On clean energy tax credits, mayors want clearer federal guidance

New incentives could turbocharge local climate action, but resource-limited cities need clarity on how to use them, over 50 mayors said in a letter to the Treasury Department.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 28, 2023

New York City proposes larger cargo bikes for deliveries

Increasing the maximum bicycle width by one foot would help the city's efforts to cull truck traffic and emissions, according to its Transportation Department.

By Max Garland • Aug. 25, 2023

Explore the 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

To get trash bags off curbs, New York pursues multiple options

Containerizing garbage is feasible in many parts of the city, but the shift won’t come easily, according to New York's Department of Sanitation.

By Cole Rosengren • Aug. 24, 2023

California clean vehicle rebate program expands statewide

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

By Dan Zukowski • Aug. 24, 2023

Cincinnati’s first mass timber project breaks ground

The $32-million public radio headquarters will also be the Midwest's first two-story mass timber building.

By Zachary Phillips • Aug. 23, 2023

Colorado mandates new building energy performance standards despite criticism

The ruling unfairly burdens existing buildings, operators and owners say. The state Air Quality Commission touts the rules’ flexibility.

By Joe Burns • Aug. 22, 2023

Tropical Storm Hilary: How California cities prepared and fared

Local officials took pride in their emergency response, but the storm presents “a cautionary tale,” said the director of Columbia Climate School’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. 

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 22, 2023

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 Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 21, 2023

Public EV charger customer satisfaction drops: J.D. Power

"The results of this year's study should be very concerning to all those involved in the transition from gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles," one expert said.

By Michael Brady • Aug. 18, 2023

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 Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 18, 2023

‘It appears to be a total loss’: Wildfires devastate Lahaina’s infrastructure

Last week’s blaze took out power lines, roads and water systems in Maui, Hawai’i, local officials say, but no major construction projects seem to have been affected. 

By Julie Strupp • Aug. 16, 2023

Boston grants aim to lower carbon footprint of affordable housing

Building owners can get up to $10,000 each for comprehensive energy assessments.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 16, 2023

Extreme heat causing ‘preventable’ deaths in US cities, scientists say

Heat wave early warning and response systems “save lives,” but not enough communities have them, said an expert on the health risks of climate change.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 15, 2023

Persistent urban air pollution the focus of ‘unprecedented’ NASA, NOAA research

Two of the most harmful types of air pollution have slowed their decades-long downward trend. The research aims to help state and local officials understand why.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 11, 2023

More GM electric vehicles will be able to charge homes in coming years

The bidirectional charging technology uses a GM vehicle’s battery as a backup power source in the event of a power outage.

By Eric Walz • Aug. 10, 2023

For urban cooling, forests beat street trees, landscaped parks: study

Urban natural areas are “underfunded and unprotected, leaving them imperiled in cities across the country," warns a study of 12 U.S. cities.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 9, 2023

Boston mayor bans fossil fuels in new city-owned buildings

The executive order, which also prohibits fossil fuel use in renovations of existing city-owned structures, is part of a larger push for carbon neutrality by 2050.

By Nish Amarnath • Aug. 8, 2023

Washington building codes lawsuit dropped by gas, building groups

The litigation was an “aftershock” of a federal appeals court decision to overturn Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas in new buildings, an Earthjustice senior attorney said. 

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 8, 2023

Electric bus maker Proterra files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

Citing "market and macroeconomic headwinds," the U.S.-based manufacturer looks to restructure its business.

By Dan Zukowski • Aug. 8, 2023

More composters are accepting food waste, but challenges remain: survey

While the number of composters accepting food waste continues to grow, more than a third have a zero-tolerance policy for contamination. Compostable packaging, meanwhile, is becoming more commonly accepted.

By Jacob Wallace • Aug. 7, 2023

Commercial-to-residential conversions could accelerate under HUD initiative

Building industry experts say the Housing and Urban Development Department grant will give much-needed guidance on projects stalled by zoning hurdles and outdated permitting processes.

By Nish Amarnath • Aug. 4, 2023

Vehicle greenhouse gas emissions measured inconsistently by states, cities: GAO

Although motor vehicles account for the vast majority of transportation-related CO2 emissions, authorities face challenges in gathering and measuring useful data.

By Dan Zukowski • Aug. 4, 2023

How to safely store e-bikes, e-scooters in apartments

The uptick in micromobility battery fires shows electrification is "moving faster than we’re able to necessarily adapt to," a fire protection expert at an engineering consulting firm said.

By Mary Salmonsen • Aug. 3, 2023

New York changes trash requirements for food businesses in anti-rat push

The city’s Department of Sanitation enacted its latest rule this week requiring commercial food establishments to handle waste differently. The move may have operational benefits for haulers, but it poses logistical questions.

By Cole Rosengren • Aug. 2, 2023

Tucson, Arizona, gears up climate action as city faces extreme weather

Cooling centers, decarbonization and tree-planting are in the works after the city adopted a climate action plan the mayor said was developed “in record time.” 

By Ysabelle Kempe • Aug. 2, 2023