The Latest

  • New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on the Hudson Tunnel Project in North Bergen, New Jersey
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    Courtesy of Gateway Development Commission
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    $16B Hudson Tunnel rail project begins boring

    “We've taken the Trump administration to court five times … we’ve won five times,” said New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill during an event marking the start of tunneling for the embattled project.

  • Several people seated at long desks with microphones and a person standing at a podium with a microphone.
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    Courtesy of American Public Transportation Association
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    Surface Transportation Legislation

    Steep cuts to federal transit funding take effect Thursday

    Smaller communities and rural towns are "especially vulnerable” to the public transit and passenger rail cuts, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

  • A brick high-rise in a downtown area with a blue sky overhead.
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    Ryan Kushner/Smart Cities Dive
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    With its first office-to-housing project done, Chicago advances ‘next chapter’ for its downtown

    The adaptive reuse project in the city's Loop has 117 mixed-income residential units. More conversions are in the pipeline.

  • A large building with city in the background.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Data Centers

    Data centers are stress-testing local governments. Here are 5 strategies to rein them in.

    Tools including zoning and permitting can address transparency, infrastructure, community benefits and other concerns, panelists at a Southern Environmental Law Center event said.

  • Two people wearing suits sit in chairs in front of a fireplace and shake ands.
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    Alex Wong/ via Getty Images
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    Opportunity zones were meant to spur investment. Their impact is unclear, a GAO report shows.

    Revamped rules have reduced the number of low-income areas receiving the tax credits, the congressional watchdog found, and investment tends to flow to cities where development is already underway.

  • A green, white and brown train crosses a bridge over a river surrounded by green trees.
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    Courtesy of Amtrak
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    Amtrak Airo trains to start this week in Pacific Northwest

    The route serving Oregon, Washington and Vancouver, Canada, gets the first of Amtrak’s 83 new train sets.

  • People walking on a plaza to and from a glass-front building with a sign reading "Brightline."
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    Courtesy of Brightline Florida
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    Brightline Florida entities file Chapter 11 bankruptcy

    Trains will continue running while the railroad restructures its debt with the help of bondholders and lenders.

    Updated Sept. 28, 2026
  • AI and stock market trading chart
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    Getty Images
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    State AGs push Congress for AI safety, transparency

    Their proposal would pause AI research until the creation of a federal department that would regulate the technology.

  • Rows of solar panels in a grassy field.
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    Getty Images
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    Second federal judge overturns $7B Solar for All cancellation by Trump administration EPA

    The decision in a suit brought by Harris County, Texas, follows a similar ruling last week. A Harris County judge called it “a really important victory for energy resilience.”

  • The Pittsburgh skyline is seen and buildings are reflected in the water in a river.
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    Getty Images
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    Pittsburgh eyes quicker permitting with virtual inspections and a ‘fast lane’ for low-risk projects

    The first set of changes "will help applicants spend less time waiting and more time getting projects done," Mayor Corey O'Connor said.

  • A person wearing a suit gestures with their hand while sitting in a chair in front of a blue background with Concordia labels.
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    Paul Morigi via Getty Images
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    Mayors confront affordability crisis as costs rise

    Affordable housing tops city leaders’ concerns as the increased cost of living ripples across local economies, a U.S. Conference of Mayor survey found.

  • A row of solar panels in a field.
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    Getty Images
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    Opinion

    On clean energy, bigger is not always better

    When Congress revisits clean-energy tax policy, lawmakers should restore incentives for locally driven solar and storage projects, writes Edward Yim at Lawyers for Good Government.

  • Bridge over broad river with city skyline in background.
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    Permission granted by City of Columbia.
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    Green infrastructure

    How a water infrastructure crisis became a riverfront opportunity in Columbia, South Carolina

    After Hurricane Joaquin exposed vulnerabilities in its drinking water system, the city is turning resilience investments into a broader strategy to reconnect residents with its rivers.

  • A person in a blue shirt, gray pants and boots sleeps on a bench with their back to the camera using a coat for a pillow.
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    Getty Images
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    The US homeless population is aging. Cities must brace for new challenges.

    Older adults are facing a “perfect storm of stressors” that could lead to more housing instability and homelessness, according to panelists at a Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies webinar.

  • A person holding a microphone while gesturing
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    As AI threats grow, governors propose more guardrails — including a ‘kill switch’

    California, New York and Illinois governors unveiled AI oversight initiatives. President Donald Trump has pledged not to hinder the industry’s momentum.

  • The front of a bullet train.
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    Courtesy of California High-Speed Rail Authority
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    California High-Speed Rail Authority’s ‘wasteful’ spending criticized by its inspector general

    The watchdog questioned over $2 million in expenses the authority paid for consultants while facing a financial crisis.

  • A bus shelter with plants on the roof on a street with cars going by.
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    Permission granted by New York City
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    Green roofs, reflective materials on bus shelters aim to beat the heat in NYC pilot

    The pilot in one of the city’s most heat-vulnerable neighborhoods is testing how changes to everyday transit infrastructure can help cities adapt to extreme heat.

  • Aerial view of a building under construction with city skyline in the background.
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    Mario Tama/ via Getty Images
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    Data Centers

    Cities get more say in data center development under new California laws

    Data center developers must disclose energy and water use, pay more for grid infrastructure and undergo environmental review under seven bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Monday.

  • Uber customer gets into a car at Los Angeles International Airport on March 10, 2026
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    Robotaxi competition revs up as Uber makes $10B investment in autonomous vehicles

    Waymo disrupted the ride-hailing space when it launched robotaxis in San Francisco. Uber, Zoox and Tesla are now on its tail.

  • Downtown San Diego skyline
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    Getty Images
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    More high-rises could be coming to 7 California cities under housing density bill

    The bill would prevent major cities from limiting residential building heights to under 150 feet in new transit hub districts. It's awaiting the governor's signature.

  • A person wearing a blue suit points and talks into a microphone.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    EPA unlawfully canceled $7B Solar for All program, judge rules

    The ruling could revive grants awarded to states, cities and nonprofits for low-income solar projects.

  • A person in a blue suit in a chair at a desk seen from a low angle.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    US DOT’s new road safety plan emphasizes reducing congestion, national AV strategy

    The 2026 National Roadway Safety Strategy gives priority to rural and tribal communities while relying on advanced technology to reduce preventable crashes.

  • OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, accompanied by U.S. President Donald Trump, during a news conference.
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    Andrew Harnik/Getty via Getty Images
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    OpenAI, GSA extend discounted AI services to local governments

    A multiyear agreement removes a $15 monthly licensing fee for governments. The federal arrangement with the AI provider will extend to local governments for the first time.

  • A person stands with their foot on a rooftop on the ground amid rubble.
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    Local water projects on path to federal support as WRDA 2026 clears House

    The Water Resources Development Act of 2026 targets flood protection, ports, waterways and water supply while giving communities more tools to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

  • A Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority bus drives along a lane by a bus stop.
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    Courtesy of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
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    US transit bus industry generated $1.1B in federal, state and local tax revenue in 2025: report

    “The industry’s economic footprint extends well beyond the firms that assemble transit buses,” according to an Oxford Economics report.