Equity: Page 2
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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 -
Stephen Chernin/Getty Images via Getty Images
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 -
Brian Snyder/Reuters
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 -
Win McNamee via Getty Images
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 -
freemixer via Getty Images
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 -
Svitlana Unuchko via Getty Images
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 -
Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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 -
Mario Tama via Getty Images
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 -
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
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 -
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
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 -
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EPA unveils environmental justice ‘clearinghouse’ with hundreds of resources
The online library is an "excellent start" for municipal leaders looking to center environmental justice in their work, the National League of Cities’ sustainability director said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • May 2, 2024 -
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NYC fare-free bus experiment to end
Although funding to continue the program was not included in the recently passed state budget, two lawmakers are looking to expand the program with new legislation.
By Dan Zukowski • Updated April 30, 2024 -
Caroline Colvin/Smart Cities Dive
Labor Department will raise overtime salary threshold to $44K in July, $59K next year
The final rule expands overtime pay eligibility to millions of U.S. workers, the department said.
By Ryan Golden • April 25, 2024 -
Caroline Colvin/Smart Cities Dive
DOL’s ‘unprecedented,’ two-pronged overtime rule adds new HR wrinkles
Employers must decide whether to incrementally comply with the rule’s salary threshold updates or move straight to compliance with the higher 2025 threshold, attorneys said.
By Ryan Golden • April 25, 2024 -
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To increase job access, try dedicated bus lanes, this study says
Urban Institute researchers found that well-enforced bus lanes could reduce costs for transit agencies and help provide equitable access to employment opportunities.
By Dan Zukowski • April 25, 2024 -
wip-studiolublin via Getty Images
A first-in-the-nation home repair program sees overwhelming demand
A "gaping need" exists nationwide for programs that improve housing quality, said a senior research analyst at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
By Kalena Thomhave • April 25, 2024 -
xphotoz via Getty Images
EPA awards $7B to 60 low-income solar access programs
The funds will support community solar programs as well as initiatives to provide loans and grants to low-income households looking to install rooftop solar, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
By Emma Penrod • April 24, 2024 -
Courtesy of Kenworth
California’s clean-truck rules: a fleet owner’s view
Although the state’s rules face legal pushback from trucking interests and 19 states, one pioneering fleet owner found surprising benefits as he began buying heavy-duty electric trucks.
By Dan Zukowski • April 23, 2024 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Transit riders with disabilities in the San Francisco Bay Area to see accessibility improvements
The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District settled a lawsuit brought by disability rights advocates and agreed to repair, renovate and clean station elevators and escalators.
By Dan Zukowski • April 22, 2024 -
Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images via Getty Images
Air quality data is now widely available, but what should communities do with it?
With air quality sensors now costing as little as $100, some communities are hoping for more federal guidance on how to use them to support decision-making and regulation.
By Ysabelle Kempe • April 19, 2024 -
Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
You’ve heard of the Peace Corps? Meet the Economic Recovery Corps.
The first 65 fellows are bringing planning, development, entrepreneurship, public administration and other relevant experience to projects in U.S. host communities.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • April 17, 2024 -
Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
5 ways cities can accelerate EV charger deployments equitably
Seek community input, learn from other cities, reduce regulatory barriers and other ideas from participants in the DOE’s Clean Energy to Communities Program.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • April 12, 2024 -
Drew Angerer via Getty Images
Biden has proposed ‘the boldest housing plan in a generation,’ his economic advisor says
The plan would expand tax credits for affordable housing developers, a proven way to boost supply, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard said.
By Kalena Thomhave • April 10, 2024 -
Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
These 8 nonprofits got $20B from the Biden administration for local clean energy financing. Now what?
The “green bank” funds must be obligated by September 2024 amid efforts by Republican lawmakers to repeal the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
By Ysabelle Kempe • April 5, 2024
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