Climate & Resilience: Page 40


  • LA, Philadelphia and DC compost leaders look to better leverage city park sites

    As municipally supported composting grows in some parts of the country, panelists at a U.S. Composting Council event discussed solutions to common roadblocks in using parklands for such programs. 

    By Maria Rachal • March 31, 2021
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    The image by Christopher Michel is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Few mayors expect to keep COVID-inspired changes to public spaces, survey finds

    The Menino Survey of Mayors found that although leaders predict residents will spend more time outside, only 6% of mayors plan to keep recent changes to those spaces like closed roads and new bike lanes.

    By Chris Teale • March 31, 2021
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline
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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
  • Fermata Energy has partnered with the City of Boulder on a vehicle-to-grid charging project
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    Permission granted by Fermata Energy
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    New coalition calls on Biden admin to prioritize electrified transportation

    CHARGE, a group of 37 organizations, is urging EV charging infrastructure be especially deployed in communities traditionally underserved by transportation or that have struggled with pollution burdens.

    By Chris Teale • March 25, 2021
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    The image by hendricks is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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    Cities face new roadblock in quest to decarbonize buildings

    The International Code Council removed the rights of local governments to vote on energy-efficient building codes, a move with major implications for cities as they seek to dramatically reduce emissions. 

    By Cailin Crowe • March 24, 2021
  • Knight Foundation Gehl public spaces post-COVID
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    Permission granted by Gehl
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    Community-led design of public spaces could have ‘ripple effect’ in COVID recovery: report

    Analysis of public spaces in Detroit; Philadelphia; San Jose, CA; and Akron, OH by the Knight Foundation and design firm Gehl found successful and resilient programming could have long-term effects after the pandemic.

    By Chris Teale • March 24, 2021
  • Cities turn to resilience corps as pandemic recovery tactic

    San Jose, CA is the latest major city to embrace the initiative, which provides jobs and skills training to residents hardest-hit by the pandemic. 

    By Chris Teale • March 22, 2021
  • Record wildfires upend lockdown-driven air quality gains

    The United States was home to 77 of the world's 100 most polluted cities at one point last year, even as some parts of the world reaped the benefits of lower motor vehicle emissions amid the pandemic.

    By Maria Rachal • March 18, 2021
  • Waterfront Toronto
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    Permission granted by Rendering by West 8 + DTAH
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    Waterfront Toronto to design ‘complete community’ after Sidewalk Labs split

    The group launched a competition to find a new development partner, seeking a plan that includes affordable housing and support for aging in place.

    By Cailin Crowe • March 17, 2021
  • San Antonio Texas
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    "San Antonio" by Stoic Stoat is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    San Antonio power provider sues ERCOT, citing ‘unlawful’ pricing

    Mayor Ron Nirenburg gave the city's full support for the suit against the Texas grid operator, saying "state regulators are presiding over one of the largest illegal transfers of wealth" in state history.

    By Catherine Morehouse • March 16, 2021
  • DOE to spend billions on electric vehicle R&D in jobs fight with China

    President Biden's administration is tackling transportation electrification in part to prevent China from cornering a $23 trillion market in carbon-reducing tech, according to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. 

    By Robert Walton • March 11, 2021
  • Pittsburgh applies equity lens amid push to plant 100K trees

    The "Equitable Street Tree Investment Strategy" aims to improve tree maintenance in low-income and Black neighborhoods, as the city also works to increase its canopy to 60% by 2030. 

    By Maria Rachal • March 8, 2021
  • National Landing BID
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    Permission granted by Courtesy of JBG SMITH
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    Q&A

    National Landing BID head explains 'most connected downtown' design

    President and Executive Director Tracy Sayegh Gabriel said the Northern Virginia area, which is undergoing major transformations ahead of the arrival of Amazon's HQ2, has embraced people-centric and sustainable growth.

    By Cailin Crowe • March 5, 2021
  • House Democrats clear pathway to 100% clean energy by 2035

    The bill would require economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050, targeting transportation electrification, environmental justice and building efficiency. 

    By Catherine Morehouse • March 3, 2021
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    Getty Images
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    USPS to continue purchasing gas vehicles, despite Biden all-electric pledge

    The postal service says the procurement allows for flexibility, and hinted at the ability to "retrofit" some vehicles. But EV advocates say "this will lock USPS into an outdated technology for many years."

    By Robert Walton • Feb. 25, 2021
  • san diego coast
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    McDonald, Chad. (2016). "Up Up and away" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Resilient Cities Catalyst to tackle California’s compounding crises

    The group, born out of the 100 Resilient Cities initiative, launched the public-philanthropic California Resilience Partnership to address challenges stemming from racial injustice, climate change and the pandemic.

    By Cailin Crowe • Feb. 24, 2021
  • America Is All In co-chairs and federal leaders
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    Screenshot via America Is All In

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    Climate leaders go ‘all in’ to halve emissions by 2030

    The new "America Is All In" coalition of U.S. communities, businesses and institutions, has pledged to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 with support from the federal government. 

    By Chris Teale • Feb. 22, 2021
  • Residents' climate anecdotes to inform San Diego resilience plan

    Following hazard vulnerability assessments, the city is nearing a resilience draft plan focused on wildfires, sea level rise, extreme heat and flooding.

    By Maria Rachal • Feb. 19, 2021
  • For Utility Dive climate project, illustration with transmission lines in a storm
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    Danielle Ternes/Smart Cities Dive
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    Deep Dive

    Power sector experts fight misinformation around Texas outages

    Operators will often prepare for peak loads based on historical data, but those forecasts can be less predictable under a changing climate, one expert said.

    By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 18, 2021
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    SonderBruce. (2017). "I-5 southbound traffic approaching Downtown Seattle" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    The system of GHG emissions reporting is broken, experts say

    As the media points fingers at cities for underreporting carbon emissions, some argue the blame should instead be placed on a lack of guidance.

    By Cailin Crowe • Feb. 11, 2021
  • Deep Dive

    Lawmakers vs. regulators: The fight over Arizona’s zero-emissions mandate

    Conservatives say the Arizona Corporation Commission's proposed zero-carbon mandate oversteps its constitutional authority while defenders say the legal debate is an excuse to impede the state's climate fight.

    By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 11, 2021
  • A man looks at lines of code depicted on a computer screen
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    sestovic via Getty Images
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    Security flaws enabled Tampa-area water utility hack

    Authorities found poor security hygiene — weak passwords and an outdated operating system — played a role in the hack. 

    By Samantha Schwartz • Updated Feb. 12, 2021
  • Senate confirms former North Carolina regulator Regan as head of EPA

    Michael Regan had pledged to take a "clean slate" approach when determining how to take on the Clean Power Plan versus the Affordable Clean Energy Act.

    By Catherine Morehouse • Updated March 11, 2021
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    Natacha Kiler
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    US could derail decarbonization without equitable policies: report

    Decarbonization is technically and financially feasible, but government must ensure the coming economic transition is just and fair to all, experts said.

    By Emma Penrod • Feb. 4, 2021
  • Boston neighborhood with skyline
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    The image by Tzef Pine is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Boston kicks off community choice electricity program, aiming to surpass state’s renewables requirement

    Starting Monday, the Massachusetts capital becomes a key East Coast adopter of a locally-driven utility model championed in major California and Ohio cities — its latest effort toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

    By Maria Rachal • Updated Feb. 2, 2021
  • city bike cycling car
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    gapersblock. (2011). "*Zoup*" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Q&A

    New SUMC CEO ponders mobility sector’s ‘moment of inflection’

    Benjamin de la Peña, who recently became CEO of the Shared-Use Mobility Center, discussed pandemic-fueled mobility opportunities and his unfinished business as the Seattle DOT's former innovation chief.

    By Cailin Crowe • Jan. 28, 2021