Equity
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EPA releases $325M in environmental justice grants
It’s not too late for other local governments to apply to the federal Community Change grants program, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accepting submissions into November.
By Ysabelle Kempe • July 26, 2024 -
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How cities are using Biden’s $4.3B climate pollution reduction grants
The grants “put local governments in the driver’s seat to develop climate solutions,” a federal official said. Cities and counties plan to use the money for electrification, bike-sharing, solar power and more.
By Ysabelle Kempe • July 23, 2024 -
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TrendlineTop 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 in 2024.
By Smart Cities Dive staff -
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$607M in US DOT grants available for reconnecting communities
This will be the final round of grants under the Biden administration's pilot program to restore neighborhoods split by highways and other transportation infrastructure.
By Dan Zukowski • July 17, 2024 -
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NYC delivery worker earnings up 22%
The city says workers’ earnings shot up after it began enforcing its new $17.96 per hour app-based delivery wage. DoorDash, however, called the city’s report “misleading and blatantly biased.”
By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 16, 2024 -
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OpinionThe 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.
By Jasmine Rangel • July 9, 2024 -
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Boston was the first major city to pair fair housing with zoning. How’s it going?
Community input was key to the policy’s passage but should be a larger part of the review process it created, advocates say.
By Kalena Thomhave • July 8, 2024 -
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Sponsored by What’s PossibleFrontline communities can’t wait: A blueprint for building sustainable neighborhoods now
We cannot allow climate change to continue to overburden under-resourced communities. Discover how cross-sector partnerships and equitable investment can advance a more resilient, prosperous and sustainable future for everyone.
By Shaun Donovan, Enterprise Community Partners and Michael T. Pugh, LISC • July 8, 2024 -
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US Supreme Court rules Oregon city’s homelessness laws not ‘cruel and unusual’
The decision elicited swift reactions from stakeholders across the country, including officials in the city where the case began: Grants Pass, Oregon.
By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated June 28, 2024 -
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What US mayors want from the next president, Congress
The creation of a first-ever city mental health block grant, affordable housing investments and gun safety legislation are among the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ requests.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 27, 2024 -
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ColumnNew York nonprofit develops hundreds of trade careers annually
The Andromeda Community Initiative helps train, place and develop careers for underrepresented groups, especially communities of color, in New York City.
By Zachary Phillips • June 21, 2024 -
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Electrifying neighborhoods could save California billions on gas line replacements
Utilities could save around $20 billion in gas pipeline replacement costs by 2045 while only affecting about 3% of current gas customers, says a new analysis prepared for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 20, 2024 -
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Chicago creates Black reparations task force with $500K budget
Chicago joins a growing list of U.S. cities studying reparations programs, although few have come to fruition thus far. Meanwhile, some conservative groups and lawmakers are pushing back on such efforts.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 18, 2024 -
Lathan Goumas | Virginia Sea Grant. (2023). "VASG Commonwealth Fellow Clay Ferguson" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Virginia Sea Grant.
9 climate resilience job training programs to launch with $60M from NOAA
They will train workers for jobs in conservation, renewable energy, urban agriculture, green infrastructure, emergency preparedness and more, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 12, 2024 -
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Chicago tackles digital divide with $8M parks initiative
Sixty parks will be outfitted with new infrastructure, city officials announced. The effort comes on the heels of the termination of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 11, 2024 -
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Deep DiveThe 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.
By Zachary Phillips • June 7, 2024 -
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Finding public bathrooms in New York City just got easier
The city this week unveiled a Google Maps layer showing the locations of its public restrooms.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 7, 2024 -
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Deep DiveHeat 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.
By Zachary Phillips • May 28, 2024 -
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Brownfield clean-up job training programs can get $14M from EPA
The federal agency also awarded over $300 million in grants to clean up polluted sites so communities can repurpose them into assets such as affordable housing and green space.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 28, 2024 -
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Q&AThis universal basic employment pilot aims to reduce poverty
The CEO of the group spearheading the effort envisions running similar programs nationwide and, eventually, at the federal level.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 21, 2024 -
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How wide are funding gaps in some large metro school districts?
The per-student funding disparity between wealthy and less wealthy districts in one community was more than $11,000. To reduce or eliminate funding inequities, a new study recommends ambitious policy changes.
By Kara Arundel • May 21, 2024 -
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Heat resilience research centers unveiled by Biden administration
Most governments have historically lacked “a comprehensive or coordinated set of strategies to deal with heat and its impacts,” a center lead said. Applications for communities to get involved will open later this year.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 21, 2024 -
Retrieved from City of San Antonio on YouTube on May 20, 2024
How cool pavement, heat risk data are helping a Texas city prep for summer
With heat-related illness on the rise in San Antonio, “it’s critical that we direct resources to those most in need of relief,” said the city’s chief sustainability officer.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 20, 2024 -
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OSHA heat standard clears regulatory hurdle
A committee has unanimously recommended that the agency advance a rule to protect construction workers from high temperatures.
By Zachary Phillips • May 14, 2024 -
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FEMA alters how it calculates costs, benefits of disaster resilience projects
The changes will address longstanding barriers that underserved communities have faced in accessing grants, the agency says.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 14, 2024 -
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How tracking homelessness in real time ‘by name’ can guide local action
Federally mandated annual “point-in-time” counts paint a picture of homelessness in broad strokes. But some communities are collecting information to understand what happens in between.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 3, 2024
