7 recommendations to tackle COVID-19 in cities: JHU

Johns Hopkins University, a leader in COVID-19 data collection and transparency, detailed a "metropolitan strategy" for cities to follow to slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus.

By Cailin Crowe • April 6, 2020

Post-coronavirus economic recovery requires EV adoption

The next federal stimulus bill should include three objectives to create a healthier economy: more access to EV charging stations, electrification incentives and support of grid-level demand.

By Christopher George & Jan Maceczek • April 6, 2020

Cybersecurity risks spike as COVID-19 forces city staff to go remote

Before the pandemic, the likelihood and scale of cyberattacks on local governments had been intensifying. Now, with most city employees on distributed devices at home, vulnerabilities are sky high.

By Chris Teale • April 6, 2020

Baltimore ends aerial surveillance program

The city's spending board unanimously decided to end the six-month pilot program that captured on-the-ground footage in an attempt to reduce crime.

By Cailin Crowe • Updated Feb. 5, 2021

New York legalizes e-bikes, scooters following years of debate

The state legislature approved the policy on Thursday as part of the new fiscal year budget bill, allowing residents to safely get around without "fear of ridiculous fines [and] penalties," Sen. Jessica Ramos said.

By Chris Teale • April 3, 2020

Cities tap TikTok to squash Gen Z’s COVID-19 misconceptions

Some local governments are threading critical information into entertaining videos to capture the attention of young social media users.

By Kristin Musulin • April 2, 2020

Former NOLA mayor: Cities are ‘out of sync’ in COVID-19 response

During a Wednesday webinar, former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu warned of a "very dark couple of months" ahead but said cities can, and will, recover.

By Chris Teale • April 2, 2020

Counting homeless groups is difficult. COVID-19 will make it ‘immeasurably worse.’

The outbreak of COVID-19 is predicted to disproportionately affect people experiencing homelessness and could keep those groups away from service areas, where much of the census count is conducted.

By Cailin Crowe • April 1, 2020

Only 4% of mid-sized cities have fully digitized services: report

CityGrows analyzed key services in 822 U.S. communities to find only eight have fully digitized their services. The data suggests challenges ahead as COVID-19 forces more government services online.

By Kristin Musulin • April 1, 2020

How coronavirus is disrupting the 2020 census count

The U.S. Census Bureau has adjusted its operational schedule, but is still pushing forward with the count. "The current situation underscores the need for census data," one official said.

By Chris Teale • March 31, 2020

NACTO resource hub tracks COVID-19’s impact on transportation

The association partnered with Bloomberg Philanthropies to offer real-time information on the transportation strategies cities are deploying to adapt to coronavirus.

By Chris Teale • March 31, 2020

Cities’ shortage of COVID-19 supplies reaches ‘crisis proportions’

A survey from the U.S. Conference of Mayors found 92% of cities don't have enough face masks for first responders or an adequate supply of test kits.

By Cailin Crowe • March 30, 2020

Transit gets $25B in federal stimulus package

President Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act Friday, pledging to help agencies make up for lost revenue and fund daily operations amid the coronavirus.

By Chris Teale • March 30, 2020

New pretrial process helps courts, defendants and communities

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.Across the cou...

By Larry Stanton • March 27, 2020

Cities face ‘long road’ to economic recovery after coronavirus

Infection rates must lower through social distancing and other policies before city leaders think about returning to normalcy, speakers said on a Thursday webinar.

By Chris Teale • March 27, 2020

5 cities most vulnerable to COVID-19: report

New research from Clever Real Estate ranked 107 cities based on financial, social, economic and health vulnerabilities to COVID-19. 

By Cailin Crowe • March 27, 2020

Cities have passed hundreds of coronavirus policies — and Americans are showing support

NLC co-launched a tracker detailing hundreds of local policy actions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. A subsequent survey showed more Americans support these efforts than federal-level actions.

By Kristin Musulin • March 26, 2020

Uber sues LADOT over data-sharing requirements

The company said the Mobility Data Specification violates state and federal laws and is a form of surveillance that gathers personal details. LADOT has not yet responded.

By Chris Teale • March 26, 2020

Cities ‘woefully unprepared’ for coronavirus response: report

Investments in urban resilience and new tech will be key as cities work to recover from COVID-19 while grappling with climate threats and other risks, according to ABI Research. 

By Chris Teale • March 25, 2020

$11.5B required to care for homeless during COVID-19: report

People experiencing homelessness are twice as likely to require hospitalization and three times as likely to die during the pandemic, according to a group of university researchers.

By Cailin Crowe • March 25, 2020

The US didn’t sign a global road safety pact. Now advocates are fighting back

A recent road safety conference in Stockholm seemingly lacked representation from the U.S. federal government. Young advocates were left wondering who is taking charge in eliminating road deaths.

By Chris Teale • March 24, 2020

Cities go digital to survive the new normal

During a recent webinar, leaders highlighted how online municipal services and platforms will be key amid the spread of COVID-19, particularly to eliminate the "barriers of communication" with residents.

By Chris Teale • March 23, 2020

UrbanLeague provides free COVID-19 portals for CIOs, city managers

The platform enables city leaders to access resources such as playbooks and guidelines, and enter "live chats" to address pressing coronavirus questions.

By Kristin Musulin • March 20, 2020

Using P3s for coronavirus response

We must do our part to drive cooperation between the public and private sectors, and rethink the definition of resiliency given our newfound understanding for what is at risk.

By Ryan Martin • March 20, 2020

Smart Cities Council releases COVID-19 mitigation tool

The "Activator - COVID-19 Mitigation Roadmap" can help city leaders visualize their coronavirus response plan and collaborate remotely.

By Cailin Crowe • March 19, 2020