The Latest

  • People on a station platform walking alongside a train.
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    Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
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    Massachusetts dedicates $8B to transportation in FY2026 budget

    Public transportation funding will help the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority narrow its deficit. Roads and bridges also received funding.

  • A drone flies over a brick building with 1600 over the door and U.S. flag on flagpole in front.
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    Courtesy of Michigan Central
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    Detroit deploys drones and AI to target building efficiency improvements

    The city has partnered with startups and a tech incubator to test drone and AI technology that guides energy retrofits, saving time and money compared with traditional assessments.

    Updated July 8, 2025
  • A pure white building looms in the foreground around green foliage and a bright blue sky.
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    FrozenShutter via Getty Images
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    California walks back environmental law for housing, high-speed rail

    The changes to the California Environmental Quality Act could greatly speed up the issuance of building permits.

  • Woman holding a brochure that reads "Congestion pricing is working" while a man in a suit looks on.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    New York congestion pricing at 6 months: the results

    The New York City region has seen less traffic, faster buses and increased transit ridership since the tolling program began Jan. 5.

  • Stoplights and street between two tall buildings with more tall buildings in the background.
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    peeterv via Getty Images
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    Cities can decarbonize buildings while cutting costs, new road map says

    The guide from Climate Mayors and Veolia aims to help cities tackle one of their biggest greenhouse gas emissions challenges, even as federal support for energy efficiency and decarbonization shrinks.

  • Austin, Texas State Capitol
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    Tamir Kalifa/Stringer via Getty Images
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    New Texas law allows apartments in some nonresidential zones

    Senate Bill 840 requires local governments to approve any project that meets its qualifications.

  • Man walking on sidewalk near a bus shelter with a blue van parked on the street.
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    Courtesy of Beep
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    Autonomous public transit shuttle launches, a US first

    The microtransit service could be “the very beginning of public transit being disrupted,” according to the chief executive of the company operating it.

  • Body of person with white cane and dog on leash crossing a crosswalk.
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    LightFieldStudios via Getty Images
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    Chicago must install accessible pedestrian signals at all signalized intersections by 2040

    The federal court order will “completely transform” Chicago’s pedestrian grid for visually disabled pedestrians, an advocate said.

  • A sign alongside a divided highway warns drivers to be on the lookout for deer crossing the roadway.
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    Courtesy of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
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    US faces ‘road safety emergency,’ IIHS president says

    David Harkey criticized the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for not doing more to improve vehicle safety during a House subcommittee hearing last week.

  • A woman looks at her smartphone and while driving.
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    vgajic via Getty Images
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    Enforcement, education could reduce traffic deaths from distracted driving: report

    The National Distracted Driving Coalition reviewed traffic enforcement practices shown to help change behaviors and save lives.

  • Person at the wheel of a passenger vehicle reaching for touch screen.
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    GoodLifeStudio via Getty Images
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    Mobility data creates traffic modeling opportunities, privacy challenges: MIT panel

    Panelists from TomTom and StreetLight Data described the benefits of abundant data as well as some shortcomings and gaps.

  • The new Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas, with two cable-stayed towers stretches across a body of water.
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    Courtesy of Harbor Bridge Project
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    $1.3B Texas bridge aims to improve traffic safety, facilitate shipping

    The bridge in Corpus Christi adds a shared-use path, a community plaza, LED lighting and xeriscape landscaping, the city says.

  • An illustration of a high-speed train in California's Central Valley.
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    Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
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    Tracker

    US high-speed rail projects: The latest news

    For California's High-Desert Corridor, HDR has received a five-year contract for design and support services.

    Updated June 30, 2025
  • Cornell University's Agricultural Experiment Station, or AgriTech, campus with greenhouses.
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    Retrieved from New York State Energy Research & Development Authority on June 26, 2025
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    New York offering up to $750K for facility decarbonization projects

    The Large-Scale Thermal program is accepting applications through July 31 for heating, cooling and hot water systems in single buildings of at least 100,000 square feet or campuses of 250,000 square feet and up.

  • Crowds of people walk on a city street
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    rarrarorro via Getty Images
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    2025’s top smart city conferences

    Smart city technology, housing, climate action, transportation, public safety and more take center stage at events in 2025.

    Updated June 27, 2025
  • Locomotive and passenger train at a station with many people.
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    Courtesy of Metrolink
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    LA’s six-county regional railroad to reset fares July 1

    Metrolink looks to restore ridership and revenue with simpler fares, which will cost less for most riders, the agency says.

  • Seated men in suits and one woman laughing.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    How the ‘big beautiful bill’ could impact affordable housing construction

    Low-income housing tax credits, opportunity zones and state regulation of algorithmic rent-setting tools all face changes in the massive budget bill passed by the Senate.

  • Two bicyclists, pedestrians, cars and a red tour bus seen framed by a large tree on a sunny day.
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    RAUL RODRIGUEZ via Getty Images
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    Complete streets policy scores show gains

    With Biden administration support, small and large cities developed better policies for safer street designs, the latest report found, but future support is uncertain.

  • A Serve Robotics Robot in front of Atlanta's skyline.
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    Courtesy of Serve Robotics
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    Uber Eats, Serve Robotics roll into Atlanta

    The robotics firm will offer delivery to about 50,000 Atlanta residents as it continues expanding its partnership with Uber Eats.

  • A person wearing a uniform with Boulder Police Department seal on left arm speaks into microphones in front of screen with a seal that says "Boulder Police."
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    Chet Strange via Getty Images
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    FBI director calls for local law enforcement vigilance in ‘heightened threat environment’

    “There is no better ground-level intelligence than cops,” Kash Patel said, as the Israel-Iran conflict and recent incidents raise concerns about attacks in the U.S.

  • A line of cars parked in front of a sidewalk and houses.
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    bgwalker via Getty Images
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    Smart loading zones help cities take back the curb

    Successfully managing curb space with IoT-enabled loading zones hinges on enforcement, communication and coordination with all stakeholders.

  • An empty office in a downtown in the process of a conversion.
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    JuliaMag via Getty Images
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    Office conversions accelerate, but many older buildings face demolition: reports

    Residential conversions are helping address housing shortages in some communities, but high costs and incompatible structural designs remain challenges.

  • A person wearing a black hat, a black face mask, a vest that says ERO and a gun in a hip holster looks through an open doorway.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Why some cities are bucking state sanctuary laws

    “Non-sanctuary” resolutions signal growing tension between local control, state policy and federal immigration enforcement. Are these meaningful assertions of self-rule, political theater — or both?

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    Chris Hondros/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Summer power bills are going up, federal government warns

    Consumers will see a “slight increase” in power bills this summer, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Monday. But that analysis is based on expectations for cooler weather.

  • Silhouette of a man riding a bike under the Brooklyn Bridge.
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    Eduardo Munoz Alvarez via Getty Images
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    US cities got better for biking: 2025 report

    The nation’s cities continue to build bike-friendly infrastructure, but changes in federal policy may threaten funding for these projects.