Climate & Resilience

  • A parking corral for dockless scooters.
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    Permission granted by City of Pensacola, Florida

    E-scooter parking ‘corrals’ are coming to this Florida city

    Pensacola, Florida, adopted the policy based on community feedback from the city’s micromobility pilot program, aiming to “reduce parking conflicts with pedestrians on sidewalks,” according to a city spokesperson.

    By • Dec. 2, 2022
  • Buildings in Bethesda, Maryland.
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    DenisTangneyJr via Getty Images

    DC-area county spurs electrification of future buildings

    Montgomery County, Maryland, is taking aim at its largest source of emissions. Its policy is the latest advancement for building decarbonization on the East Coast.

    By • Dec. 1, 2022
  • Compost, recycling and garbage carts set outside of the home on the curb for residential garbage and recycling pickup.
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    Michael Vi via Getty Images

    A history of US cities adopting zero waste goals

    The concept has become a mainstream part of municipal waste planning, experts say, even as targets largely remain aspirational and some recent efforts have faced pandemic-related setbacks.

    By Cole Rosengren • Dec. 1, 2022
  • Digital data flow on road with motion blur to create vision of fast speed transfer.
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    NanoStockk/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

    9 startups to join AWS’ Sustainable Cities Accelerator for Infrastructure

    Each accelerator participant aims to address infrastructure-related sustainability challenges by offering products and services targeting power, utility, transportation and other systems.

    By • Nov. 30, 2022
  • San Francisco skyline at night
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    iStock/Getty via Getty Images

    Five US cities target building energy use, emissions with fines

    New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston and St. Louis are poised to implement penalties to curb building-level greenhouse gas emissions or energy use.

    By Maura Webber Sadovi • Nov. 30, 2022
  • EV charging
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images

    Building out nationwide EV charging is taking longer than consumers think, Fuels Institute says

    Permit approvals, government funding and knowing where to deploy charging stations are some of the many hurdles EV stakeholders face.

    By Brett Dworski • Nov. 23, 2022
  • A man riding a bike in a dedicated bike lane.
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    alvarez/E+ via Getty Images

    NYC to expand bike lanes, public spaces in 2023

    The upgrades build on the city’s Open Streets program, which closes streets to vehicle traffic for use by pedestrians and cyclists, and its efforts to create the largest bike network in the U.S.

    By • Nov. 23, 2022
  • Sen. Sherrod Brown, a gray-haired man wearing a dark suit and blue shirt, stands at a podium in a large garage in front of an electric bus, with others nearby.
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    Permission granted by The Ohio State University

    Want to electrify your bus fleet? A new FTA-funded research center can help.

    Battery and hydrogen fuel-cell electric buses are “fundamentally different technologies” cities and transit agencies will have to learn, said a researcher from The Ohio State University's Center for Automotive Research.

    By • Nov. 22, 2022
  • A photo of a man changing an electric bicycle battery.
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    aerogondo/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

    Austin to double e-bike rebates in 2023

    The city increased the rebates to encourage more people, especially “historically underserved populations,” to buy and use e-bikes, a spokesperson for Austin’s publicly-owned utility said.

    By • Nov. 22, 2022
  • A sidewalk in Tampa, Florida, with embedded solar panels designed to help power traffic lights at an intersection.
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    Permission granted by City of Tampa Mobility Department

    Tampa tries sidewalk solar panels as backup power for traffic lights

    The Florida city started using solar sidewalks for backup power after 2017’s Hurricane Irma created lengthy power outages at intersections. It assessed the technology's performance this fall during Hurricane Ian.

    By • Nov. 21, 2022
  • An aerial view toward downtown Los Angeles with a congested freeway in the foreground.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images

    California commits $2.6B to sustainable mobility, prioritizing low-income communities

    Calling the funds the "largest state investment yet" in sustainable transportation, the California Air Resource Board will direct the money to help low-income consumers buy EVs, among other programs.

    By • Nov. 18, 2022
  • Several white cars are seen plugged into a line of electric vehicle chargers.
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    Marcus Lindstrom via Getty Images

    COP27: EV sales strong, but more needed to bring down transportation emissions

    A BloombergNEF report released at COP27 outlines trends for electric vehicles. Meanwhile, at the global climate summit, a coalition of 200 government and private-sector entities committed to accelerating EV adoption. 

    By • Nov. 16, 2022
  • smart city, smart cities
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images

    The 10 most future-ready cities in North America: report

    Cities must invest more in digital and physical infrastructure to address today’s challenges but face several barriers, including a lack of public trust, a new report finds.

    By • Nov. 15, 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

    Electric vehicle sales rise as registrations jump 57% through September

    Consumers are shifting away from hybrid vehicles to plug-in EVs as manufacturers offer more models. 

    By • Nov. 14, 2022
  • Seen from looking out the left rear window, a car is driving along a two-lane road lined with evergreen trees, leading toward mountains and clouds.
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    ferrantraite via Getty Images

    EV buyer education campaign launches in Colorado

    Transportation and energy regulators hope a website and educational materials will help bridge the information gap for residents curious about buying, owning and driving an electric vehicle.

    By • Nov. 14, 2022
  • Grass on a rooftop.
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    Maxvis via Getty Images

    White House endorses nature-based solutions in first US road map

    The Biden administration said this week’s release in conjunction with COP27 marks the first time the U.S. has developed a strategy to scale up green roofs, rain gardens, urban trees and other green infrastructure.

    By • Nov. 10, 2022
  • A creative image displaying circular 2022 election pins.
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    Andrii Shyp/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
    Elections 2022

    Election results: How housing, transit, environmental issues fared on state and local ballots

    California’s millionaire tax for EV incentives was defeated, while several affordable housing and climate funding initiatives passed nationwide.

    Nov. 10, 2022
  • The east side of the US Capitol in the early morning. Senate Chamber in the foreground.
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    drnadig via Getty Images

    With control of Congress unknown, clean energy advocates cheer state wins and press for climate action

    So far, it appears Republicans failed to pull off an anticipated “red wave” and Democrats outperformed expectations, analysts say.

    By Robert Walton • Nov. 9, 2022
  • A series of voting booths in a brightly lit room.
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    mrolands via Getty Images

    Climate funding wins big on state and local ballots

    Voters in many jurisdictions embraced spending on resilience projects, clean energy and other climate change mitigation efforts  — with one notable exception.

    By • Updated Nov. 9, 2022
  • An Amazon delivery van made by Rivian sits in a neighborhood.
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    Courtesy of Amazon

    Amazon rolls out Rivian EVs in more cities for holiday deliveries

    The company has delivered more than 5 million packages to U.S. customers using the electric vans since July.

    By Max Garland • Nov. 8, 2022
  • Macky Sall, Chairperson of the African Union, speaks during the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit of the UNFCCC COP27 climate conference.
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    Sean Gallup via Getty Images

    COP27 to spotlight implementation, finance for climate action

    Even at the global stage, there could be insights on how to best go about decarbonizing U.S. cities from this month’s United Nations climate conference, experts say.

    By • Nov. 7, 2022
  • RegenX mid-dump regenerative air sweeper
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    Permission granted by Elgin Sweeper
    Sponsored by Elgin Sweeper

    Hybrid sweepers deliver uncompromised performance

    Elgin Sweeper’s new hybrid sweepers provide uncompromised performance while helping sustainability efforts.

    By Elgin Sweeper • Nov. 7, 2022
  • A photo of several e-scooters lying along a sidewalk.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images

    Shared micromobility restrictions can increase traffic congestion and emissions, study finds

    Following Atlanta’s nighttime scooter limits, travel time increased 9% to 11%, Georgia researchers found in a study. 

    By • Nov. 3, 2022
  • A casually dressed business man in New York City renting a bike from a line of shared bikes on a city street.
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    LeoPatrizi via Getty Images

    Shared mobility key to urban climate action, city leaders say

    As 200 nations gather for the COP27 international climate summit, city leaders see shared mobility as the path to “making our communities healthier and more livable for everyone.” 

    By • Nov. 2, 2022
  • An election judge tears off a couple of "I Voted" stickers to hand to a voter as people cast their ballots in the State Primaries on June 28, 2022 at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building i
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    Marc Piscotty via Getty Images
    Elections 2022

    Where voters will consider waste and recycling initiatives

    San Francisco and Denver are among the localities with ballot measures, which range from deciding who should handle street cleaning to establishing more widespread access to composting.

    By • Nov. 1, 2022