Tech & Data
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Permission granted by Hourcar
2026 Smart Cities Dive Community Project Award Winners: Solving real community needs
Addressing energy costs, housing, transportation and community engagement, these initiatives exemplify the innovation that helps cities and counties improve residents’ lives.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Sept. 10, 2026 -
Permission granted by City of Durham
The Smart Cities Dive Awards
To highlight notable people and projects in U.S. city, county and regional government, Smart Cities Dive presents the Public Service Awards and the Community Project Awards.
By Rachel H. Pollack • Sept. 10, 2026 -
Permission granted by LISC Jacksonville
How one Florida county is using data to help vulnerable residents keep their homes
An early-warning system in Jacksonville, Florida, uses AI to protect generational housing from institutional investors. The initiative is a 2026 Smart Cities Dive Community Project Award winner.
By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 10, 2026 -
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AI transparency is key for local governments, residents say
Residents' comfort with AI use in local government is holding steady, but rollouts must be thoughtful, a PayIt survey found.
By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 9, 2026 -
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images via Getty Images
AI oversight still lacking in NYC despite city progress: state audit
The city has “partially implemented” state recommendations to bolster AI governance, the New York State comptroller found.
By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 3, 2026 -
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Local government is fragmented. Here’s how AI is helping residents navigate it.
Virtual assistants are searching across agencies and data sets to deliver answers, maps and resources through simple, conversational questions.
By Stephanie Kanowitz • Sept. 3, 2026 -
Courtesy of Office of the Texas Governor
Water cybersecurity gets federal boost in 10 cities and Texas
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is putting nearly $12 million behind water-system cybersecurity and resilience as the White House connects Texas utilities with free cyber defense resources.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Sept. 1, 2026 -
Ayman Haykal via Getty Images
Weather, wayfinding, wait times: How government digital signage can keep things fresh
Governments are diligent about keeping digital signs updated, but opportunities to take full advantage of the signage remains, a Kitcast report found.
By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 1, 2026 -
Courtesy of Microsoft
Data center noise lawsuits test limits of local ordinances
A low-level hum coming from a Microsoft data center that’s hard to measure is a nuisance that’s hurting property values, Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, residents allege.
By Robert Freedman • Sept. 1, 2026 -
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
States move to rein in license plate surveillance as cities face growing scrutiny
Arizona, Connecticut, Florida and South Dakota are pushing for statewide rules. The issues “are too great to be decided in isolation at the local level,” the Arizona attorney general’s office says.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 28, 2026 -
Courtesy of Microsoft
Data Centers3 things cities should do before approving another data center
Aurora, Illinois, and Anchorage, Alaska, offer a road map for developing rules that balance economic opportunity with resident concerns over water, power, infrastructure and quality of life.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 27, 2026 -
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Mapping, digital twins boost emergency services, building management in Frisco, Texas
The city created an indoor mapping system to help responders during school emergencies, but the system has since expanded to help asset management and more, an IT expert says.
By Joe Burns • Aug. 25, 2026 -
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Q&AICE is using shock gloves. Local police shouldn’t, a policing expert says.
Municipal agencies should scrutinize the technology’s capabilities, limitations and costs before following ICE’s lead in using it, a criminal justice professor and former police officer says.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 25, 2026 -
Permission granted by Center for Internet Security
NLC program offers AI to assist local governments with cybersecurity efforts
The National League of Cities is partnering with CyberAlliance to offer an AI-powered platform that provides risk assessments and guidance.
By Ryan Kushner • Aug. 24, 2026 -
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ColumnCyberattackers are using AI. Local governments must, too.
While state and local governments grapple with questions about AI, many are using it to enhance their cybersecurity operations — and build public trust in the process, Dataminr’s Tim Miller writes.
By Tim Miller • Aug. 21, 2026 -
Courtesy of Ouster/Georgia Department of Transportation
Utah to add intelligent intersections
The Utah Department of Transportation aims to improve safety for vulnerable road users by using lidar-based traffic management technology.
By Dan Zukowski • Aug. 19, 2026 -
Permission granted by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Data CentersSweeping new data center rules give local governments more leverage in Pennsylvania
"If the local community doesn’t approve a project, the state won’t approve it, either,” Gov. Josh Shapiro says.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 19, 2026 -
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OpinionFire response is infrastructure. Cities should treat it that way.
Aging fleets and increasingly demanding fire conditions require cities to rethink how they support the technology behind emergency response.
By Kirk McKinzie • Aug. 14, 2026 -
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Cyberattack impacts critical public safety operations in California city
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a state AI cyberdefense program in the wake of the ongoing cybersecurity incident in Suisun City, California.
By Ryan Kushner • Aug. 11, 2026 -
Getty Images
Protecting water systems from cyberattacks: 5 steps cities can take now
Hacking is getting easier. But the real problem is that many systems were never designed with cyberattacks in mind, experts say.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 11, 2026 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
As Flock surveillance camera backlash grows, one governor tells cities to pause installations
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is asking police officials to develop guidelines on surveillance technology and clarify how data is collected and used.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 10, 2026 -
iStock.com/RerF
Sponsored by MelissaGood government starts with a good address
Cities can reduce waste and improve services with better citizen address data.
By Bud Walker, Chief Information Officer, Melissa • Aug. 10, 2026 -
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These 8 ‘intelligent’ US cities are tops for technology services
More big cities are embracing AI and digital technology to serve residents. These are the ones doing it best, a new Boston Consulting Group analysis says.
By Ryan Kushner • Aug. 6, 2026 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
30+ water utility cyberattacks expose a vulnerability across US cities
Attackers remotely accessed industrial controllers at water systems in seven states. The campaign suggests a common weakness utilities everywhere should address, experts warn.
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Aug. 3, 2026 -
Sponsored by PCL Construction
Can direct potable water reuse overcome its image problem in the US?
From “toilet-to-tap" stigma to trusted solution — reshaping how the U.S. approaches water reuse.
Aug. 3, 2026
