Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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halbergman via Getty Images
A Michigan city’s ‘sustainable energy utility’ got the green light from voters. What now?
By creating a supplemental utility that will focus on scaling up rooftop solar, battery storage and microgrids, Ann Arbor, Michigan, is taking its clean energy future into its own hands.
Ysabelle Kempe • Dec. 10, 2024 -
Yomiuri Shimbun/AP
Money, politics are the biggest barriers to US high-speed rail
Costs for these projects are only getting higher, but political support seems to be growing in both major parties.
Dan Zukowski and Shaun Lucas • Nov. 1, 2024 -
Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
High-speed rail projects progress in California, Texas and other states
Both red and blue states are backing bullet trains while Amtrak has taken the lead on a proposed Dallas-Houston project.
Dan Zukowski and Shaun Lucas • Oct. 31, 2024 -
Kyodo/AP
Is US high-speed rail finally on a roll?
With two projects underway, business, labor and government leaders see the dawn of a new industry that “could be a very important part of the U.S. economy,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Dan Zukowski and Shaun Lucas • Oct. 30, 2024 -
Johan_Spinnell via Getty Images
An air conditioning law, the first in its region, changed tenants’ rights in this Maryland county
Montgomery County began requiring landlords to provide AC in 2020 amid climate concerns and renter complaints. Despite a shaky start, officials say things are going smoothly now.
Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 22, 2024 -
Kent J. Edwards/Reuters
Should tenants have a right to cooling? More cities say yes amid record heat.
As rental cooling standards pop up around the country, experts warn that they aren’t a perfect solution to the rising danger of scorching temperatures.
Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 20, 2024 -
David Taube/Smart Cities Dive
‘A totally different world’: Autonomous trucks prepare to go driverless in Texas
Heavy-duty, driverless AVs could hit the state’s roads this year. The companies operating the vehicles say safety is a priority, but some critics are still concerned.
David Taube • June 17, 2024 -
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
The heat is on. Contractors say they’re ready.
Commercial construction firms aren’t waiting on OSHA’s much-anticipated heat standard to protect their workers.
Zachary Phillips • June 7, 2024 -
Brian Snyder/Reuters
Heat safety laws for workers in Texas, Florida, Phoenix to be put to the test
As summer begins, some states prevent cities from mandating water breaks. Still, there are commonsense practices to protect workers from soaring temperatures, safety officials say.
Zachary Phillips • May 28, 2024 -
Retrieved from Adam Coppola.
Cars are king of the commute. But employers may have a once-in-a-generation chance to change that.
A perhaps overlooked element of the return-to-office conversation: How employees get to work in the first place.
Ryan Golden, Shaun Lucas and Julia Himmel • March 27, 2024 -
Karl Weatherly via Getty Images
Congressional action on energy permitting remains stuck, but states, developers are finding solutions
States are resolving local objections to projects through community engagement while transmission developers are making innovative use of existing rights-of-way to bypass permitting logjams.
Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 29, 2024 -
Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa/AP
Advocates hope federal funding will help stem the tide of pedestrian deaths
Complete Streets, Vision Zero and the safe system approach all aim to improve pedestrian safety. The federal government is finally putting big dollars behind the effort, too.
Dan Zukowski, Julia Himmel and Shaun Lucas • Nov. 3, 2023 -
A.E. Araiza/Arizona Daily Star/AP
Can Sun Belt cities go from danger zones to pedestrian-friendly?
Tucson, Jacksonville, Los Angeles and other fast-growing, car-centric cities are focusing on street design and other strategies to slow drivers.
Dan Zukowski, Julia Himmel and Shaun Lucas • Nov. 2, 2023 -
Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
US drivers kill 20 pedestrians a day. Here’s what cities are doing about it.
Targeted interventions aim to reduce the higher pedestrian death rates in communities of color and low-income communities and make cities more walkable for all.
Dan Zukowski, Julia Himmel and Shaun Lucas • Nov. 1, 2023 -
Leon Neal via Getty Images
Heat pumps are hot, but commercial retrofits face cold realities
Government decarbonization strategies call for widespread deployment of heat pumps for building heating and cooling, but experts warn of retrofit costs, disruption and other concerns.
Nish Amarnath • Oct. 23, 2023 -
(2018). "Baltimore Food Waste & Recovery Strategy" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Baltimore Office of Sustainability.
With a $4M EPA grant, Baltimore looks to chart a fresh course on composting
The city's organics infrastructure is getting a jolt from the new funding. Composting advocates hope broader changes laid out in the city’s draft waste plan will follow.
Jacob Wallace • Oct. 3, 2023 -
(2016). Retrieved from Baltimore Department of Public Works.
Baltimore faces expensive road ahead for waste infrastructure
Despite pressure from advocacy groups, the city's 10-year waste plan anticipates landfill and incineration will continue to serve a key role as the city works to increase recycling.
Jacob Wallace • Sept. 19, 2023 -
Drew Angerer via Getty Images
Accelerating EV adoption: Utilities partner with GM, BMW, Lyft and more in the auto sector
Automakers and utilities “are now partners until the end of time, whether they like it or not,” said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America.
Robert Walton • Sept. 7, 2023 -
Permission granted by MTRWestern
Amtrak begins its first electric bus service to complement train schedules
While intercity passenger rail and bus lines often compete, they also collaborate, and some see partnerships as a predecessor to Amtrak expansion.
Dan Zukowski • Aug. 16, 2023 -
Fang Xia Nuo via Getty Images
Commercial-to-residential conversions could accelerate under HUD initiative
Building industry experts say the Housing and Urban Development Department grant will give much-needed guidance on projects stalled by zoning hurdles and outdated permitting processes.
Nish Amarnath • Aug. 4, 2023 -
Carlos Osorio/AP
Delivery robot expansion hampered by ‘regulatory nightmare’
While no states outright ban delivery bots, tech developers have decided to take a cautious approach to expansion rather than flood the market with robots and risk backlash.
Max Garland • April 28, 2023 -
Courtesy of FedEx
FedEx and Amazon still haven’t figured out sidewalk delivery robots. Will mass adoption ever come?
Delivery giants' tests of autonomous bots fizzled out. But many logistics experts still believe that the technology can catch on, creating potential challenges for cities.
Max Garland • April 13, 2023 -
Courtesy of Walmart press kit DroneUp announcement
Drone companies gearing up to meet lofty delivery goals
Zipline and Alphabet's Wing aim to scale up and reach more customers, which could soon lead to millions of deliveries each year, according to the companies.
Max Garland • March 31, 2023 -
Permission granted by City of Austin Watershed Protection Department
‘Nature-based solutions’ like trees and rain gardens can be cost-effective climate adaptations, advocates say
Momentum for land- and water-based infrastructure strategies has been increasing. The Biden administration’s road map and resource guide could speed adoption, advocates said.
Kalena Thomhave • March 28, 2023 -
Catherine Douglas Moran/Smart Cities Dive
Whole Foods’ controversial exit from a Chicago neighborhood, explained
The chain’s experience in the Englewood community highlights the opportunities and pitfalls grocers can face in areas with limited access to affordable and healthy foods.
Catherine Douglas Moran • Feb. 3, 2023
