Governance

NYC names former White House official as Chief Analytics Officer

Kelly Jin, a policy advisor to the U.S. Chief Technology Officer in the Obama administration, will lead the city's data office and Open Data program.

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 19, 2018

DC leaders unveil long-term $291B regional plan to combat congestion

The Visualize 2045 proposal suggests new projects in addition to existing ones, and also outlines aspirational goals like having jobs closer to housing.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 19, 2018

Sidewalk Labs pitches third-party data storage for Toronto project

Bringing in an independent, non-governmental third party could help assuage concerns that Sidewalk Labs will abuse its power, but opens questions about who would manage the data trust.

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 18, 2018

Report: More than half of large cities are preparing for AVs

Although the federal government has been making moves, the report says "the action with autonomous vehicles is decidedly taking place on the ground at the local level."

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 18, 2018

San Francisco passes taxi reforms to ease pain from ride-hailing competition

The meteoric rise of Uber and Lyft has made a crippling dent in the taxi industry, where drivers have reported having to work longer hours for lower pay.

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 18, 2018

NYC comptroller aims to end 'two-tiered' transit system with lower rail fares

Scott Stringer called for reducing ticket prices to the subway base rate in a report MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota derided as "fiscally irresponsible."

By Chris Teale • Oct. 17, 2018

Baltimore City Council approves Complete Streets bill

The legislation requires the city's Department of Transportation "to the greatest extent possible, promote walking, biking and public transit."

By Chris Teale • Oct. 16, 2018

Report: Recession recovery emphasizes divide between prosperous cities, rural regions

A "great reshuffling" of jobs, capital and business creation greatly benefited already affluent areas, data from 2007 to 2016 shows.

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 16, 2018

City Innovate unveils 81 government contracting opportunities for startups

The program pairs companies with governments for 16 weeks to test new tech ideas, with the goal of landing the firm a contract at the end of the session. 

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 12, 2018

Philadelphia releases strategic transportation plan

An underlying theme throughout is the need to foster equity and make sure that people in all neighborhoods experience benefits from the system.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 12, 2018

Chicago releases updated comprehensive plan

ON TO 2050 outlines CMAP's intended investments and regional priorities, guided by the principles of inclusive growth, resilience and prioritized investments.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 11, 2018

78 cities get perfect scores for LGBTQ equality

The Human Rights Campaign's seventh annual Municipal Equality Index praised localities for protecting youth from bullying and "conversion therapy."

By Chris Teale • Oct. 11, 2018

Where do smart cities need to improve? 7 industry leaders weigh in

Some of those at Smart Cities Week in Washington, DC said more must be done to alleviate poverty, ease congestion and improve trust and planning.

By Kristin Musulin , Chris Teale • Oct. 10, 2018

European Commission promises $800M sustainable transportation investment

The funding will go toward 49 projects across all major modes of transportation, including airports, ports, rail and battery-electric cars.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 09, 2018

Philadelphia awards innovation grants to 7 pilot programs

The funding is intended to encourage municipal employees to share their ideas for improving government operations and services.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 05, 2018

Chicago to pilot tool to boost disability access for smart cities

The Smart City Digital Inclusion Maturity Model, designed with Microsoft, analyzes a range of city functions and defines performance indicators and metrics towards expanding accessibility.

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 04, 2018

2018 Readiness Challenge winners reflect on their smart city journeys

Representatives from Cary, NC; Las Vegas; Birmingham, AL; Louisville, KY; Virginia and Puerto Rico all took the stage at Smart Cities Week to share how they have benefited from the program thus far. 

By Kristin Musulin • Oct. 04, 2018

Cities need 'new global playbook' to solve problems, Intel expert says

In a speech at Smart Cities Week in Washington, DC, Sameer Sharma urged governments to "think big, but be pragmatic" as they innovate.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 04, 2018

City leaders call for greater collaboration with private sector on innovation

Three panelists at Smart Cities Week in Washington, DC admitted they can do more to work with technology companies, but said a lack of trust hinders that.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 04, 2018

Minneapolis releases final draft of 2040 comprehensive plan

The plan heavily addresses equity and the environment, but a drastic increase in housing density was a contentious topic.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 03, 2018

Seattle to appeal FCC's 5G order

Mayor Jenny Durkan and City Attorney Pete Holmes said the plan undermines local control of infrastructure and could damage agreements with telecom companies.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 03, 2018

NTSB: Improved car design, infrastructure, data use could prevent pedestrian deaths

The National Transportation Safety Board offered a number of suggestions for improving pedestrian safety following a year-long investigation.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 01, 2018