Are climate emergency declarations the new normal?

As cities wrestle with the urgent need to deal with the climate crisis, advocates say the declarations could be "coming to your city as a demand soon."

By Chris Teale • Nov. 4, 2019

Academics urge Jacksonville, FL mayor to craft climate plan

The signatories claim Jacksonville is the only major city in Florida without a climate plan and suggest the city should hire an official to lead the charge.

By Jason Plautz • Nov. 4, 2019

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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

What cities can learn from Phoenix's circular economy experiments

Home to a unique waste-to-product incubator, the fast-growing Arizona city has embarked on multiple new ventures in recent years. 

By Cole Rosengren • Nov. 4, 2019

Chicago to create tree canopy inventory following critical audit

The city's Office of Inspector General recommends maintaining the canopy on a grid-based approach, which was used prior to the advent of 311 in 1999. 

By Katie Pyzyk • Nov. 1, 2019

Report: Sea level rise to affect 3x more people than anticipated

Most of New Orleans and large portions of New York would be underwater or prone to frequent, severe flooding by 2050.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 31, 2019

Fear of a green nation

Marijuana legalization is gaining momentum, and local leaders can either capitalize on this movement or get left behind

By Derek Prall • Oct. 29, 2019

LA cooling initiative built for city's hottest, most vulnerable neighborhoods

The program, part of the city's Green New Deal, addresses the effects of climate change in vulnerable neighborhoods with measures like shade structures and cool pavement. 

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 25, 2019

3 federal agencies launch $1M disaster response and resiliency challenge

The Accelerate R2 Network Challenge has support from the Economic Development Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and FirstNet.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 25, 2019

Chicago mayor increases funding 36% for homeless prevention

The city's Flexible Housing Pool will get a $5 million increase to house more than 200 youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability. 

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 24, 2019

Air pollution falls by a third inside London's congestion zone

The six-month Ultra Low Emission Zone status report puts the city ahead of schedule to meet its 45% traffic emission reduction goal. 

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 23, 2019

Few cities considering long-term risks of climate change, report says

More than 500 global cities self-report experiencing the effects of climate change, but few have prepared adequate action plans. 

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 23, 2019

Hanging with the Lab Rats: NREL researchers lay groundwork to accelerate US clean energy transition

The DOE lab is examining the impacts of "turbulence" on wind turbines as well as how to integrate battery storage systems and hydrogen alongside electric vehicle technologies.

By Gloria Gonzalez • Oct. 23, 2019

California releases first statewide earthquake warning system

The state has launched the nation's first statewide earthquake warning system, which will notify residents 20 seconds before an earthquake hits. 

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 22, 2019

‘We’re feeling the heat’: How a Tucson, AZ mayoral candidate plans to tackle climate change

Democratic nominee Regina Romero could be the city's first Latina and woman mayor, and aims to mitigate climate change's mounting effects on the city.

By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 21, 2019

These 3 circular economy principles can help combat the climate crisis

Transitioning to a circular economy will take "concerted action from multiple stakeholders," according to a report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Material Economics.

By Andrew Urevig • Oct. 17, 2019

Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities honor 7 climate change projects

San Francisco was the only U.S. winner for its CleanPowerSF renewable energy program, and London was recognized for its ultra-low emission zone. 

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 11, 2019

Mayors announce Global Green New Deal at C40 Summit

A coalition of 94 mayors showed support of the deal, intended to encourage emissions reduction in the transportation, buildings, industry and waste sectors.

By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 10, 2019

Boston to require carbon neutral design for new city buildings

The city's updated Climate Action Plan calls for decarbonizing large buildings, which could cut citywide emissions nearly 40% by 2050. 

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 9, 2019

Columbus, OH mayor shares lessons from award-winning tenure

Mayor Andrew Ginther detailed his plans to continue developing a smart city that's inclusive of all residents, incorporating equity and affordable housing. 

By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 8, 2019

NYC to host climate solutions center on Governors Island

The Trust for Governors Island revealed its plans last week for the climate center, projected to create 8,000 jobs and $1 billion in economic impact.

By Jason Plautz , Kristin Musulin • Updated Sept. 21, 2020

2019 mayoral elections: How ‘smart’ are the candidates’ platforms?

Houston incumbent Sylvester Turner, who led the city following Hurricane Harvey in 2017, defeated candidate Tony Buzbee in a Dec. 14 runoff election. 

By Cailin Crowe, Kira Barrett, Kristin Musulin • Updated Nov. 6, 2019

No US cities make top 10 of global smart city ranking

Singapore lands the top spot and San Francisco ranks the highest in the U.S., according to the IMD World Competitiveness Center's index. 

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 4, 2019

Global exchange program infuses culture into civic planning

Bloomberg Philanthropies and the World Cities Culture Forum announced their second leadership exchange, encouraging collaboration in the cultural sector.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 3, 2019

ACEEE: Massachusetts leads on energy efficiency for 9th consecutive year

The council pegs efficiency-related employment as one of the largest subsets in the energy sector, accounting for more than 2.3 million jobs in 2018.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 2, 2019

NYC picks 9 buildings for 'deep energy retrofits'

The retrofits follow the passage of the Climate Mobilization Act, which set a goal to reduce government operation emissions 50% by 2030. 

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 2, 2019