year's Build Back Better plan, the administration calls for $50 billion to increase the U.S. affordable housing supply and expand the federal Housing Choice Voucher program.

By Danielle McLean • March 29, 2022

Nearly $45B for climate and clean energy included in Biden’s proposed budget

It calls for investments in zero-emission vehicles and related infrastructure so federal agencies can provide "immediate, clear, and stable" demand. There are also carveouts for electrifying low-income homes.

By Ethan Howland • March 29, 2022

The country's least affordable cities for rent

U.S. median rent jumped 17.1% in February, marking the seventh month in a row of double-digit increases.

By Leslie Shaver • March 28, 2022

Urban heat project to assess impact of scaling up cool pavements

Following some cities' cool pavements pilots, a new research initiative in one LA neighborhood will aim to measure extreme heat's impacts and implement cooling tech in a 10-square-block area to see how benefits amplify.

By Maria Rachal • March 25, 2022

Bidding wars break out in NYC while San Francisco properties struggle

The major coastal metros, which were the poster children for urban pandemic flight in 2020, are following different paths to recovery.

By Leslie Shaver • March 23, 2022

Habitat for Humanity receives $436M donation to address global housing crisis

But housing experts say the large donation from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and new advancements in home construction technology will not alone make housing affordable to families in U.S. cities.

By Danielle McLean • March 23, 2022

How 'spongy' is your city? Report calls on cities to better assess how they absorb water

With digital mapping tools, cities can determine their baseline ability to manage rainfall, and in turn work to reduce their reliance on less climate-resilient infrastructure, according to engineering and consulting firm Arup.

By Maria Rachal • March 22, 2022

Could Zoom towns go bust?

Money is flowing into cities like Boise, Idaho, but some analysts wonder about the sustainability of their growth.

By Leslie Shaver • March 22, 2022

Toyota's Woven Planet, NYU create open-source dataset to improve VPR tech for accessibility, autonomy

To test how visual place recognition technology can help visually impaired pedestrians, autonomous vehicles and delivery robots better navigate cities, the project captured over 200,000 images of part of an NYC neighborhood.

By Cailin Crowe • March 21, 2022

6 cities set to add the highest percentage of new apartments in 2022

Nashville, Phoenix and Austin, Texas, will build 6% new inventory this year, as apartment construction is projected to hit a 30-year high.

By Leslie Shaver • March 8, 2022

Apartment sales jumped 128% last year, good luck finding one

The pandemic widened the gap between apartments and other sectors, as apartments were flooded with applications from people moving to new areas. But are the industry's high prices here to stay?

By Leslie Shaver • March 7, 2022

Buildings are a key climate solution: How the U.S. and Europe are cooperating to make progress

The U.S. and E.U. have committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Building decarbonization is essential to achieving this goal.

By Oliver Rapf, executive director, BPIE (Building Performance Institute Europe), and Lotte Schlegel, executive director, IMT (Institute for Market Transformation) • Feb. 28, 2022

Revisiting California’s natural gas hookup subsidies

California is one of the biggest consumers of natural gas in the U.S., and has been adding new gas customers faster than any other state. These trends are in direct conflict with its ambitious climate goals, the authors write.

By Clifford Rechtschaffen and Simi Rose George • Feb. 23, 2022

Orlando emphasizes 'wow factor' in digital twin project

Unlike many other cities' digital twins, the project will map the entire 40-square-mile metro region. It will be updated with real-time data to help inform infrastructure policies and act as a marketing tool for the metro region.

By Jason Plautz • Feb. 22, 2022

To decarbonize buildings, think like an entrepreneur

The most innovative ideas to slash emissions won’t have impact if they never reach the market, writes Reshma Singh, who focuses on building technologies at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

By Reshma Singh • Feb. 18, 2022

To prevent evictions, cities should take a multifaceted approach, NLC report says

A new National League of Cities report says cities can tailor eviction policies to meet the unique needs of their communities with interventions such as legal and financial assistance, hotlines, and resources.

By Jason Plautz • Feb. 7, 2022

Pittsburgh bridge collapse raises questions, infrastructure funding concerns

The span fell the day President Joe Biden was visiting to promote the IIJA, underscoring his push to improve the nation's dated infrastructure.

By Matthew Thibault • Feb. 1, 2022

DC joins growing list of cities requiring new buildings to include EV parking

A make-ready rule requires 20% of parking to be ready for EV charging in certain new and refurbished buildings. But a parking reform expert said the rules ignore a bigger climate question: Is new parking necessary at all?

By Jason Plautz • Jan. 27, 2022

8 trends shaping cities in 2022

Cities continue to confront challenges surrounding the pandemic, the climate crisis, rising inequality and public safety this year.

By Cailin Crowe, Danielle McLean, Maria Rachal, Dan Zukowski and Jason Plautz • Jan. 26, 2022

White House forms coalition with local governments to pursue building performance policies

In a federal show of support for locally led decarbonization and retrofitting efforts, the coalition will cover nearly 20% of the U.S. building footprint and aims to advance legislation or regulation over the next two years.

By Maria Rachal • Jan. 24, 2022