Climate & Resilience


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    Jeff Swensen via Getty Images
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    EPA moves to end greenhouse gas emissions reporting

    Gutting the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program would strip local governments of information they rely on to hold polluters accountable and undermine efforts to protect residents’ health, climate advocates say.

    By Sept. 15, 2025
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    Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
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    9 ways the FEMA Act would reform federal disaster response

    Cities are rallying behind the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans Act, which they say would cut red tape, accelerate recovery funding and strengthen resilience against future disasters.

    By Sept. 11, 2025
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
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    DenisTangneyJr via Getty Images
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    Traffic cameras double as a hurricane-response system in this South Carolina county

    By connecting existing cameras to an AI-powered command hub, a hurricane-prone county plans to track evacuation patterns, adjust routes on the fly and strengthen recovery planning.

    By Sept. 10, 2025
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    Danielle Ternes/Smart Cities Dive
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    Sponsored by TomTom

    [Podcast] Key trends in urban mobility transformation

    In this podcast series, explore trending topics related to the larger theme of urban mobility transformation challenges and opportunities.

    By Smart Cities Dive's studioID • Updated July 10, 2025
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    13 state governors join coalition to promote EVs

    The Affordable Clean Cars Coalition said it will push back against the Trump administration's policies of “putting polluters over people.”

    By Sept. 8, 2025
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    New data tool helps Gulf Coast cities pursue disaster funding as federal resources shrink

    The Urban Institute’s analysis gives local leaders information they can use to build cases for prevention and recovery support.

    By Aug. 28, 2025
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    Permission granted by Water Wise Gulf South
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    Deep Dive

    After Katrina, green infrastructure aims to supplement the rebuilt — but still vulnerable — levees

    Residents and activists are forging resilient communities and implementing “flood mitigation by 1,000 cuts.”

    By Aug. 27, 2025
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Hurricane Katrina’s legacy is a warning for today’s city leaders

    Twenty years after New Orleans flooded, federal funding cuts mean local governments must strengthen hazard planning, engage communities and prioritize vulnerable residents to prevent another avoidable disaster, climate advocates say.

    By Aug. 22, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    California’s clean mobility push is leaving low-income residents behind

    E-bikes and e-scooters are among the cleanest and least expensive transportation modes. California can make equitable green mobility a reality.

    By Marta Anadón Rosinach • Aug. 21, 2025
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    Silvia Moraleja via Getty Images
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    Should schools be the centerpiece of heat resilience action?

    As federal support to protect people from extreme heat shrinks, advocates say local governments must set a model for climate-smart leadership with enforceable standards and resources to protect children.

    By Aug. 19, 2025
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    Texas city pioneers tech that uses waste heat to generate drinking water

    AirJoule’s first U.S. field deployment will tap into a geothermal well to turn air into distilled water for the municipal supply.

    By Aug. 13, 2025
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    What NEPA rollbacks mean for local projects

    The Trump administration’s elimination of environmental regulations based on the 1970 law could mean faster permitting but reduce cities’ recourse for weighing in on federally funded projects in their communities, experts say.

    By Aug. 11, 2025
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    DutcherAerials via Getty Images
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    California cities, Nevada State University join forces on climate resilience

    Seven public agencies are partnering with Urban Land Institute to develop strategies for extreme heat, disaster preparedness and resilient housing.

    By Lori Tobias • Aug. 11, 2025
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    Adam Gray via Getty Images
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    AI could cut disaster infrastructure losses by 15%, new research finds

    Artificial intelligence applications like predictive maintenance and digital twins can help keep the power on and the roads open during natural disasters — and save $70 billion in infrastructure losses by 2050, according to a Deloitte Global report.

    By Aug. 6, 2025
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    Permission granted by Wenk Associates
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    Denver development recruits its river for urban flood control

    The River Mile project is treating the South Platte River as natural infrastructure, delivering flood protection, recreation and economic opportunity on land once considered undevelopable.

    By Aug. 4, 2025
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    Michael Ciaglo via Getty Images
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    Xcel Energy ‘prepared to go to trial’ to fight Colorado fire liability

    The company contends that it did not start the late 2021 Colorado blaze, which caused an estimated $2 billion in damages.

    By Emma Penrod • Aug. 4, 2025
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    BackyardProduction via Getty Images
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    EPA’s move to gut key climate regulation raises stakes for city leaders

    A repeal of the endangerment finding would make local climate policy a new battleground in continuing tensions between the Trump administration and cities, a legal scholar suggests.

    By July 30, 2025
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    varbenov via Getty Images
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    Municipal codes, financial incentives are driving the retrofitting boom, new research finds

    Nearly half of building executives surveyed believe retrofits meet urban space needs better than new construction, but many cities lack the policy muscle to make them scalable.

    By July 29, 2025
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    Courtesy of Planet
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    Colorado regulators press forward with landfill rule despite industry pushback

    The proposal, which would be among the strictest in the nation, could be approved as soon as August.

    By Jacob Wallace • July 24, 2025
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    Permission granted by Siemens Mobility
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    NY transit authority orders nation’s first battery-electric passenger locomotive

    Siemens Mobility will supply locomotives that can run on batteries or overhead wire, up to 125 mph and with a range of up to 100 miles on battery power alone.

    By Updated Aug. 1, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    California’s clean mobility push is leaving low-income residents behind

    Rebates for electric bikes in California have been successful but can leave out people who most need an alternative to private vehicles and public transit.

    By Marta Anadón Rosinach • July 22, 2025
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    3 keys to building climate resilience from the ground up

    Cross-department alignment, community engagement and data are essential for preparing communities to weather climate crises, experts say.

    By July 22, 2025
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    Mindful Media via Getty Images
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    Bill seeks to fill federal void on heat protection for public workers

    Proposed legislation backed by AFSCME and other major unions could raise the bar for how cities protect municipal workers from rising temperatures.

    By July 21, 2025
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    How to protect employees from heat and other climate extremes

    Clear protocols for identifying heat illness, safety training, paid breaks and access to water and shade are among the steps cities can take to protect workers as temperatures rise.

    By Ryan Golden • July 21, 2025
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    Eric Vryn via Getty Images
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    Local officials hold the key to life-saving flood and weather warnings

    Accurate weather warnings are useless if they don’t reach residents in time. Take these steps to avoid mistakes that may have contributed to the tragedy in Texas.

    By Updated July 17, 2025