Notable 2024 conferences for smart city leaders

Newly added events focus on traffic safety, technology and green infrastructure.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Updated Aug. 2, 2024

‘Empty’ federal buildings under scrutiny

Unused office space poses financial and environmental issues federal agencies must address, lawmakers from both parties said at a Senate committee hearing.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 9, 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

US Green Building Council’s LEED v5 doubles down on decarbonization

The proposal for existing buildings would set new requirements to boost climate resilience, assess social impact and cut emissions from embodied carbon, refrigerants and transportation.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 6, 2023

Office utilization rates on a climb to pre-pandemic levels

Culture, collaboration and communication are bringing employees back into the office on their own terms, said participants in a recent webinar by FM: Systems.

By Joe Burns • Oct. 4, 2023

NYC’s ‘mass timber studio’ aims to warm builders up to the material

The wood products represent a “huge untapped potential” to drive down the city’s carbon footprint, said the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Oct. 4, 2023

Biden administration will define zero emissions for buildings

Use of 100% clean energy and meeting strict energy-efficiency guidelines are part of the proposed definition, White House National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi said.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 2, 2023

Governments can cut buildings’ embodied carbon with new policies, reports say

Targeted incentives and building code changes can support the transition to more climate-friendly building materials, say research, advocacy and industry groups.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 28, 2023

Unused parking adds over $2M to typical multifamily projects: study

New Jersey should adopt new parking ratio standards that better align with usage, a Rutgers University white paper proposes.

By Mary Salmonsen • Sept. 27, 2023

‘Everybody’s going to be impacted’: Fed shutdown would delay civil work

Infrastructure projects will be held up if the government is not funded by Sunday, according to the White House and the American Society of Civil Engineers’ president.

By Julie Strupp • Updated Sept. 27, 2023

NY sets first-in-the-nation concrete emissions limits for state agencies

Set for January 2025, the state’s Buy Clean Concrete rules establishing greenhouse gas emission limits will cover all agency projects.

By Sebastian Obando • Sept. 25, 2023

White House launches clean energy youth workforce program amid labor shortage concerns

The American Climate Corps aims to put more than 20,000 people to work in its first year. The plan “harkens back” to the New Deal, said International District Energy Association CEO Rob Thornton.

By Diana DiGangi • Sept. 22, 2023

Retrofits can cut office building emissions by up to 70%: Schneider Electric

New research from the company says its digital building and power-management tools can slash up to 42% of operational carbon emissions, while eliminating fossil fuels can cut an additional 28%.

By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 21, 2023

Airbnb’s marketing touts short-term rental benefits as local restrictions tighten

Restrictions such as New York’s Local Law 18 may have a greater impact on the city’s residents and tourism economy than on the company.

By Aaron Baar • Sept. 20, 2023

NREL tool models how building upgrades can reduce energy use, carbon emissions

Before the federal research center released its free, publicly available data, options for representing buildings’ energy use were limited and expensive, an NREL researcher said.

By Joe Burns • Sept. 19, 2023

To improve multifamily housing energy efficiency and resiliency, HUD offers $4.8B for retrofits

The first round of the $4.8 billion GRRP covers upgrades for 28 rent-assisted properties.

By Mary Salmonsen • Sept. 18, 2023

Building codes aren’t climate ready, but changes are coming

Risk is growing from flooding and wildfires, said National Institute of Building Sciences panelists, and builders are relying on outdated guidance.

By Julie Strupp • Sept. 15, 2023

NYC proposes leeway for building owners falling behind on net-zero emissions compliance

Building owners who demonstrate a “good-faith effort” to rein in emissions could get a two-year reprieve to comply with a climate law that kicks in next year.

By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 13, 2023

Older homes contributed to Hawai’i fire’s destruction

Buildings constructed under older codes helped last month’s wildfire spread quickly, a new report finds.

By Zachary Phillips • Sept. 11, 2023

California must ban gas in new buildings, local officials tell governor

With a federal appeals court overturning Berkeley, California’s landmark gas ban, the state needs a unified standard to remain a climate policy leader, 26 local leaders told Gov. Gavin Newsom.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 11, 2023

Is 3D-printed concrete the future of infrastructure projects?

A Canadian building giant bets the construction industry will increasingly use the material. But it isn’t covered by many building codes, and technical challenges remain.

By Julie Strupp • Sept. 8, 2023

Indianapolis downtown redevelopment project breaks ground

The city took over the $625 million hotel and convention center project this year after nearly a decade of planning, a pandemic and financial issues.

By Matthew Thibault • Sept. 6, 2023

ICC launches climate-resilience program to support community building and energy code changes

The initiative aims to help leaders implement and enforce new rules as buildings’ operational carbon emissions and energy use reach an all-time high.

By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 5, 2023

Cool pavement covers this LA neighborhood. Does it make a difference?

Project partners released their findings a year into what they described as “one of the most comprehensive studies of an urban cooling intervention.” 

By Ysabelle Kempe • Sept. 5, 2023

NYC earmarks record $19.4B for school-related construction

Funding from the School Construction Authority, which maintains 1,400 buildings and serves 1 million students, ranks as the largest investment ever for city schools.

By Sebastian Obando • Sept. 1, 2023

IIJA just the beginning of infrastructure remediation, civil engineering group president says

ASCE's Maria Lehman says the infusion of federal funding will help address long-neglected upkeep across the country, but states and the private sector must also pitch in.

By Julie Strupp • Aug. 30, 2023