150 years after the Great Chicago Fire, mass timber buildings are making a comeback

Now equipped with fire-resistant technologies, a planned Chicago high-rise is among the latest building projects in the U.S. utilizing the carbon-sequestering building material.

By Stephenie Overman • Sept. 16, 2022

Advanced mobility, mass timber projects chosen in $1B federal regional challenge

The American Rescue Plan’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge will support joint efforts to use mass timber to accelerate affordable housing, spur American manufacturing for advanced mobility, and much more.

By Maria Rachal • Sept. 9, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from Smart Cities Dive

From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them.

By Smart Cities Dive staff

How 3 cities are using public art for neighborhood revitalization

Community engagement, economic development and beautification are just some of the benefits of investing in local artists and public art, city and nonprofit leaders say.

By Karen Kroll • Sept. 6, 2022

Arup, startup are building smart city modeling tools to maximize energy efficiency

With Matidor, the partners seek to help civil engineers see the environmental impact and energy efficiency of what they’re developing in real time.

By Maria Rachal • Sept. 2, 2022

Denver wants to return its downtown to pre-pandemic vibrancy

The Mile High City is using federal COVID-19 recovery funds to aid its efforts in transforming the busy business district into a neighborhood. 

By Danielle McLean • Sept. 1, 2022

NYC’s most critical infrastructure now and for the next 100 years

The New York Building Congress outlined which rail, road, bridge and other projects will grow the city's economy and help it adapt to climate change.

By Sebastian Obando • Aug. 24, 2022

Growing building sector carbon emissions threaten 2050 net-zero goal, report warns

U.S. economywide greenhouse gas emissions fell 12% from 2005 to 2019, but direct emissions from the building sector were higher, according to an Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report this week.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 24, 2022

Miami-Dade issues RFP for $10B downtown redevelopment

County leaders liken the vision for the MetroCenter project to Hudson Yards in New York City and the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco.

By Sebastian Obando • Aug. 22, 2022

To help small cities compete for infrastructure grants, NLC offers a new round of ‘boot camps’

Free technical assistance through the Local Infrastructure Hub aims to help leaders leverage data in grant requests and convey how grants would address federal priorities. Participants will also get one-on-one help, organizers say.

By Charles Pekow • Updated May 31, 2023

How cities can prepare for the Inflation Reduction Act’s climate opportunities

With billions of dollars for energy efficiency upgrades, urban park enhancements and more signed into law this week, experts share tips on how cities can start preparing for funding opportunities now.

By Maria Rachal • Aug. 19, 2022

Boston aims to eliminate fossil fuels in new buildings

The city’s chance to set new building standards comes from the climate bill the Massachusetts governor signed last week, which extends that opportunity to 10 municipalities in the state. 

By Maria Rachal • Aug. 17, 2022

Support for housing efficiency upgrades, urban parks, drought resilience poised to become law

With the House sending the Inflation Reduction Act to the president’s desk, some climate leaders say the onus will shift to local governments to execute on key initiatives.

By Maria Rachal • Aug. 15, 2022

New York public housing is poised for electric heating and cooling upgrades from a California startup

Vince Romanin, the CEO of Gradient, discusses the market for heat pumps and a New York City Housing Authority contract to rethink HVAC for residents vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

By Maria Rachal • Aug. 10, 2022

Building performance standards momentum slowly grows in the wake of White House efforts

A Maryland county’s policy represents one of the only major updates so far, but more localities have said they’ll pursue standards. Funds in the Inflation Reduction Act could provide new incentives to decarbonize buildings.

By Maria Rachal • Aug. 8, 2022

Yardi: Office-to-multifamily conversions pose cost, logistical challenges

Despite predictions earlier in the pandemic, these conversions have proven to be a “slow, niche trend” that largely delivers high-end housing.

By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 8, 2022

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.

By Andy Cohen • Aug. 5, 2022

To meet demand, US needs 4.3M more apartments by 2035

The nation lost 4.7 million affordable units between 2015 and 2020, and now faces a 600,000-unit deficit, according to a new study.

By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 4, 2022

For his new smart desert city, billionaire Marc Lore eyes Nevada, Utah and Arizona

During a town hall in New York City, the Diapers.com founder and his team envisioned Telosa having dozens of “15-minute cities” and a resident-controlled endowment to help pay for government services.

By Adina Solomon • July 29, 2022

The top 10 US metro areas for construction starts

The value of the commercial and multifamily sectors rose in top metro areas in the first half of 2022, per a new report.

By Julie Strupp • July 28, 2022

Electric heat pumps will be the cheapest clean option to heat most US homes by 2030: ACEEE

To advance the transition to carbon-free heating, a report calls for additional research and development, incentives and grants to support installation, minimum efficiency standards for heating equipment, and other policies.

By Robert Walton • July 28, 2022

To address its climate emergency, Portland, Oregon, lays out a 43-step plan

Creating resilience hubs and replacing petroleum diesel at the pump are among the top actions city officials intend to pursue in the coming years after declaring a climate emergency in 2020. 

By Maria Rachal • July 26, 2022

Massachusetts passes 'landmark' climate bill to decarbonize buildings, transportation

The bill in part requires annual energy usage reports from buildings 20,000 square feet or larger and creates a pilot for 10 municipalities to offer fossil fuel-free home renovations, targeting affordable housing and multifamily housing.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • July 25, 2022

San Francisco ranked the world's most expensive city for construction

The city overtakes Tokyo as inflation and supply chain snarls affect markets across the globe.

By Matthew Thibault • July 8, 2022

Switching to efficient electric heat pumps and appliances could save Oregon $1.1B through 2050, study finds

In Portland, for instance, households that electrify could save $161 a year on energy compared to homes that burn gas. Meanwhile, the city of Eugene is pursuing a local policy to wean developers off natural gas in new construction.

By Kavya Balaraman • July 6, 2022

High-speed reality capture tool holds sustainability, preservation potential for cities

Using quick scanning technology, the latest generation of Leica Geosystems’ BLK360 device can help cities create digital twins that can be used in sustainability initiatives and for maintaining existing infrastructure.

By Melissa Goldin • June 29, 2022