Climate & Resilience

  • Women working in a community garden.
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    Fang Xia Nuo/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

    Urban agriculture gets city funding in Chicago

    Food insecurity spiked during the pandemic. Some communities, including those in Chicago, see urban agriculture as a long-term aid.

    By • Oct. 4, 2022
  • A gray four-door crossover vehicle with a woman seated with her hand on the steering wheel is parked in front of a Hertz building.
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    Courtesy of Hertz/GM

    Massachusetts, Washington confirm plans to end gas car sales by 2035, following California

    State officials detailed their policy plans on Tuesday. Separately, GM announced a big rental EV order and weighed in on federal clean car standards.

    By • Sept. 21, 2022
  • Explore the Trendline➔
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
    Trendline

    Vehicle Electrification

    Cities and states are trying to harness the growing electric vehicle market to meet decarbonization goals while ensuring the rollout of these vehicles is being done equitably. Their efforts are aided by an influx of federal support.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • Los Angeles's downtown skyline enveloped in smog.
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    David McNew via Getty Images

    California could phase out gas heaters by 2030 to cut smog

    The home and building appliances are “an underappreciated driver of unhealthy air quality in California cities,” non-profit advocates say in a report Tuesday, as state regulators consider only allowing zero-emissions alternatives.

    By • Sept. 20, 2022
  • Mark Majkrzak gives out bottles of water to people in need on Feb. 19, 2021 in, Austin, Texas, in the wake of Winter Storm Uri.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images

    Austin to launch resilience hub network using $3M in ARPA funds

    Citing Texas’ experience with a deadly storm last winter and more climate threats to come, the city plans to stand up community sites with backup water, power and other year-round benefits.

    By • Sept. 16, 2022
  • An factory worker with an electric car motor on an assembly line.
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    Aranga87 via Getty Images

    Advanced mobility, mass timber projects chosen in $1B federal regional challenge

    The American Rescue Plan’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge will support joint efforts to use mass timber to accelerate affordable housing, spur American manufacturing for advanced mobility, and much more.

    By • Sept. 9, 2022
  • A view looking down on a multilane highway in Los Angeles with bumper-to-bumper traffic.
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    David McNew via Getty Images

    California poised to give $1,000 to residents for not owning a car

    California could soon offer an incentive for lower-income households to forgo car ownership on top of an existing reward program for residents to retire their existing vehicles.

    By • Sept. 6, 2022
  • Modern tower buildings or skyscrapers in financial district with cloud on sunny day in Chicago, USA.
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    ASKA via Getty Images

    Arup, startup are building smart city modeling tools to maximize energy efficiency

    With Matidor, the partners seek to help civil engineers see the environmental impact and energy efficiency of what they’re developing in real time.

    By • Sept. 2, 2022
  • A flooded basement level apartment stands in a Queens neighborhood that saw massive flooding and numerous deaths following a night of heavy wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in 2021.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images

    How New York City can make basement apartments safer: reports

    A year after rainfall and subsequent flooding from Hurricane Ida led to 11 deaths of basement residents, a nonprofit and the city comptroller are calling for safety measures, protections and a pathway to legalize the dwellings.

    By • Sept. 1, 2022
  • Mack LR Electric truck
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    Maria Rachal/Smart Cities Dive

    Plugging $1B for alternative fuel vehicles, EPA head test-drives electric garbage truck

    Inflation Reduction Act funding will be available “to replace dirty heavy-duty trucks with zero-emission models,” a recent video with EPA Administrator Michael Regan highlighted.

    By • Aug. 30, 2022
  • A volunteer packs a box of donated food.
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    DjordjeDjurdjevic via Getty Images

    Jersey City mapping food rescue opportunities

    The pandemic worsened food insecurity. Jersey City’s public works and health and human services departments, focused on reducing waste and boosting access, are working to better map and distribute food resources.

    By • Aug. 29, 2022
  • Close-up of front hood of a gray car from the right side, with an electric vehicle charging cable plugged in to the front of the hood.
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images

    California sets road map to complete ban on gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035

    Under the Clean Air Act, 17 states and D.C. can now follow this lead. Massachusetts established a trigger law this month to adopt the regs once California does. Automakers are worried about their ability to meet the timeline.

    By • Aug. 26, 2022
  • Heavy rain creates deep puddles in a neighborhood.
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    CarrieCaptured via Getty Images

    Resilient Land Use Cohort to explore climate adaptation strategies

    Urban Land Institute networks and community representatives in five regions will investigate how to best implement resilience hubs, conduct land swaps for homes in flood zones and scale green infrastructure, among other ideas.

    By • Aug. 25, 2022
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images

    NYC’s most critical infrastructure now and for the next 100 years

    The New York Building Congress outlined which rail, road, bridge and other projects will grow the city's economy and help it adapt to climate change.

    By Sebastian Obando • Aug. 24, 2022
  • President Biden signs the Inflation Reduction Act surrounded by members of congress and backed by American flags in the White House.
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images

    How cities can prepare for the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate opportunities

    With billions of dollars for energy efficiency upgrades, urban park enhancements and more signed into law this week, experts share tips on how cities can start preparing for funding opportunities now.

    By • Aug. 19, 2022
  • Buildings in downtown Boston at sunset.
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    Elijah-Lovkoff via Getty Images

    Boston aims to eliminate fossil fuels in new buildings

    The city’s chance to set new building standards comes from the climate bill the Massachusetts governor signed last week, which extends that opportunity to 10 municipalities in the state. 

    By • Aug. 17, 2022
  • The United States Capitol in February 2020
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    Megan Quinn/Smart Cities Dive

    Support for housing efficiency upgrades, urban parks, drought resilience poised to become law

    With the House sending the Inflation Reduction Act to the president’s desk, some climate leaders say the onus will shift to local governments to execute on key initiatives.

    By • Aug. 15, 2022
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    Tim Boyle via Getty Images

    Chicago commits to 100% renewable energy at city facilities by 2025

    The clean energy agreement “helps build the market” while encouraging smaller cities and municipalities “to make similar commitments,” said a senior attorney at the Environmental Law & Policy Center.

    By • Aug. 15, 2022
  • Gradient heat pump units showing on the exterior of a residential building.
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    Courtesy of Gradient
    Q&A

    New York public housing is poised for electric heating and cooling upgrades from a California startup

    Vince Romanin, the CEO of Gradient, discusses the market for heat pumps and a New York City Housing Authority contract to rethink HVAC for residents vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

    By • Aug. 10, 2022
  • Four city officials standing around an organics recycling bin, with a white sanitation truck in the background
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    Michael Appleton. Retrieved from Flickr.

    New York City rolling out ‘largest curbside composting program in the nation’ with Queens expansion

    After years of budget cuts and political shifts, the Department of Sanitation says this latest organics recycling iteration will be its most cost-effective and efficient approach yet. Drop-off bins are also being added in other boroughs.

    By Cole Rosengren • Aug. 9, 2022
  • Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) gives the thumbs up as he leaves the Senate Chamber after passage of the Inflation Reduction Act at the U.S. Capitol August 7, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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    Drew Angerer/Getty Images via Getty Images

    Mayors and city leaders voice support for Inflation Reduction Act

    The bill, which passed the Senate on Sunday, represents the largest climate investment in U.S. history and has garnered support from cities seeking to lower greenhouse gas emissions and boost resilience.

    By • Aug. 9, 2022
  • Buildings in Bethesda, Maryland.
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    DenisTangneyJr via Getty Images

    Building performance standards momentum slowly grows in the wake of White House efforts

    A Maryland county’s policy represents one of the only major updates so far, but more localities have said they’ll pursue standards. Funds in the Inflation Reduction Act could provide new incentives to decarbonize buildings.

    By • Aug. 8, 2022
  • United Auto Workers President Ray Curry stands at a podium in an automotive assembly plant under a sign that reads, "A future made in America."
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    Nic Antaya via Getty Images

    EV manufacturers, regulators debate US ability to hit 50% sales goal by 2030

    The right federal policy and charging infrastructure, as well as solutions to supply chain issues, are critical to meeting the goal of half of new vehicle sales being electric by 2030, said Center for Automotive Research event panelists.

    By • Aug. 3, 2022
  • A red car and black car are half-submerged on a flooded road bordered by trees as a person in rainwear walks with his back to the camera.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images

    Federal Highway Administration announces $7.3B in grants for transportation resilience

    Communities can use these funds to prepare highway, transit, pedestrian, bicycle and port facilities to better withstand natural disasters.

    By • Aug. 2, 2022
  • Wildfire smoke lingers over the city of Portland, Oregon, in August 2021.
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    Nathan Howard via Getty Images

    To address its climate emergency, Portland, Oregon, lays out a 43-step plan

    Creating resilience hubs and replacing petroleum diesel at the pump are among the top actions city officials intend to pursue in the coming years after declaring a climate emergency in 2020. 

    By • July 26, 2022
  • Massachusetts state capitol
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    Wikimedia Commons

    Massachusetts passes 'landmark' climate bill to decarbonize buildings, transportation

    The bill in part requires annual energy usage reports from buildings 20,000 square feet or larger and creates a pilot for 10 municipalities to offer fossil fuel-free home renovations, targeting affordable housing and multifamily housing.

    By Iulia Gheorghiu • July 25, 2022