Equity
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Permission granted by Frederick County, Maryland
A model for multilingual public health campaigns: 2024 Crown Communities Award
In Frederick County, Maryland, a Spanish-language stroke-awareness program is saving lives and inspiring a broader approach to health care education.
By Lori Tobias • Oct. 24, 2025 -
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The Olympics are headed to LA. So is free Wi-Fi.
Free public Wi-Fi is now available via streetlights in South Los Angeles as the city prepares for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
By Ryan Kushner • Oct. 23, 2025 -
Explore the Trendline➔
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TrendlineTop 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 -
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Chicago Housing Authority files lawsuit over HUD’s anti-DEI funding stipulations
The country’s third-largest public housing authority says at least 13% of its budget is at stake.
By Ryan Kushner • Oct. 21, 2025 -
eurobanks via Getty Images
How Southwest DC helped residents and visitors get around the neighborhood
Businesses and the Washington, D.C., government formed a Mobility Innovation District to launch a pilot shuttle service.
By Dan Zukowski • Oct. 16, 2025 -
Dan Zukowski/Smart Cities Dive
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 -
Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
Free and low-fare transit programs fail to reach many in need: report
More outreach programs and automatic enrollment could make these programs accessible to more people, says a report from the Regional Plan Association, a New York nonprofit.
By Dan Zukowski • Sept. 29, 2025 -
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
New Orleans’ economic recovery since Katrina is divided along racial lines
New Orleans has gained a more diversified economy and stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem. But Black households have not benefited as much as White ones.
By Adina Solomon • Aug. 26, 2025 -
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Judge dismisses cities’ lawsuit over termination of climate justice grants
The ruling creates uncertainty for air, water and resilience programs. “We will continue to fight for communities across the country,” an Earthjustice attorney said.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Updated Sept. 3, 2025 -
RAUL RODRIGUEZ via Getty Images
Complete streets policy scores show gains
With Biden administration support, small and large cities developed better policies for safer street designs, the latest report found, but future support is uncertain.
By Dan Zukowski • June 27, 2025 -
(2025). [Video]. Retrieved from T&I Committee Republicans/YouTube.
House bill would rescind $3.1B from transportation equity grants
If enacted, some 78 projects funded by the Neighborhood Access and Equity program would be at risk of losing grants previously awarded.
By Dan Zukowski • May 5, 2025 -
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Nearly half of US residents breathe unhealthy air: report
American Lung Association officials call for city leaders to speak up for federal support of air quality research amid record pollution levels.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • April 23, 2025 -
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$100K won’t cover basic costs for a family in 25 of the top metros, report finds
The “magic number” salary that ensures financial stability is changing, the authors wrote.
By Ginger Christ • April 18, 2025 -
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ICE agents denied entry into LAUSD elementary schools
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security maintains the incidents, which rattled the education community, were "wellness checks on children who arrived unaccompanied at the border."
By Naaz Modan • April 16, 2025 -
Scott Olson via Getty Images
More public EV charging, including curbside, envisioned in Chicago plan
“By prioritizing equity and public input, we’re creating a roadmap for electric transportation that serves every neighborhood and helps drive down emissions across Chicago,” CDOT Commissioner Tom Carney said.
By Ryan Kushner • April 10, 2025 -
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Court orders Baltimore to spend $44M on sidewalk upgrades for ADA compliance
The agreement follows others requiring public right-of-way improvements in Boston, Philadelphia, New York City and Los Angeles.
By Danielle McLean • April 9, 2025 -
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Fort Worth, Texas, sues 3M, Dupont, DOD over PFAS contamination
The city said the chemical manufacturers sold and distributed PFAS-containing firefighting foam to the U.S. Navy and Air Force.
By Sara Samora • March 20, 2025 -
Retrieved from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA to end environmental justice programs, monitoring tools
As part of the Trump administration’s end to environmental justice programs, it has cut off access to EJScreen, a monitoring tool used to track environmental justice metrics.
By Megan Quinn • March 14, 2025 -
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EPA revisiting dozens of climate, environment rules in ‘day of deregulation’
The agency said it would roll back a range of rules and programs, including some that are foundational to its efforts to address climate change. A new WOTUS definition is expected, as well as rollbacks to an emissions reporting program.
By Jacob Wallace • March 13, 2025 -
Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images
DOT removes equity, environmental factors from IIJA funding decisions
The move rolls back a Biden-era policy that included these considerations in decision-making criteria for infrastructure projects.
By Julie Strupp • March 12, 2025 -
Mario Tama via Getty Images
California wildfire air pollution insights coming from air sensor network
Residents can track localized pollution, including particles from the wildfires that tore across Los Angeles in January, thanks to improvements in air quality sensor tech.
By Kalena Thomhave • March 10, 2025 -
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Are EVs the best approach to transportation equity? Maybe not, TEI report says
EVs’ high costs and the need for public charging make them less viable for many low-income communities, the Transportation Energy Institute says. It suggests a more inclusive approach.
By Dan Zukowski • March 3, 2025 -
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DOT funding priorities benefit Whiter, wealthier communities: Urban Institute
A plan to tie funding to marriage and birth rates would leave behind historically underserved communities, according to an Urban Institute analysis.
By Kalena Thomhave • Feb. 25, 2025 -
Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
AI offers benefits, risks to public transit: Urban Institute researcher
Transit agencies must balance potential safety and efficiency improvements against hacking, data privacy and equity concerns, Senior Research Associate Lindiwe Rennert says.
By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 24, 2025 -
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Pedestrian deaths highest on dark city roads at night: AAA report
Crashes involving pedestrians were also disproportionately higher in socially and economically disadvantaged communities in the cities it studied, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found.
By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 11, 2025 -
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How 4 cities are advancing affordable housing despite NIMBYs
Public engagement and policies that cut through red tape are among the tools city leaders use to overcome neighborhood opposition.
By Danielle McLean • Feb. 10, 2025
