Sonnen aims to unify all aspects of the smart home

The company's new smart energy management system will unite home automation, residential solar and energy storage with intelligent load control.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 7, 2018

Study predicts obesity levels in cities based on infrastructure

Researchers from the University of Washington used artificial intelligence to determine a correlation between the built environment and obesity.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 6, 2018

Connectivity beacons installed in Chicago to aid navigation

The city partnered with Waze and SpotHero to install the devices, which emit signals to prevent connectivity blackouts.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 31, 2018

King County, WA plans 3 modular housing pilots to shelter homeless

Two projects will be for temporary housing and one will be for permanent, affordable housing in a plan worth a total of about $12 million.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 28, 2018

19 mayors commit to make all buildings net-zero carbon by 2050

The declaration precedes the Global Climate Action Summit, where leaders from around the world will be encouraged to collaborate on strategies for decreasing GHG emissions.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 24, 2018

Salt Lake City mayor proposes 2 affordable housing measures

The city aims to add 2,000 new units by the end of next year and preserve existing homes through fee waivers for developers and a requirement to replace existing units.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 23, 2018

Chicago installs 76K LED streetlights in first year of upgrade program

The LEDs are expected to cut streetlight electricity use by 50-75%, part of a four-year modernization plan that entails replacing 270,000 lights by 2021.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 21, 2018

5 futuristic design concepts proposed by Sidewalk Toronto

Building raincoats, underground delivery systems and dynamic pavement may all soon be a reality in the waterfront neighborhood of Quayside.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 17, 2018

Startup focused on AI for infrastructure scores $4.5M in funding

SenSat's product learns from a virtual representation of the jobsite to present project teams with the most efficient course of action.

By Kathleen Brown • Aug. 17, 2018

NYC stakeholders back plan to cut building energy use, carbon emissions

The Urban Green Council released a plan for a 20% reduction in energy use across the city's largest buildings by 2030.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 16, 2018

Robot learns to build, adapt using Lego models

Autodesk's BrickBot is programed to autonomously build from 3D models and could be a precursor to construction and manufacturing applications.

By Laurie Cowin • Aug. 13, 2018

Water works: Preserving water amenity accessibility in cities

Cities understand how critical water is to the health and well-being of residents. But, in some cases, those amenities' futures are threatened.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 9, 2018

Advocates urge less 'victim-blaming,' better street designs to reduce pedestrian deaths

Representatives said the upwards trend in fatalities is troubling, and that cities should be more welcoming to all modes of transport to help get the issue under control.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 8, 2018

Sidewalk Labs teams with design firm for 'Dynamic Street' model

Roads could be reconfigured to accommodate extra traffic during busy hours, then transitioned into open space using a modular, reconfigurable pavement system.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 7, 2018

How to embrace office green spaces for better employee engagement

Office plants and composting programs — good places to start — may gradually evolve into huge cultural changes for employers.

By Pamela DeLoatch • Aug. 3, 2018

The students bringing smart city concepts to life with 'unconstrained creativity'

At NYU's 2018 Science of Smart Cities program, founder Ben Esner lauded students' efforts to build innovations like climate-measuring drones and smart bridge technology.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 2, 2018

DC is home to the most green roofs in North America

The city has installed nearly double the green roof square footage as the next in line, according to the industry association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 30, 2018

Leaders wrestle with affordable housing crisis after 'years wandering in the wilderness'

At the National Alliance for Ending Homelessness conference, officials called for more investment as cities start to step up and the federal government steps away.

By Chris Teale • July 25, 2018

NYC unveils $100M plan to modernize freight distribution system

As infrastructure across the U.S. is crumbling, New York City's plan aims for an end-to-end solution to its aging freight distribution. 

By Barry Hochfelder • July 19, 2018

Smart cities: Can we afford them?

Tech and infrastructure advancements won’t come cheap to most cities. Many decisions will boil down to how fast do we want to do this, and where do we want to start?

By Todd Thibodeaux • July 18, 2018

Behind the curtain

A cleaner and more sustainable city is smart. And one common strategy many cities have identified as essential to achieving their sustainability goals involves electrifying their medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets, including buses.

July 12, 2018

For World Cup host cities, a boon or a boondoggle?

As the U.S. prepares for the 2026 edition alongside Canada and Mexico, those in the running to stage games emphasize existing infrastructure and partnerships.

By Chris Teale • July 11, 2018

NYC launches interactive map showing progress on city projects

The initiative is intended to provide transparency in several neighborhoods the city is rezoning, including East New York, East Harlem and Downtown Far Rockaway.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 3, 2018

5 of the world's most eco-friendly building materials

A number of hidden factors, including the transportation involved and how they hold up in certain climates, contribute to materials' eco-friendliness. 

By Katie Pyzyk • July 2, 2018

Bike-share company Zagster unveils parking for dockless bikes, scooters

CEO Tim Ericson said the new platform should help cities manage the clutter problem that has so far dogged the rollout of the new technology.

By Chris Teale • June 29, 2018