Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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The key to successfully deploying heat pump water heaters? Funding innovation.
Small grants allow local organizations to test new technologies and approaches, a vital step in scaling climate solutions.
Chris Badger • Dec. 17, 2024 -
Gabriel Shakour via Getty Images
Stepping up to achieve local climate progress despite federal headwinds
As a second Trump administration takes office, state and local action will be among the most effective means of continuing the momentum for clean energy deployment and cost reductions.
Darren Springer • Dec. 11, 2024 -
coldsnowstorm via Getty Images
Loosening alcohol laws to revitalize your city’s economy is a mistake
Cities must keep our public spaces alcohol-free to preserve health and safety, warns a policy consultant at the Institute for Public Strategies, a public health organization.
Daniel Skiles • Nov. 22, 2024 -
Retrieved from City of New Braunfels.
Suburban cities focus on infrastructure expansions, upgrades
These smaller-but-growing markets are generating a range of public works construction projects, writes consultant Mary Scott Nabers.
Mary Scott Nabers • Nov. 19, 2024 -
Alex Wong via Getty Images
Communities could lose unspent ARPA funds in December if they don’t do this
Governments generally must “obligate” the funds, which requires more than passing a budget or earmarking them for use.
Tom Kaleko and Lucas Peterson • Oct. 21, 2024 -
Vyacheslav Dumchev/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
Eviction data is lacking. Here’s how local governments can help.
Local leaders need to understand the magnitude of the housing crisis in their area to act on it, a Princeton Eviction Lab representative says.
Camila Vallejo • Oct. 14, 2024 -
Permission granted by Paul Kalbfleisch
Prioritize play to help your city thrive in a post-pandemic world
More joyful public spaces can offer a path forward for cities as housing and work trends weaken their relationships with residents.
Paul Kalbfleisch • Aug. 13, 2024 -
Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Congestion pricing alone won’t solve New York’s traffic problem
Car-free streets, dedicated bus lanes, lower speed limits and variable toll pricing are among other cities' strategies for success, says TomTom's VP for traffic and travel information.
Ralf-Peter Schäfer • Aug. 6, 2024 -
Bill Oxford via Getty Images
The White House just took steps to combat housing discrimination. States and local governments should follow.
As the country’s eviction epidemic grows, lawmakers must take aim at tenant screening practices locking millions out of affordable housing.
Jasmine Rangel • July 9, 2024 -
Wichien Tep via Getty Images
Utilities must come clean about the full value of community solar
Utilities often oppose customer-driven, third-party-owned energy projects like community solar because they threaten to supplant utility investments and utility shareholder profits.
Jeff Cramer and John Farrell • April 3, 2024 -
CharlieTong via Getty Images
Local government climate coalitions are delivering state policy results
Environmental justice legislation in Colorado and energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in Wisconsin are two recent coalition accomplishments.
Lindsay Ex and Erick Shambarger • March 26, 2024 -
Scharfsinn86 via Getty Images
5 tips for building highly utilized curbside EV chargers
Think about EV charger placement and features that provide value to community residents, visitors and business owners, says the president and CEO of EV charging company Volta.
Brandt Hastings • March 22, 2024 -
Permission granted by Electric Era
To spur more EV chargers, regulators must get creative with demand charges
No matter what the incentives for installing an EV charger, very few businesses will enter this marketplace if selling the product leads to thousands of dollars in charges that aren’t made up for with revenue.
Chris Kaiser • Jan. 8, 2024 -
Oliver de la Haye via Getty Images
The US could still get to net-zero
The country could reduce nearly 90% of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 without any Hail Mary innovations.
Michael Jung and Adam Agalloco • Dec. 1, 2023 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
EPA should put landfill methane on COP28 agenda: former Oregon governor
States like Oregon are curbing landfill methane emissions to help achieve climate goals. Kate Brown says the EPA should take greater action on this issue ahead of COP28.
Kate Brown • Nov. 8, 2023 -
gerenme via Getty Images
Big power’s EV charging strategy: Raise rates, overpromise, underdeliver, repeat
We grant publicly regulated utilities certain privileges in exchange for reliability and affordability. When they try to leverage that privilege to corner a new market, they deserve plenty of pushback.
Jay Smith • Nov. 6, 2023 -
Wallentine via Getty Images
‘Yes in God’s Back Yard’ law aims to help battle California’s housing crisis
The recently signed bill allows religious groups and nonprofit colleges to build affordable housing on their land without strict adherence to zoning standards.
Ellia Thompson • Oct. 31, 2023 -
DenisTangneyJr/iStock via Getty Images
Why payments to government agencies should be easier
“Increasingly, government agencies — and the people they serve — need a payments system that is connected across departments and jurisdictions,” writes one payments executive.
Sloane Wright • Oct. 25, 2023 -
Joel Carillet via Getty Images
Colleges can take steps to address the affordable housing crisis
From contributing underutilized land to tapping government support, institutions can help alleviate the problem — and get a return on their investment.
Eric Maribojoc • Oct. 17, 2023 -
Alena Mozhjer via Getty Images
Community solar is hot. Why not community wind?
Perhaps the biggest difference between yesterday’s community wind and today’s community solar markets is in their business models, which reflect their respective market and policy environments.
Mark Bolinger and Bentham Paulos • Sept. 27, 2023 -
Permission granted by Revel
New York City just mandated electric ride-sharing vehicles. Other mayors should take notice.
Ride-sharing vehicles should be the first movers when it comes to cities’ vehicle electrification efforts, argues Revel’s CEO.
Frank Reig • Sept. 6, 2023 -
Permission granted by Eduardo Cornejo
On environmental justice, a new blueprint for action
Chicago violated residents’ civil rights by funneling industrial facilities into communities of color, HUD determined, and the city must make things right.
Gina Ramirez • Aug. 14, 2023 -
gremlin via Getty Images
Together, EVs, AVs and multimodal transportation will create more vibrant cities
Gas stations, subway stations, parking garages and roads are among the city features we can reimagine as new mobility technologies change how we get from point A to point B, writes a leading exec at Gensler.
Andy Cohen • Aug. 5, 2022 -
Mark Wilson via Getty Images
Extreme heat is here. Here's how we create a heat-resilient nation.
Heat is the top weather-related killer in the U.S. In the face of worsening climate change, helping communities manage heat will require cooperation among local, state and federal governments, one researcher writes.
Ladd Keith • July 13, 2022 -
skodonnell via Getty Images
The vast, untapped potential of city procurement
The procurement process — often governed by complex regulations and overworked staff — typically occurs outside public view. That needs to change if it's to help the community meet its environmental and social goals.
Sascha Haselmayer • June 27, 2022
