Climate & Resilience


  • Two people in a rowboat in floodwaters with submerged houses behind them.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Hurricane Katrina’s legacy is a warning for today’s city leaders

    Twenty years after New Orleans flooded, federal funding cuts mean local governments must strengthen hazard planning, engage communities and prioritize vulnerable residents to prevent another avoidable disaster, climate advocates say.

    By Aug. 22, 2025
  • Man in heavy jacket with helmet rides an electric bike toward the camera on a green bike path.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion

    California’s clean mobility push is leaving low-income residents behind

    E-bikes and e-scooters are among the cleanest and least expensive transportation modes. California can make equitable green mobility a reality.

    By Marta Anadón Rosinach • Aug. 21, 2025
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline
    Image attribution tooltip
    jamesteohart via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • A child sitting next to a backpack in front of a brick wall drinks from a plastic water bottle.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Silvia Moraleja via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Should schools be the centerpiece of heat resilience action?

    As federal support to protect people from extreme heat shrinks, advocates say local governments must set a model for climate-smart leadership with enforceable standards and resources to protect children.

    By Aug. 19, 2025
  • Machine with hoses and wires, several water containers and a heat pump
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by AirJoule Technologies
    Image attribution tooltip

    Texas city pioneers tech that uses waste heat to generate drinking water

    AirJoule’s first U.S. field deployment will tap into a geothermal well to turn air into distilled water for the municipal supply.

    By Aug. 13, 2025
  • President Donald Trump
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What NEPA rollbacks mean for local projects

    The Trump administration’s elimination of environmental regulations based on the 1970 law could mean faster permitting but reduce cities’ recourse for weighing in on federally funded projects in their communities, experts say.

    By Aug. 11, 2025
  • A parking lot full of cars and buildings line a sandy beach and blue water.
    Image attribution tooltip
    DutcherAerials via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    California cities, Nevada State University join forces on climate resilience

    Seven public agencies are partnering with Urban Land Institute to develop strategies for extreme heat, disaster preparedness and resilient housing.

    By Lori Tobias • Aug. 11, 2025
  • A person with a plastic bag over their head on the stairs of a subway station entrance
    Image attribution tooltip
    Adam Gray via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    AI could cut disaster infrastructure losses by 15%, new research finds

    Artificial intelligence applications like predictive maintenance and digital twins can help keep the power on and the roads open during natural disasters — and save $70 billion in infrastructure losses by 2050, according to a Deloitte Global report.

    By Aug. 6, 2025
  • Rendering of river splitting off in two directions with greenery and beaches along its banks and buildings in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Wenk Associates
    Image attribution tooltip

    Denver development recruits its river for urban flood control

    The River Mile project is treating the South Platte River as natural infrastructure, delivering flood protection, recreation and economic opportunity on land once considered undevelopable.

    By Aug. 4, 2025
  • An electric utility truck drives down a street after a wildfire.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Michael Ciaglo via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Xcel Energy ‘prepared to go to trial’ to fight Colorado fire liability

    The company contends that it did not start the late 2021 Colorado blaze, which caused an estimated $2 billion in damages.

    By Emma Penrod • Aug. 4, 2025
  • Smoke pours from smokestacks by a river.
    Image attribution tooltip
    BackyardProduction via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    EPA’s move to gut key climate regulation raises stakes for city leaders

    A repeal of the endangerment finding would make local climate policy a new battleground in continuing tensions between the Trump administration and cities, a legal scholar suggests.

    By July 30, 2025
  • Close-up of scaffolding on an old stone building
    Image attribution tooltip
    varbenov via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Municipal codes, financial incentives are driving the retrofitting boom, new research finds

    Nearly half of building executives surveyed believe retrofits meet urban space needs better than new construction, but many cities lack the policy muscle to make them scalable.

    By July 29, 2025
  • A methane detection satellite named Tanager-1
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Planet
    Image attribution tooltip

    Colorado regulators press forward with landfill rule despite industry pushback

    The proposal, which would be among the strictest in the nation, could be approved as soon as August.

    By Jacob Wallace • July 24, 2025
  • Illustration of a blue and white locomotive pulling a passenger train with city buildings in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Permission granted by Siemens Mobility
    Image attribution tooltip

    NY transit authority orders nation’s first battery-electric passenger locomotive

    Siemens Mobility will supply locomotives that can run on batteries or overhead wire, up to 125 mph and with a range of up to 100 miles on battery power alone.

    By Updated Aug. 1, 2025
  • Several scooters parked on a sidewalk, man riding e-bike in a bike lane amid city streets.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion

    California’s clean mobility push is leaving low-income residents behind

    Rebates for electric bikes in California have been successful but can leave out people who most need an alternative to private vehicles and public transit.

    By Marta Anadón Rosinach • July 22, 2025
  • A person holding a small dog walks in a flooded street.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    3 keys to building climate resilience from the ground up

    Cross-department alignment, community engagement and data are essential for preparing communities to weather climate crises, experts say.

    By July 22, 2025
  • A person wearing a yellow vest holds a white helmet and wipes their brow.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Mindful Media via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Bill seeks to fill federal void on heat protection for public workers

    Proposed legislation backed by AFSCME and other major unions could raise the bar for how cities protect municipal workers from rising temperatures.

    By July 21, 2025
  • Construction worker pushes water cart to worksite during heat wave
    Image attribution tooltip
    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    How to protect employees from heat and other climate extremes

    Clear protocols for identifying heat illness, safety training, paid breaks and access to water and shade are among the steps cities can take to protect workers as temperatures rise.

    By Ryan Golden • July 21, 2025
  • A person with an umbrella and a person wearing a stars-and-stripes shirt stand on rocks looking at muddy river water
    Image attribution tooltip
    Eric Vryn via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Local officials hold the key to life-saving flood and weather warnings

    Accurate weather warnings are useless if they don’t reach residents in time. Take these steps to avoid mistakes that may have contributed to the tragedy in Texas.

    By Updated July 17, 2025
  • A red "For Sale" sign on a white post and a smaller sign about private fire debris removal in front of a bulldozed lot with burned trees in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    $10B lawsuit targets LA over ‘epic failures’ in Palisades Fire

    Class action and amended complaints accuse city and state agencies of negligence, mismanagement and cover-up in the January fire.

    By July 16, 2025
  • A sign that says “FEMA-STATE Disaster Recovery Center” in the grass in front of a parked pickup truck.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Allison Joyce via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Most states couldn’t afford disaster recovery without FEMA: report

    Cities may need to establish their own recovery and resilience funds because only a handful of states are prepared to absorb proposed FEMA cuts, the Urban Institute found.  

    By July 15, 2025
  • Sacramento, California, outside the capitol building
    Image attribution tooltip
    DustyPixel/iStock via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    California issues key updates on climate-risk disclosure laws

    The state’s laws on emissions and financial risk reporting signal a shift in regulatory expectations that could serve as a blueprint for other states weighing similar legislation.

    By Zoya Mirza • July 15, 2025
  • A person kneels at a large wooden cross as two people look at a fence covered with flowers and photos.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 steps cities can take to prevent a flood tragedy like Kerr County’s

    Cities and counties can strengthen their defenses — even on tight budgets —  with smarter maps, stronger codes and regional coordination, a flood expert says.

    By Updated July 16, 2025
  • Metal sign that says United States Environmental Protection Agency on stone building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Greggory DiSalvo via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Cities sue Trump administration over termination of climate justice grants

    Local governments say the EPA’s blanket cancellation of equity-related funding jeopardizes climate resilience efforts, air quality monitoring, flood mitigation and tree planting.

    By July 11, 2025
  • Podcast cover image for "Cities in Motion," presented by TomTalks and Smart Cities Dive, featuring an aerial view of a busy urban highway network.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Danielle Ternes/Smart Cities Dive
    Image attribution tooltip
    Sponsored by TomTom

    [Podcast] Key trends in urban mobility transformation

    In this podcast series, explore trending topics related to the larger theme of urban mobility transformation challenges and opportunities.

    By Smart Cities Dive's studioID • Updated July 10, 2025
  • A pure white building looms in the foreground around green foliage and a bright blue sky.
    Image attribution tooltip
    FrozenShutter via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    California walks back environmental law for housing, high-speed rail

    The changes to the California Environmental Quality Act could greatly speed up the issuance of building permits.

    By Matthew Thibault • July 8, 2025