Consolidation and leverage: how to maximize your agency’s spend

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.Cooperativ...

By Tammy Rimes, MPA • Sept. 15, 2020

‘Aggressive’ federal aid would push US to net zero emissions by 2050: report

America's Pledge released its fourth-annual U.S. climate analysis, finding to its "great surprise" that the pandemic is not slowing climate progress.

By Cailin Crowe • Sept. 14, 2020

Transit agencies vow to pursue industrywide COVID response strategy

Over 100 public transit agencies have signed the APTA Health and Safety Commitments Program, aiming to streamline the industry's recovery.  

By Kristin Musulin • Sept. 10, 2020

CDC taps Philadelphia to pilot COVID vaccines

The City of Philadelphia and four states were selected to pilot a vaccine program as early as Nov. 1, but the jurisdictions still face many unknowns.

By Cailin Crowe • Sept. 9, 2020

Wildfires, COVID deliver one-two punch to West Coast cities

More than 1.6 million acres have burned in California this year alone while cities scramble to protect resident health amid the challenges of COVID-19. 

By Catherine Arnold • Updated Sept. 9, 2020

Texas mayors: Climate issues will shape November elections

The mayors of Austin, Houston and San Antonio emphasized the importance of a climate-focused COVID-19 recovery, much of which will be determined by voters this fall.

By Kristin Musulin • Sept. 3, 2020

Governments are declaring racism a health crisis. What comes next?

Milwaukee County's 2019 resolution blazed a trail for more than 120 U.S. governments in denouncing racism. Now, leaders must look internally to prioritize equitable budgeting and employee training. 

By Cailin Crowe • Updated Oct. 6, 2020

Cities are one step closer to a LEED-like standard for waste management

After years of work, the SWEEP accreditation system is reaching a notable milestone. Those behind it hope to improve data standardization and drive sustainable materials management policies across the U.S.

By Cole Rosengren • Updated Aug. 31, 2020

It’s time to reimagine a greener New York that mitigates extreme heat

The city should invest in more green infrastructure like parks, green roofs and street trees to tackle the health effects of extreme heat that disproportionately impact communities of color. 

By Cailin Crowe • Aug. 31, 2020

New resource aims to help cities improve data sharing across boundaries

US Ignite and the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions recommend smart cities pursue a common data-sharing approach.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 31, 2020

Revel returns to NYC streets with new safety features

After the deaths of three riders forced service to stop last month, the company said it is back with a mandatory in-app safety test and helmet selfie requirement, among other features. 

By Chris Teale • Aug. 28, 2020

Chicago outdoor dining challenge to help restaurants survive winter

The city is crowdsourcing design ideas for outdoor seating to help restaurants as winter approaches and the pandemic stretches on.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 27, 2020

Senate Democrats reveal climate plan to achieve net-zero carbon economy

The report calls on Congress to spend at least 2% of annual U.S. GDP on climate actions and require federal regulators to ensure publicly-traded companies disclose climate risks.

By Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 27, 2020

GHSA calls for unified leadership on micromobility rules, safety

Local governments should be given as much flexibility as possible to regulate the devices and provide infrastructure for their safe use, the Governors Highway Safety Association reports. 

By Chris Teale • Aug. 27, 2020

Ransomware attacks ‘raising the bar’ as cities struggle to respond

Smart Cities Dive looked at the increasingly sophisticated methods hackers deploy to extort money and ways cities can better prepare.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 27, 2020

Rethinking the 20-minute city in light of police shootings, COVID-19

Although the concept of the "walkable" city is not new, the pandemic and protests against systemic racism present an opportunity for city leaders to incorporate a lens of racial equity into their neighborhood planning, according to Gensler's urban strategies and design leader. 

By Cailin Crowe • Aug. 25, 2020

Pandemic has expedited digitization of government services: survey

Tight budgets, legacy systems and bureaucracy have historically prevented governments from going digital, but COVID-19 has tipped the scale for operations to move online. 

By Cailin Crowe • Aug. 24, 2020

Louisiana governor puts state on path to net-zero emissions by 2050

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards established a task force through an executive order tasked with interim goals of reducing emissions 26-28% by 2025 and 40-50% by 2030.

By Emma Penrod • Aug. 24, 2020

Uber, Lyft to stay in CA, sparing already limited mobility landscape

The companies will continue operating in the state after threatening to suspend service, nearly impacting more than 158,000 drivers and the riders who rely on ride-hailing due to curtailed transit. 

By Chris Teale • Aug. 21, 2020

Residents need a seat at the table when planning smart cities

By involving local users in the initial product selection and demonstrations prior to launch, barriers limiting residents’ use of smart city initiatives could be removed.

By Jared Mondschein • Aug. 20, 2020

How to rebuild trust with the public after failed public projects

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.In many co...

By Shaughnessy Daniels • Aug. 19, 2020

HUD count likely underestimates homeless populations: GAO

The report highlights limitations of the Point-In-Time count and recommends that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development strengthen its oversight of the data collection process. 

By Cailin Crowe • Aug. 19, 2020

Illinois’ $5M bet to increase mask-wearing among residents

The awareness campaign is based on public opinion research and emphasizes the responsibility of mask-wearing by comparing it to using a seat belt. 

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 19, 2020

Gilbert, AZ gets creative with its digital strategy during COVID-19

The town has kicked its digital planning into high gear, tapping new tactics for routine operations like using augmented reality for building inspections and TikTok for information-sharing.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 18, 2020

Black households are bearing the brunt of rental crisis

Thirty-one percent of Black renters reported they were unable to pay rent in July compared to 28% of Latinx renters and 14% of White renters, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-CA, said during a virtual town hall. 

By Cailin Crowe • Aug. 17, 2020