San Francisco's gas ban on new buildings could prompt statewide action

The vote adds San Francisco to the growing list of nearly 40 California cities to pass such ordinances since Berkeley's historic ban in July 2019. 

By Kristin Musulin • Nov. 12, 2020

Seattle's $5.6M plan to address trash-collection woes

The "Clean Cities Initiative" aims to tackle an influx of trash in parks, particularly as they have become a refuge during the pandemic, according to Mayor Jenny Durkan.

By Cailin Crowe • Nov. 9, 2020

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

Transforming our economically distressed cities: How construction is playing a vital role

See how cities across the country are stepping up to transform lives and communities.

Nov. 9, 2020

Mass timber reaches for new heights to unlock zero-carbon cities

Design firms are tapping mass timber to illustrate how eco-friendly material can be used to support a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

By Cailin Crowe • Nov. 4, 2020

REEF Technology raises $700M to support the 15-minute city

The mobility, logistics and neighborhood hub operator said the funding will help promote its efforts to connect people to goods and services without a car.

By Chris Teale • Nov. 4, 2020

NYC strengthens Climate Mobilization Act building requirements

Buildings with less than 35% of units under rent regulation will be required to comply with the act's emissions limits and not pass the costs to tenants, following a Thursday city council vote.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 30, 2020

COVID-19 could boost interest in smaller cities' real estate: ULI

Ninety-four percent of real estate experts said companies will allow employees to work remote at least partially, which could shrink office spaces to save costs.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 29, 2020

Disasters waiting to happen: 5 major infrastructure projects in need of repair

From aging dams and deteriorating tunnels to deficient bridges and lead-filled drinking water lines, the U.S. has plenty of work to do when it comes to the quality of its infrastructure.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 28, 2020

10 statewide ballot measures to watch: results

Of the 10 ballot initiatives identified last week as "measures to watch," only one — a rent control initiative in California — failed at the polls.

By Kristin Musulin , Chris Teale , Cailin Crowe • Updated Nov. 4, 2020

How would a Biden administration address infrastructure?

Experts from Bloomberg Intelligence analyzed how infrastructure would be addressed if Joe Biden were to become president, with a particular focus on funding and the impact on U.S. transportation.

By Kristin Musulin • Oct. 22, 2020

Pennsylvania bill would allocate $200M in aid to live venues

Rep. Jake Wheatley said there are 225 independent venues in the state that generated $1.36 billion last year. Under this legislation, each would be eligible for up to $2 million in funding for payroll, rent and other costs.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 21, 2020

DOE campaign drives $95M in building energy cost savings

The campaign, facilitated by the Berkeley Lab, unlocked what is reportedly the world's largest dataset of building energy analytics and value propositions.

By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 20, 2020

Can Toyota succeed where Sidewalk Labs failed?

Toyota broke ground on its "city of the future" this week, just more than a year after its Woven City prototype was teased at CES 2020.

By Jason Plautz • Updated Feb. 24, 2021

Albuquerque, NM breaks ground on 50 MW solar field on tribal lands

The array, through a partnership with utility PNM and the Jicarilla Apache Nation, will help the city get 88% of its electricity from renewable energy by the end of 2021.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 16, 2020

US cities less walkable than international counterparts: study

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, which called on cities to plan for more pedestrian use, found Boston, NYC, San Francisco and Baltimore led the way for walkability.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 15, 2020

Sidewalk Labs unveils Delve tool to enhance urban development

Delve uses machine learning to explore an abundance of design possibilities that meet the criteria, constraints and priority outcomes of any development project.

By Kristin Musulin • Oct. 15, 2020

Crane watch: 7 mixed-use projects costing mega-billions

Some megaprojects have suffered coronavirus-related delays but most are ready to begin or continue construction. Here is an update on seven of the most expensive mixed-use developments in the country.

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 14, 2020

COVID-19 is upending workplace gender equity: USGBC

A U.S. Green Building Council survey found 62% of women in the green building industry believe the pandemic has negatively affected workplace equity.

By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 12, 2020

Google details 80-acre mixed-use project in San Jose, CA

The tech giant is moving forward on the 8 million-square-foot Downtown West project in conjunction with Lendlease, SITElab urban studio and other firms.

By Jennifer Goodman • Oct. 12, 2020

How varying building codes affect offsite construction

Modular building codes and regulations vary across jurisdictions. How are offsite builders supposed to know which hurdles to jump through?

By Kim Slowey • Oct. 6, 2020

USGBC expands green building resilience resources

The U.S. Green Building Council and Green Business Certification Inc. released a suite of tools to support green building initiatives amid the costly threats of climate change and the coronavirus. 

By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 2, 2020

Preparing cities for a post-pandemic retail market

Trends that persist post-COVID will require sweeping infrastructure changes far beyond the ability of cities or retailers to implement alone.

By DeAnn Campbell • Oct. 2, 2020

Cities push ahead on EEaaS as private sector plays catch up

Forms of Energy Efficiency as a Service have existed for decades as alternative funding mechanisms in cities. Now, as technologies accelerate and COVID-19 continues, the private sector wants in.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 1, 2020

What contractors should know about Wi-Fi connectivity in office construction

In a recent webinar, two tech experts explained the basics for earning a good connectivity score early in the construction process.

By Zachary Phillips • Sept. 29, 2020

Sidewalk Labs tool aims to boost building energy efficiency

Mesa, which uses automation and real-time data to optimize energy use, is part of a suite of products developed in the wake of the company's Toronto exit.

By Chris Teale • Sept. 22, 2020