7 Ways Cities Are Hardwiring Climate Action
Mayors of Boise, Cleveland and Miami outlined seven practical ways cities can embed climate resilience into everyday governance, a push that gains urgency as federal climate support wanes under the Trump administration. Boise voters approved a $570 million clean‑water and climate bond and an $11 million levy for parks and wildfire restoration, while Miami secured a $400 million Forever Bond for flood mitigation. Cleveland is retrofitting legacy police stations with renewable energy and using the savings to upgrade community facilities. The leaders emphasized linking climate action to housing, transportation, zoning reforms and protecting vulnerable residents to create a grassroots, financially sustainable climate agenda.
How Cities and Transit Agencies Are Preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will span 78 matches across 11 U.S. cities, prompting a massive transportation effort. Federal Transit Administration grants of $8‑$10 million per host city aim to boost public‑transit capacity, while cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles and Seattle are...
Affordable Housing Development Is Boosting Oklahoma’s Economy: Report
A recent Urban Institute report finds that 45 affordable‑housing projects built in Oklahoma between 2019 and 2023 generated over $800 million in economic output, with projected impact exceeding $1 billion over the next decade. The developments leveraged $295 million in state and federal...
What a City of 25,000 Can Teach Others About Modernizing Infrastructure
The City of Lemoore, California, has entered a $24 million partnership with Energy Systems Group to modernize its entire municipal infrastructure. The comprehensive program upgrades energy, water, wastewater and building systems, adds electric‑vehicle charging and advanced metering, and is projected to...
Autonomous VW Buses to Begin Microtransit Service in Florida Community
Beep and Volkswagen’s Moia America are launching an autonomous microtransit service in Lake Nona, Florida, using purpose‑built ID.Buzz electric shuttles. Six four‑passenger vehicles equipped with safety drivers are currently being tested, with public rides slated for later this year. The...
Who Should Decide Budgets? Some Cities Are Starting to Share the Power.
Participatory budgeting (PB) is reshaping municipal finance by letting residents decide how public money is spent. More than a dozen U.S. cities—including Chicago, Boston and Greensboro—have launched PB programs, while New York City runs the nation’s largest initiative, earmarking discretionary funds...
How Transit Agencies Can Hire and Keep Front-Line Workers
The Urban Institute reports that U.S. transit agencies are facing a deepening labor shortage, with recruitment and retention of frontline workers lagging behind overall regional employment growth. Over 160,000 operators and 55,000 maintenance staff serve roughly 20 million daily rides, yet...
Meet the 2026 Smart Cities Dive Public Service Award Winners
Smart Cities Dive announced the 2026 Public Service Award winners, honoring three municipal leaders for transformative work in Texas, New York, and Florida. Betsy Keller modernized El Paso County’s building portfolio with a resident‑first approach, Janet Aristy digitized a century of NYC infrastructure...
Fort Walton Beach, Florida’s Finance Director Brings Fiscal Discipline After a Period of Scandal
Nicole Nabors took over Fort Walton Beach’s finance department in 2023 amid scandals and staff turnover, quickly stabilizing operations. She rebuilt trust by engaging employees, retaining the entire 15‑person team for two years, and launching a modern finance platform. Nabors...
This New York City Leader Unlocked a Century of Data, Turning Paper Files Into Actionable Intelligence
Janet Aristy, assistant commissioner at New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, has spent three decades converting centuries‑old paper records into a digital, AI‑enhanced system. By digitizing two million handwritten index cards, she created a searchable lead‑pipe inventory that drives targeted replacements...
Leading with ‘Grace and Grit’ in a Binational Border County
Betsy Keller, a 30‑year public‑service veteran, was honored with the Smart Cities Dive Public Service Award for her leadership as chief administrator of El Paso County, Texas. Since 2016 she has overseen a county‑wide strategic plan that boosted wages, expanded parks,...
Cities Urged to Apply Now for Safe Streets and Roads Grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation has opened the 2026 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant cycle, offering $1 billion for planning and implementation projects aimed at reducing roadway fatalities. Applications, due May 26, 2026, prioritize high‑injury networks and locations near...
Housing Energy Efficiency Requirements Rescinded by HUD, USDA
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Agriculture announced they are rescinding the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) energy‑efficiency mandates for certain single‑family and multifamily projects. HUD estimates the code added about $20,000 to...
Cities Sue EPA for Failing to Uphold Soot Standard
A coalition of ten states, the District of Columbia, Harris County, Texas, and New York City filed a lawsuit against the EPA for failing to implement the 2024 Clean Air Act rule that tightens the national fine‑particulate (soot) standard. The agency...
Indiana to Enforce Statewide Encampment Ban Aimed at Homeless Population
Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed a law that bans unauthorized camping, sleeping, or long‑term shelter on public land statewide, taking effect July 1. Before criminal enforcement, officers must assess whether an emergency mental‑health detention is warranted, issue a warning, and provide...
Who Gets Shade First? Austin, Texas, Uses Google Earth Data to Decide.
Austin is leveraging Google Earth’s tree‑canopy data and machine‑learning models to pinpoint low‑canopy, high‑heat neighborhoods for targeted tree planting. The Climate Action and Resilience team layers heat‑severity and demographic information to create “cool corridors” that combine shade trees, reflective pavement,...
Bill to Streamline Transit Project Permitting Introduced in House
U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D‑NV) introduced H.R. 8315, the Modal Parity in Permitting Act, to let transit and passenger‑rail projects acquire land before completing NEPA reviews, mirroring highway permitting rules. The legislation, co‑sponsored by Reps. Robert Bresnahan Jr. (R‑PA) and Laura...
How 4 Trends Favor Intercity Buses
Intercity bus travel is poised for growth in 2026 as four trends converge: state‑backed subsidies are adding new routes, upgraded terminals are expanding capacity, Greyhound has rolled out hundreds of modern coaches, and higher gasoline and airline prices are nudging...
AI Is Making Cyberattacks on Local Governments Easier than Ever
Artificial intelligence is accelerating cyberattacks on local governments, with a 42% rise in incidents reported in 2025, according to Motorola Solutions. Experts say AI tools now generate attack code and bypass traditional safeguards like MFA and captchas, making breaches easier...
Civic Leaders Outline 8 Surface Transportation Priorities
The Metropolitan Civic Leadership Alliance, representing nine major city‑focused business coalitions, sent letters to the House Transportation Committee and the Senate Environment Committee outlining eight surface‑transportation priorities. The alliance cites the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as a catalyst...
Residents in some Neighborhoods Live 30 Years Longer. Researchers Developed a Model to Close that Gap.
Researchers at Rice University, the University of Louisville and Simmons College introduced the Universal Basic Neighborhood (UBN) model to equalize life expectancy across U.S. communities. By evaluating 35 health‑supporting metrics—environment, housing, social and transportation—the model aims for every neighborhood to...
$4B Affordable Housing Initiative Launches in New York City
New York City announced a four‑year, $4 billion Housing Investment Initiative, doubling pension fund allocations to affordable housing. The plan earmarks $750 million for mixed‑income development and office‑to‑housing conversions, $500 million for a public‑private apartment rehabilitation program, and additional funds for large‑scale projects...
Addressing the Housing Crisis Requires “Coordinated Action at Scale:” Affordable Housing CEO
Jacqueline Waggoner has been named CEO of Century Housing, the California nonprofit that has created and preserved more than 63,000 affordable homes. She highlights soaring construction and insurance costs, tangled financing structures, and regulatory hurdles as the biggest barriers to...
Virginia Launches Cross-State Bus Service
Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation launched the Tidewater Current, the Commonwealth’s first state‑supported cross‑state bus route, on April 20, 2026. The service links ten cities from Virginia Beach to Harrisonburg, stopping at Richmond International Airport and connecting with...
Stuck in Traffic: How to Get the Urban Mobility Dream Moving
Arthur D. Little’s "Future of Mobility 5.0" study finds private cars still dominate urban travel, accounting for roughly 70 % of miles, and proposes eight high‑impact solutions to double the share of sustainable mobility to about 60 % within a decade. The roadmap...
Los Angeles’s Future-Thinking Strategy for 2028 Olympic Venues
Los Angeles is preparing for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games by upgrading and modernizing existing venues rather than building new facilities. The city’s strategy aligns with the International Olympic Committee’s emphasis on legacy, sustainability, and long‑term community benefit. Key...
These 2 Cities Enacted Upzoning Policies to Boost Housing Development. It’s Working, Study Says.
A new Urban Institute study finds that upzoning reforms in New York and Philadelphia have spurred measurable housing development. New York’s neighborhood‑level upzoning produced roughly 4,000 additional units over four years, while Philadelphia’s upzoned districts are issuing about 4,000 permits each year....
Atlanta Transit Agency’s Revamped Bus Network Starts Saturday
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) launched a revamped bus network on Saturday, trimming routes from 113 to 81 after five years of planning. The redesign, the first system‑wide overhaul since the early 1970s, emphasizes higher frequency and more...
Boston Eyes Water-Based Thermal Network to Ease Grid Strain
Boston and the Mass Clean Energy Center are committing $500,000 to a year‑long study of a closed‑loop water‑sourced thermal energy network, dubbed BosTEN. The system would harvest heat from the Charles and Mystic rivers, Boston Harbor, the Fort Point Channel,...
Kentucky Cuts ‘Red Tape’ on Affordable Housing From Faith-Based Organizations
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed legislation expanding the ability of faith‑based organizations to develop affordable housing on property they owned before 2026. The bill permits up to 24 units per project, targeting households earning no more than 80% of the...
Transit and Rail Funding Cuts in Trump Budget ‘a Dramatic Step Backward,’ Advocates Say
President Donald Trump’s FY 2027 budget proposal would slash public‑transit funding by 23% and passenger‑rail support by 82%, according to the American Public Transportation Association. The cuts amount to roughly $4.8 billion for transit and $13 billion for rail compared with FY 2026 levels,...
NYC Launches Concierge-Style Service, Enhanced Web Tools to Aid Local Law 97 Compliance
New York City unveiled Momentum, a free concierge‑style accelerator that helps building owners navigate Local Law 97’s strict emissions targets. The service bundles a call center, an online portal with decarbonization planning tools, case‑study library, and financing guidance, and expands into...
How Much Power Do Cities Have over Data Centers?
Communities across the United States are increasingly challenging data‑center expansion, highlighted by a two‑to‑one vote in Port Washington, Wisconsin, that forces voter approval for tax incentives on projects over $10 million. Maine has enacted the nation’s first statewide moratorium on new data‑center...
Uber Eyes $10B Robotaxi Investment: Financial Times
Uber announced a commitment of more than $10 billion to accelerate its robotaxi program, allocating $7.5 billion for vehicle procurement and up to $2.5 billion for equity stakes in firms such as Lucid and Rivian. The move marks a stark departure from Uber’s...
Trump Targets ‘Bureaucrat Tax’ to Build More Homes
A new White House analysis by the Council of Economic Advisers estimates that cutting state and local zoning, building‑code and affordability mandates could add 13.2 million homes, boosting the U.S. housing stock by roughly 9 %. The report says regulatory compliance—dubbed the...
As the Federal Government Cuts Funding, Nonprofits Are Turning to Cities
One‑third of U.S. nonprofits reported a disruption in federal funding in 2025, and 84% anticipate further cuts. For roughly 35,000 organizations, federal grants make up at least half of annual revenue, leaving a sizable funding gap. In response, nonprofits are...
Local Government Staffing Shortages Threaten Housing Development, Experts Say
Local government staffing shortages, driven by retirements and turnover, are slowing housing permitting processes across U.S. cities, according to a panel of experts at the America’s Housing Comeback Advisory Group. Nearly 38% of municipal employees are projected to retire within...
Mamdani Commits to Containerizing New York’s Residential Waste by 2032
Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged to finish containerizing New York City residential waste by the end of 2031, with at least one community district in each borough covered by 2027. The Department of Sanitation secured a $25 million deal for side‑loading trucks...
$657M for Ferries Available From 3 FTA Grant Programs
The Federal Transit Administration announced $657 million in grants to upgrade ferry terminals, launch new routes, and purchase vessels, split across three programs: $105 million for passenger ferries, $98 million for electric or low‑emitting ferries, and $454 million for rural ferry services. The funding,...
This City Is Not Just Training Its Staff on AI, It’s Educating the Public
San José, California, has launched an AI Center for Civic and Social Good that offers free workshops to residents as part of its AI for All initiative, backed by OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and the Bay Area Council. The city is also...
Cool Cities Lab Heat-Mapping Tool Helps Cities Target Relief Where It’s Needed Most
World Resources Institute’s Cool Cities Lab, an open‑source heat‑mapping platform, launched in March and is now active in more than 20 cities worldwide. The tool provides block‑level data on temperature, humidity and thermal comfort, allowing municipalities to model the cooling...
Building Resilient Communities: How Cooperative Contracting Can Accelerate Emergency Preparedness
Cooperative contracts such as NASPO ValuePoint enable public agencies to procure emergency goods and services in days rather than months, eliminating lengthy solicitations. By pre‑qualifying suppliers for rescue equipment, debris removal, and equipment rentals, agencies can respond swiftly to hurricanes,...
It’s the Most Dangerous Part of a Transit Bus Trip. These Experts Have Ideas to Make It Safer.
Research by the University of Tennessee‑Knoxville for the Center for Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety finds that the most hazardous segment of a transit bus trip is the walk to and from the bus stop. Pedestrian crashes are about five times...
Most Mayors Say Market-Rate Housing Development Can Boost Housing Affordability
A 2025 Menino Survey of U.S. mayors shows 75% believe expanding market‑rate multifamily housing can lower local housing costs, up from 60% in 2021. Eighty percent say their cities lack enough multifamily units, and 82% strongly back adding apartments near...
How AI Is Rewiring Utility Billing in Panama City, Florida
Panama City, Florida’s utility billing department replaced a fragmented legacy system with InvoiceCloud’s AI‑driven payment platform. The generative AI Report Generator now posts payments within a minute, slashing processing time by roughly 50% and cutting paper‑related expenses by 25%. Employees...
How Cities Can Prepare to Overcome FIFA World Cup Transportation Hurdles
Transit agencies across the 11 U.S. host cities are scaling up service ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins June 12. Los Angeles Metro will run buses up to three hours before kickoff and keep them running 90 minutes after...
3 City AI Policies to Watch
Local governments are rapidly formalizing AI use, with Seattle, San Francisco and Austin each unveiling comprehensive policies. Seattle updated its 2023 framework after nearly 40 pilot projects, tightening bans on bias‑prone applications like emotion analysis and social scoring. San Francisco...
Court Narrows New Jersey’s Case Against RealPage in Rent-Setting Suit
A federal judge in New Jersey partially dismissed the state’s antitrust lawsuit against rental‑software firm RealPage and five major landlords, narrowing the case’s scope. The suit alleged a hub‑and‑spoke conspiracy that used RealPage’s revenue‑management platform to inflate rents, violating the Sherman...
Affordable Housing Standard Evolves From Sustainability to Resilience
Enterprise Community Partners has released an updated edition of its Green Communities Criteria, shifting the focus from pure sustainability to comprehensive climate resilience for affordable housing. The new standard mandates resilience assessments for extreme heat, wildfires, flooding, high winds and...
Single-Staircase Reform Proposed in California
A California bill moving to committee would let multifamily buildings up to six stories use a single staircase, replacing the current rule that mandates two staircases for structures above three stories. Sponsor Assemblymember Alex Lee argues the change will simplify...