Climate & Resilience: Page

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    EPA awards climate planning grants to New England cities, states

    The Environmental Protection Agency is nearly done awarding such grants to communities nationwide and will soon launch the competitive phase of its climate pollution reduction program.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 1, 2023
  • A blue electric New York City transit bus at an overhead charging station.
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    Courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA
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    Fleet electrification: 5 principles to help state and local governments plan

    World Resources Institute researchers spoke with local governments, transit agencies and consultants to uncover the pitfalls of and best practices for shifting to electric vehicles.

    By • Sept. 1, 2023
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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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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Heat-related illness: New federal tool reveals highest-risk communities

    Officials can use the online dashboard, updated weekly, to prioritize where to focus on outreach, cooling centers, street trees, parks and cool roofs, according to the Transportation Department.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 31, 2023
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    Permission granted by Freewire
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    Tech company unveils AI-powered platform to determine ideal EV charging sites

    Freewire Technologies’ tool aims to help the businesses and c-store retailers using its chargers determine optimal locations to place them.

    By Jessica Loder • Aug. 31, 2023
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    The image by Komzet is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Q&A

    IIJA just the beginning of infrastructure remediation, civil engineering group president says

    ASCE's Maria Lehman says the infusion of federal funding will help address long-neglected upkeep across the country, but states and the private sector must also pitch in.

    By Julie Strupp • Aug. 30, 2023
  • A Future Made in America sign is seen as U.S. President Joe Biden stands in a manufacturing demonstration area at United Performance Metals on May 6, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio
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    Jon Cherry / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Inflation Reduction Act: Mapping the manufacturing law’s impact 1 year later

    With the act spurring more than $86 billion in project investment, here are four takeaways on how it has changed the manufacturing industry and which states are benefiting most.

    By Kate Magill , • Aug. 29, 2023
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    Seattle’s downtown revitalization push continues with waterfront parks overhaul

    The project will be entirely funded with philanthropic donations and is expected to be completed by 2026, when Seattle hosts World Cup matches.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 29, 2023
  • Two people install rooftop solar on a building. One person is holding the panel and the other person is holding a drill.
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    Joe Raedle/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    On clean energy tax credits, mayors want clearer federal guidance

    New incentives could turbocharge local climate action, but resource-limited cities need clarity on how to use them, over 50 mayors said in a letter to the Treasury Department.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 28, 2023
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    Courtesy of DHL
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    New York City proposes larger cargo bikes for deliveries

    Increasing the maximum bicycle width by one foot would help the city's efforts to cull truck traffic and emissions, according to its Transportation Department.

    By Max Garland • Aug. 25, 2023
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    To get trash bags off curbs, New York pursues multiple options

    Containerizing garbage is feasible in many parts of the city, but the shift won’t come easily, according to New York's Department of Sanitation.

    By Cole Rosengren • Aug. 24, 2023
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    California clean vehicle rebate program expands statewide

    The state's rebate incentives will help lower-income consumers access electric and fuel-cell vehicles.

    By • Aug. 24, 2023
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    Courtesy of Skanska | Emersion Design
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    Cincinnati’s first mass timber project breaks ground

    The $32-million public radio headquarters will also be the Midwest's first two-story mass timber building.

    By Zachary Phillips • Aug. 23, 2023
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    Colorado mandates new building energy performance standards despite criticism

    The ruling unfairly burdens existing buildings, operators and owners say. The state Air Quality Commission touts the rules’ flexibility.

    By Joe Burns • Aug. 22, 2023
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Tropical Storm Hilary: How California cities prepared and fared

    Local officials took pride in their emergency response, but the storm presents “a cautionary tale,” said the director of Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 22, 2023
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    Q&A

    What managed retreat around the world can teach US cities

    In a future where managed retreat relocations “become more and more popular,” a Stanford University researcher’s work may hold crucial lessons.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 21, 2023
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    For emergency preparedness, Houston looks to teens

    The city launched an educational campaign after identifying emergency preparedness as a top youth need in a process that led to it being named the nation’s first UNICEF-designated child-friendly city. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 18, 2023
  • A gray four-door crossover vehicle parked in an electric vehicle charging stall with a woman holding a charging cable to the car.
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    Courtesy of EVgo Services LLC. Used with permission.
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    Public EV charger customer satisfaction drops: J.D. Power

    "The results of this year's study should be very concerning to all those involved in the transition from gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles," one expert said.

    By Michael Brady • Aug. 18, 2023
  • Aerial view of wildfire damage shows grey and black burn out buildings with blue ocean in the background.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    ‘It appears to be a total loss’: Wildfires devastate Lahaina’s infrastructure

    Last week’s blaze took out power lines, roads and water systems in Maui, Hawai’i, local officials say, but no major construction projects seem to have been affected. 

    By Julie Strupp • Aug. 16, 2023
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    Boston grants aim to lower carbon footprint of affordable housing

    Building owners can get up to $10,000 each for comprehensive energy assessments.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 16, 2023
  • A person sits on the front steps of a house in Houston during a heat wave.
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Extreme heat causing ‘preventable’ deaths in US cities, scientists say

    Heat wave early warning and response systems “save lives,” but not enough communities have them, said an expert on the health risks of climate change.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 15, 2023
  • Air pollution hangs over city skyline and urban sprawl.
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Persistent urban air pollution the focus of ‘unprecedented’ NASA, NOAA research

    Two of the most harmful types of air pollution have slowed their decades-long downward trend. The research aims to help state and local officials understand why.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 11, 2023
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    Courtesy of General Motors
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    More GM electric vehicles will be able to charge homes in coming years

    The bidirectional charging technology uses a GM vehicle’s battery as a backup power source in the event of a power outage.

    By Eric Walz • Aug. 10, 2023
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    For urban cooling, forests beat street trees, landscaped parks: study

    Urban natural areas are “underfunded and unprotected, leaving them imperiled in cities across the country," warns a study of 12 U.S. cities.

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 9, 2023
  • The Executive Order harnesses new capital investments to drive decarbonization by retrofitting or constructing fossil-fuel-free buildings.
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    Boston mayor bans fossil fuels in new city-owned buildings

    The executive order, which also prohibits fossil fuel use in renovations of existing city-owned structures, is part of a larger push for carbon neutrality by 2050.

    By Nish Amarnath • Aug. 8, 2023
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    Washington building codes lawsuit dropped by gas, building groups

    The litigation was an “aftershock” of a federal appeals court decision to overturn Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas in new buildings, an Earthjustice senior attorney said. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 8, 2023