Land-use reform efforts could bring 135K new homes to downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood

To address its acute housing shortage, the city is allowing greater housing density, relaxing parking requirements and creating affordable housing incentives and mandates in updates to decades-old community plans.

By Kalena Thomhave • June 12, 2023

Houston, DOJ reach settlement over alleged environmental justice violations in illegal dumping case

Houston agreed to a $17.8 million cleanup plan with the Department of Justice. Some residents applauded the development, but others worry it won’t lead to long-term changes.

By Megan Quinn • June 9, 2023

Dallas in the homestretch of ransomware attack recovery

Security operations and tools are also getting a refresh as city officials rebuild impacted systems and make upgrades across multiple departments.

By Matt Kapko • June 8, 2023

Affordable housing bill vetoed by Colorado governor, sparking backlash from legislators

The bill’s co-sponsors clapped back, claiming in a statement that Gov. Jared Polis had kowtowed to special interests at the last minute.

By Michael Brady • June 8, 2023

California autonomous vehicle bill advances as legislators worry about heavy-duty truck safety

If the proposed law passes, a human operator could need to be onboard heavy-duty, autonomous trucks in the Golden State until at least Jan. 1, 2029.

By David Taube • June 7, 2023

Intercity passenger rail expansion sought by 90-plus cities and states, Amtrak CEO tells House committee

Some lawmakers made the case for why Amtrak should add service to their regions, while others questioned the railroad’s commitment to passenger safety and security and its need for ongoing federal funding.

By Dan Zukowski • June 7, 2023

Lawmakers urge HUD to prohibit biometric recognition tech in federally-funded housing

Racial bias, harassment for minor rule violations were among their concerns, the lawmakers said in their letter to Housing and Urban Development.

By Mary Salmonsen • June 5, 2023

State-owned roads blamed for traffic fatality uptick in Austin, Texas, in new report

“Fatal crashes occurring on State-owned roadways increased substantially while those occurring on City-owned streets remained relatively flat,” the city says in a new report.

By Michael Brady • June 5, 2023

Debt ceiling deal leaves DOT mostly unscathed, but transportation, housing funds may still be at risk

“We're still assessing the best ways to accommodate the caps and restraints that are part of this deal,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

By Dan Zukowski • June 2, 2023

DOT’s Reconnecting Communities highway removal program lacks performance measures: GAO report

The Government Accountability Office report comes as El Paso, Texas; New York City and Philadelphia are looking into decking over major highways that split communities. 

By Dan Zukowski • May 31, 2023

Without chief heat officers, how can smaller cities respond to extreme heat?

“Not every community can afford to have a full-time chief heat officer, so what is the structure that works for smaller and medium-sized communities?” a University of Arizona researcher asked.

By Ysabelle Kempe • May 31, 2023

Ransomware group messes with Texas

A trio of ransomware attacks targeting the Dallas metro area have the hallmarks of a targeted campaign. They also underscore a very real problem: society is becoming desensitized to disruption.

By Matt Kapko • May 30, 2023

How AI can advance, harm transportation equity

“Responsible AI” is critical because “AI has the potential to either exacerbate or alleviate existing biases and discrimination in transportation,” one researcher said during a Transportation Research Board webinar.

By Kalena Thomhave • May 29, 2023

Shared micromobility companies recommended model regulations. Here’s what they didn’t mention.

Bird, Lime, Spin and Superpedestrian’s recommendations largely leave out safety, infrastructure and community engagement concerns, researchers and micromobility consultants said.

By Michael Brady • May 26, 2023

Government workers see benefits of in-person work, but they don’t want mandates: survey

Government employees said they were concerned about how more in-person work will affect their work/life balance, commute time, costs and stress.

By Laurel Kalser • May 25, 2023

With $200M for electric vehicles, Minnesota aims to boost ownership, charging infrastructure

To increase EV adoption in the state, the new state budget provides consumer rebates, auto dealer grants and more funds for the statewide EV charging network.

By Dan Zukowski • May 25, 2023

Why cities are investing in government-run gig work platforms

Long Beach, California, was the first U.S. city to launch its own gig-work platform. Now others are considering following suit.

By Gaby Galvin • May 24, 2023

NYC region faces significant health inequities: report

All decisions made in the region, from building more housing to expanding highways, affect public health outcomes, one of the report's authors said.

By Ysabelle Kempe • May 24, 2023

Collecting data to support energy-burdened communities poses unique challenges, experts say

Census data isn’t collected often enough to reflect neighborhood demographic shifts, and asking communities to self-report can present additional burdens, panelists said at a clean energy summit.

By Diana DiGangi • May 24, 2023

Can Boston improve pedestrian safety with redesigned streets, intersections? It’s about to find out.

City leaders hope a new initiative will reduce speeding and crashes by installing more speed humps, redesigning intersections and making traffic signals more pedestrian-friendly.

By Michael Brady • May 24, 2023

The ‘infrastructure decade’ is here, but challenges loom for local governments at the helm

“Money is flowing, grant applications are live, private capital is ready to move. But there are real constraints to achieving public goals,” Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Adie Tomer said at an event last week.

By Ysabelle Kempe • May 23, 2023

Salary ranges are growing in tech hub job postings, Indeed finds

California and Washington were home to seven of the top 10 areas with the largest one-year salary range increases, the employment website found. Both states have large technology talent hubs, including San Francisco and Seattle.

By Roberto Torres • May 23, 2023

Dallas under pressure as Royal ransomware group threatens leak

By listing Dallas on its leak site on the dark web, Royal rebutted the city’s claims that data was not compromised during the attack.

By Matt Kapko • May 22, 2023

In San Jose, city climate plans must have ‘the cool factor’

After winning a national climate leadership award, the city’s chief sustainability officer discussed how libraries can win over electric stove skeptics and how house parties might boost community engagement.

By Ysabelle Kempe • May 22, 2023

Feds to give ‘first-of-its-kind’ homelessness support to California and 5 cities

The “ALL INside” initiative will work closely for up to two years with selected communities, including Dallas and Chicago, offering each the assistance of a dedicated federal official.

By Ysabelle Kempe • May 19, 2023