Utility plan to build 460 EV fast-charging stations in Colorado angers retailers, other charging proponents

Gas stations, convenience store owners and other businesses say Xcel Energy's plan to own chargers makes it less likely they will install them.

By Robert Walton • May 26, 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

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

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

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

High-speed rail gains steam as Atlanta, Dallas aim to come aboard

With Texas and Georgia looking seriously into future bullet trains, high-speed rail could appear in states outside California.

By Dan Zukowski • May 23, 2023

E-scooter riding on the sidewalk? Speed restrictions may be to blame: study

“If cities are serious about reducing or eliminating sidewalk riding, they will reduce the speed of cars on local streets and invest in Infrastructure like protected bike lanes, ” a Lime spokesperson said.

By Michael Brady • May 22, 2023

New federal guidance unveiled for bicycle, pedestrian and micromobility projects

The Federal Highway Administration wants to ensure “that biking, walking and other ways to travel are safe, convenient and enjoyable for everyone,” Administrator Shailen Bhatt said.

By Michael Brady • May 19, 2023

How a federal program meant to help communities buy zero-emission buses instead favors fossil fuels: report

A legal requirement added to the Federal Transit Administration program in 2015 led to the disparity, advocacy organization Transportation for America said.

By Dan Zukowski • May 18, 2023

How NYC is preparing its infrastructure for extreme weather

Thu-Loan Dinh, who helps lead infrastructure design for the city’s Department of Design and Construction, discusses the agency’s biggest resilience concerns and how to address them.

By Julie Strupp • May 17, 2023

Nearly 1 in 6 Ubers, Lyfts have an open safety recall

Although ride-hailing companies may require drivers to complete open safety recalls, “passengers don't know the recall status of their rides,” a U.S. Government Accountability Office report found.

By Michael Brady • May 17, 2023

Federal guidelines for eVTOL operations encourage cities to plan for infrastructure

As industry analysts anticipate rapid development of air taxi operations in the coming decade, the FAA released plans to integrate eVTOL aircraft in the nation’s airspace. 

By Dan Zukowski • May 16, 2023

How Bird, Lime, Spin and Superpedestrian want cities to regulate shared e-bikes and scooters

The companies’ recommendations come as many shared micromobility pilots end, and local governments make them permanent. 

By Michael Brady • May 15, 2023

Parking minimums will soon be history in Austin, Texas

“Our priority should be allowing space for people rather than mandating space for cars,” City Council member Zohaib Qadri said.

By Michael Brady • May 12, 2023

New York City’s congestion pricing plan gets the green light, despite opposition

Many advocates, urban planners and public officials in New York support the congestion pricing program, which would be the first in the U.S. Critics, however, called the program “anti-environment” and “cash-grabbing.”

By Michael Brady • May 10, 2023

Should Massachusetts build high-speed rail across the state?

The state's plan for intercity passenger trains along an existing freight line are "19th-century" thinking, Rep. Seth Moulton said. He also called on the state to advance a long-needed north-south rail link in Boston.

By Dan Zukowski • May 10, 2023

Portland, Oregon, to pilot zero-emission delivery zone

The project could help the city reduce climate pollution and improve public health, the Portland Bureau of Transportation said. Portland received nearly $2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the project.

By Max Garland • May 9, 2023

Dallas restores core emergency dispatch systems after ransomware attack

“At this point, we do not have evidence or indication that there has been data removed during this attack,” Dallas CIO Bill Zielinski told city officials Monday.

By Matt Kapko • May 9, 2023

Connected vehicle technology advances in US with FCC waiver approval

Ford, Audi, Jaguar Land Rover North America, two state transportation departments and nine other companies will be able to invest in technology essential for fully autonomous vehicles.

By Dan Zukowski • May 9, 2023

Racial and ethnic disparities in traffic deaths revealed in NHTSA report

Blacks experience higher-than-average per capita traffic deaths, while such rates among White, Asian and Hispanic or Latino people are lower than average. Pedestrian fatality rates show even greater disparities.

By Dan Rosenbaum • May 5, 2023

Uber and Lyft ridership accelerates in Q1

“After lagging other regions in the recovery through 2021 and 2022, the ride-share category in the US & Canada is now growing faster in 2023,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said.

By Michael Brady • May 5, 2023

New York’s transit agency rescued by last-minute Albany budget deal

Facing fare hikes and service cuts, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority will get an injection of state aid and a controversial payroll tax increase for New York City’s largest businesses. 

By Dan Zukowski • May 5, 2023

How governments are updating ‘operational technologies,’ including AI, and the challenges that remain: survey

Over half of the survey respondents reported their agency plans to upgrade systems by 2025, a Center for Digital Government and Samsara survey found. Operational efficiency and cost savings are a big reason why.

By Michael Brady • May 4, 2023