US Census Bureau: Americans' commute times increased; transit ridership dropped

Data from 2017 shows more commuters are driving, and a shift in where people work is affecting commutes.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 1, 2018

Construction of $2B Crenshaw-LAX rail is 5 months behind

A Los Angeles County MTA chief said the 8.5-mile light-rail line is approximately 86% complete, but electrical work is taking longer than anticipated.

By Kim Slowey • Sept. 25, 2018

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

Greater Phoenix Smart Region promises collaboration, workforce development

The initiative joins cities with academic institutions, businesses and nonprofits, and leaders said it will be about more than simply new technology.

By Chris Teale • Sept. 20, 2018

'A' for effort: Improving safety in cities' school zones

Cities like Columbus, OH; Savannah, GA; Portland, OR and New York are implementing policies and technologies to enforce speed laws and keep students safe.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 20, 2018

$6B San Francisco rail tunnel route gets approval

Despite the San Francisco Transportation Authority's green light, the route may be subject to roadblocks from various regional, state and city agencies and groups before construction begins.

By Kim Slowey • Sept. 17, 2018

Ford seeks $239M tax break for new Detroit campus

The car manufacturer is asking for fast-track incentive approval so it can start renovations before winter and prevent the building from deteriorating further.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 12, 2018

How residential IoT can help shape a smart city

Once homes and living communities are more connected, they can plug in to larger smart city programs — though we still have a long way to go.

By Paige Leuschner • Sept. 11, 2018

Houston may exempt 2 neighborhoods from parking mandates

The proposal could get a vote by year's end, and would affect Midtown and East Downtown, two areas that already have light rail options.

By Jason Plautz • Sept. 10, 2018

How smart venues make smarter cities

Traditionally just the home of sports and entertainment, stadiums and other spaces are now a hotbed of innovation in the urban environment.

By Chris Teale , Sean Gibbons • Sept. 10, 2018

Sonnen aims to unify all aspects of the smart home

The company's new smart energy management system will unite home automation, residential solar and energy storage with intelligent load control.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 7, 2018

Study predicts obesity levels in cities based on infrastructure

Researchers from the University of Washington used artificial intelligence to determine a correlation between the built environment and obesity.

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 6, 2018

Connectivity beacons installed in Chicago to aid navigation

The city partnered with Waze and SpotHero to install the devices, which emit signals to prevent connectivity blackouts.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 31, 2018

King County, WA plans 3 modular housing pilots to shelter homeless

Two projects will be for temporary housing and one will be for permanent, affordable housing in a plan worth a total of about $12 million.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 28, 2018

19 mayors commit to make all buildings net-zero carbon by 2050

The declaration precedes the Global Climate Action Summit, where leaders from around the world will be encouraged to collaborate on strategies for decreasing GHG emissions.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 24, 2018

Salt Lake City mayor proposes 2 affordable housing measures

The city aims to add 2,000 new units by the end of next year and preserve existing homes through fee waivers for developers and a requirement to replace existing units.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 23, 2018

Chicago installs 76K LED streetlights in first year of upgrade program

The LEDs are expected to cut streetlight electricity use by 50-75%, part of a four-year modernization plan that entails replacing 270,000 lights by 2021.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 21, 2018

5 futuristic design concepts proposed by Sidewalk Toronto

Building raincoats, underground delivery systems and dynamic pavement may all soon be a reality in the waterfront neighborhood of Quayside.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 17, 2018

Startup focused on AI for infrastructure scores $4.5M in funding

SenSat's product learns from a virtual representation of the jobsite to present project teams with the most efficient course of action.

By Kathleen Brown • Aug. 17, 2018

NYC stakeholders back plan to cut building energy use, carbon emissions

The Urban Green Council released a plan for a 20% reduction in energy use across the city's largest buildings by 2030.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 16, 2018

Robot learns to build, adapt using Lego models

Autodesk's BrickBot is programed to autonomously build from 3D models and could be a precursor to construction and manufacturing applications.

By Laurie Cowin • Aug. 13, 2018

Water works: Preserving water amenity accessibility in cities

Cities understand how critical water is to the health and well-being of residents. But, in some cases, those amenities' futures are threatened.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 9, 2018

Advocates urge less 'victim-blaming,' better street designs to reduce pedestrian deaths

Representatives said the upwards trend in fatalities is troubling, and that cities should be more welcoming to all modes of transport to help get the issue under control.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 8, 2018

Sidewalk Labs teams with design firm for 'Dynamic Street' model

Roads could be reconfigured to accommodate extra traffic during busy hours, then transitioned into open space using a modular, reconfigurable pavement system.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 7, 2018

How to embrace office green spaces for better employee engagement

Office plants and composting programs — good places to start — may gradually evolve into huge cultural changes for employers.

By Pamela DeLoatch • Aug. 3, 2018

The students bringing smart city concepts to life with 'unconstrained creativity'

At NYU's 2018 Science of Smart Cities program, founder Ben Esner lauded students' efforts to build innovations like climate-measuring drones and smart bridge technology.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 2, 2018