Cities deal with ‘new normal’ of year-round wildfires

Fire "season" is no more. Communities are more likely than ever to face catastrophic wildfires like the Carr and Mendocino Complex Fires — and preparation should not be underestimated.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 20, 2018

5 futuristic design concepts proposed by Sidewalk Toronto

Building raincoats, underground delivery systems and dynamic pavement may all soon be a reality in the waterfront neighborhood of Quayside.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 17, 2018

Explore the 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

NYC stakeholders back plan to cut building energy use, carbon emissions

The Urban Green Council released a plan for a 20% reduction in energy use across the city's largest buildings by 2030.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 16, 2018

Houston public safety team reflects on 3-day cyberattack simulation

The city conducted the Jack Voltaic 2.0 exercise to answer a simple question: "If all sectors are under a coordinated cyberattack, would we be aware and able to handle it from within?"

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 16, 2018

The scoop: San Francisco recruits sidewalk ‘patrol’ to clean up poop

Mayor London Breed wants to clean up the city's worsening problem with human feces, with employees to patrol some streets and alleys with a steam cleaner.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 15, 2018

FirstNet 'laser focused' on network build-out, innovation after approving $240M budget

The total spending includes $78 million to fund new initiatives and technology for the platform, which has thousands of subscribers nationwide among emergency service agencies.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 14, 2018

Baltimore officials fund affordable housing trust

The trust will be funded through $20 million a year in excise taxes and an annual lump sum allocation, two years after its initial creation.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 14, 2018

Study: EVs will have 20% of global mileage share by 2030

Researchers predict adoption will surge despite small current market share and government regulations, thanks in part to its use in other mobility forms.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 13, 2018

IBM, Threatcare uncover vulnerabilities of smart city tech

The researchers discovered 17 specific vulnerabilities that could open cities to an attack, with eight of those flaws holding critical severity.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 10, 2018

Zillow finds sharp increase in cities with $1M median home value

Nineteen states currently have one or more million-dollar home value cities, with 56% of the country's million-dollar home value cities in California. 

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 10, 2018

Water works: Preserving water amenity accessibility in cities

Cities understand how critical water is to the health and well-being of residents. But, in some cases, those amenities' futures are threatened.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 9, 2018

Denver releases set of community growth plans

The visions in Denveright are based on two years of community outreach, and cover land use, transportation, and parks and recreation.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 7, 2018

10 cities receive grants to financially empower residents

The cities will receive $20,000 each to develop programs to help residents sustain financial health and bolster community stability.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 7, 2018

Report: DOE, DHS planning new grid cybersecurity exercise this fall

The Liberty Eclipse exercise will focus on blackstart capabilities and the intersection of the natural gas and electric power sectors, E&E News reports. 

By Gavin Bade • Aug. 7, 2018

US Senate passes ‘minibus’ containing transit, EPA funding

The spending bill includes $16.1 billion for public transit and $8.1 billion for the EPA — which is $2.7 billion more than what was requested in the Trump administration's FY 2019 budget proposal.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 6, 2018

How to embrace office green spaces for better employee engagement

Office plants and composting programs — good places to start — may gradually evolve into huge cultural changes for employers.

By Pamela DeLoatch • Aug. 3, 2018

Mayors condemn EPA’s proposed freeze on auto emissions standards

The Climate Mayors coalition said the plan is an "unprecedented attack on both the environment and states' rights" and pledged to do more to combat climate change.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 3, 2018

Searching for shelter: Homelessness by the numbers

From funding levels to the number of people with cell phones, a look at some of the striking data about homelessness in the U.S.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 1, 2018

DC is home to the most green roofs in North America

The city has installed nearly double the green roof square footage as the next in line, according to the industry association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 30, 2018

Amsterdam tops ranking of healthiest cities

The index analyzed 89 cities' incorporated data from 10 categories including air and water quality, green spaces and EV charging points.

By Jason Plautz • July 30, 2018

Marketplace.city joins 100 Resilient Cities partner network

The partnership would give 100RC members access to the website’s digital platform, which evaluates and validates new technology for smart cities.

By Jason Plautz • July 27, 2018

Houston runs 3-day cyberattack stress test

The Jack Voltaic 2.0 Cyber Research Project will simulate a concurrent cyberattack and a natural disaster, testing how the incidents affect responses, collaboration and communications.

By Jason Plautz • July 26, 2018

San Francisco mayor, advocates propose 2 measures to curb homelessness

Mayor London Breed pledged a one-time funding boost of $1 million, while advocates secured a ballot measure to tax businesses.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 26, 2018

Study: Warmer temperatures linked to higher suicide rates

Researchers found that suicide rates rise 0.7% in U.S. communities and 2.1% in Mexican communities for a 1-degree Celsius bump in average monthly temperature.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 25, 2018

Honolulu mayor orders preparations for sea level rise

Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed a directive calling for city agencies to treat climate change as an "urgent matter" and to develop new ways to mitigate it.

By Jason Plautz • July 23, 2018