Equity: Page 6


  • A mural of two people sitting back to back
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    Courtesy of Bloomberg Philanthropies
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    8 cities to install public art projects with Bloomberg Philanthropies grants

    The winners include Houston, which aims to “disrupt perceptions of homelessness,” and Phoenix, which will commission artists to create shading and cooling installations.

    By Oct. 20, 2023
  • Close-up of one hand passing another hand two $100 bills.
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    DjelicS via Getty Images
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    Washington, DC’s ban on cashless businesses, explained

    As contactless, digital and card transactions become more common, the district has joined state and local governments preserving residents' right to pay cash.

    By Paige Gross • Oct. 19, 2023
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    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
  • People bicycle and jog on a paved path lined by trees
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    Stephanie Keith/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    NYC plans greenway expansion amid concern about cycling deaths

    Supporters of the expansion called it “historic," but other street safety decisions have left advocates feeling betrayed by the mayor, reports news organization Gothamist.

    By Oct. 18, 2023
  • University of Virginia
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    Joel Carillet via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    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. 

    By Eric Maribojoc • Oct. 17, 2023
  • Aerial shot of highways crossing and downtown skyline
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    Mario Tama/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Why Los Angeles’ climate plan has ‘outlived its usefulness’: city controller

    The new report says the plan has the same shortcoming as those in many other cities: a lack of meaningful metrics. What should the California city do now? 

    By Oct. 16, 2023
  • A street sign above floodwaters
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    tornadochaser via Getty Images
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    FEMA makes ‘key changes’ to $1.8B climate resilience grant programs

    Amid concerns that some communities struggle to access federal climate resilience funding, the agency moved to lower the administrative and financial burden for certain applicants.

    By Oct. 13, 2023
  • Aerial view of wind turbines taken with a drone in Vermont.
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    Gabriel Shakour via Getty Images
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    Vermont utility wants to give all customers battery storage to prevent outages

    Green Mountain Power aims to shift the state’s grid to a distributed system — a future the utility’s CEO envisions for the entire U.S.

    By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 11, 2023
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    rarrarorro via Getty Images
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    New alliance aims to turn this Rust Belt city into a ‘Green Belt’ hub

    The Chicagoland Climate Investment Alliance wants $1 billion in federal funding for a “Rust Belt to Green Belt Initiative,” indicating the region is ready to move past its nickname from the 1970s.

    By Oct. 10, 2023
  • People in a subway station with water on the floor.
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    MTA lags on NYC subway flooding prevention plan

    A new audit shows severe weather amplified by climate change poses a huge risk to the city’s transit system, which was swamped by a tropical rainstorm last week.

    By Julie Strupp • Oct. 5, 2023
  • Downtown Los Angeles California skyline cityscape skyscrapers
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    dszc via Getty Images
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    Will LA hotels be required to house homeless people alongside their guests?

    The Responsible Hotels Ordinance, if enacted, would require every hotel in Los Angeles to report its vacancies to the municipal government.

    By Noelle Mateer • Oct. 4, 2023
  • A person with a helmet and sunglasses rides a bike in front of blurred out streetscape.
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    JMichl via Getty Images
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    Building a bike-friendly city

    Smart Cities Dive looked at the bike-friendly features of the top large, medium and small cities for bike riders in the U.S., as named by nonprofit People for Bikes.

    By Karen Kroll • Oct. 2, 2023
  • Aerial shot of a flooded road
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    Scott Olson/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    FEMA climate resilience grants unevenly distributed among communities

    Coastal states with more “high-capacity” local governments tend to win more of the competitive BRIC grants, a Headwaters Economics analysis finds.

    By Sept. 27, 2023
  • Lively mural on stone wall depicting waste collection workers on a truck
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    (2016). Retrieved from Baltimore Department of Public Works.
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    Deep Dive

    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.

    By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 19, 2023
  • Aerial shot of trees in front of Chicago skyline
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    Retrieved from USDA Forest Service.
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    Forest Service unveils 385 urban forestry projects to get over $1B in grants

    The Inflation Reduction Act bolstered the program's funding to more than 27 times its 2022 appropriation. Explore which states received the largest investments with our map.

    By Sept. 15, 2023
  • A window air conditioning unit in the window of a blue house.
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Extreme heat disproportionately threatens Black renters, experts say

    Black renters disproportionately experience energy insecurity, which stems from an inability to pay energy bills, and federal policy falls short in addressing it, a Brookings Metro report says.

    By Sept. 13, 2023
  • An adult and child sit next to each other at a table with a laptop on it
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    LightFieldStudios via Getty Images
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    Broadband affordability program enrolls 20M+ US households, most in urban areas

    Some cities are advancing their own plans to bridge the digital divide using American Rescue Plan Act and other funding sources.

    By Iulia Gheorghiu • Sept. 12, 2023
  • A sign on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency building in Washington, D.C.
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    Gromit702/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
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    EPA seeks advisers on ‘critical’ local government issues

    The Environmental Protection Agency will pick up to five officials who represent local, state, tribal or territorial governments to serve one-year terms.

    By Sept. 8, 2023
  • A red and gray Los Angeles Metro bus is driving through an intersection along Broadway in downtown LA.
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    Laser1987 via Getty Images
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    How 2 big US transit agencies approach equity

    Community members, small businesses and the agency's own workforce can provide crucial input to programs and projects, agency executives said.

    By Sept. 8, 2023
  • Aerial shot of destroyed homes
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    Bilanol via Getty Images
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    FEMA selects ‘disaster resilience zones’ to get priority access to federal funds

    The 483 census tracts span D.C. and all 50 states. More communities will be designated as community disaster resilience zones in the coming months.

    By Sept. 7, 2023
  • Aerial shot of street with sun mural and sports courts
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    Permission granted by GAF
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    Cool pavement covers this LA neighborhood. Does it make a difference?

    Project partners released their findings a year into what they described as “one of the most comprehensive studies of an urban cooling intervention.” 

    By Sept. 5, 2023
  • A person with a hat on and towel around neck sits on a porch in front of a fan.
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Heat-related illness: New federal tool reveals highest-risk communities

    Officials can use the online dashboard, updated weekly, to prioritize where to focus on outreach, cooling centers, street trees, parks and cool roofs, according to the Transportation Department.

    By Aug. 31, 2023
  • Electric vehicles at an EV charging station.
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    EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER via Getty Images
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    California clean vehicle rebate program expands statewide

    The state's rebate incentives will help lower-income consumers access electric and fuel-cell vehicles.

    By Aug. 24, 2023
  • Aerial shot of crowd walking connected by colorful lines
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    gremlin via Getty Images
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    4 communities to build anti-racist data ecosystems with $5M from foundations

    Pittsburgh will use the grant to include Black communities “at the point where data is first discussed, before, sometimes, even the point of data collection,” said the city’s chief data officer.

    By Aug. 23, 2023
  • Close-up of double yellow lines on a street covered with floodwater.
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    KSwinicki via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    What managed retreat around the world can teach US cities

    In a future where managed retreat relocations “become more and more popular,” a Stanford University researcher’s work may hold crucial lessons.

    By Aug. 21, 2023
  • A flooded street with people, boats and vehicles.
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    Joe Raedle/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    For emergency preparedness, Houston looks to teens

    The city launched an educational campaign after identifying emergency preparedness as a top youth need in a process that led to it being named the nation’s first UNICEF-designated child-friendly city. 

    By Aug. 18, 2023