Equity
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DOT funding priorities benefit Whiter, wealthier communities: Urban Institute
A plan to tie funding to marriage and birth rates would leave behind historically underserved communities, according to an Urban Institute analysis.
By Kalena Thomhave • Feb. 25, 2025 -
Permission granted by Dan Zukowski
AI offers benefits, risks to public transit: Urban Institute researcher
Transit agencies must balance potential safety and efficiency improvements against hacking, data privacy and equity concerns, Senior Research Associate Lindiwe Rennert says.
By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 24, 2025 -
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TrendlineTop 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 -
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Pedestrian deaths highest on dark city roads at night: AAA report
Crashes involving pedestrians were also disproportionately higher in socially and economically disadvantaged communities in the cities it studied, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found.
By Dan Zukowski • Feb. 11, 2025 -
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How 4 cities are advancing affordable housing despite NIMBYs
Public engagement and policies that cut through red tape are among the tools city leaders use to overcome neighborhood opposition.
By Danielle McLean • Feb. 10, 2025 -
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The Smart Cities Outlook for 2025: Change is coming
From new federal policies to growing technologies like AI and robotaxis, cities will encounter many changes while they continue to tackle housing, homelessness, climate and equity issues.
By Smart Cities Dive Staff • Jan. 31, 2025 -
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State lawmaker seeks ban in new shot at algorithmic pricing
Landlords’ use of automated rent-setting software is “plainly illegal,” Sen. Jess Salomon in Washington state says.
By Robert Freedman • Jan. 28, 2025 -
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D.C.’s proposed bottle bill aims to tackle high-profile pollution in Anacostia River
Bill sponsors say a bottle bill could help alleviate pollution that has long affected communities of color. It calls for a 10-cent deposit starting in 2028, with a recycling rate target of 70% the first year.
By Megan Quinn • Jan. 27, 2025 -
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Starbucks reverses open-door policy as it pursues coffeehouse environment
Under the new policy, customers will have to make a purchase if they want to hang out in Starbucks coffee shops or use its bathrooms.
By Kristen Doerer • Jan. 15, 2025 -
Craig Barritt via Getty Images
Q&AHow an Oklahoma City sales tax fuels the city’s ‘renaissance’
Mayor David Holt led the planning process for the fourth voter-approved renewal of a sales tax for public infrastructure focused on human needs.
By Dan Zukowski • Jan. 2, 2025 -
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9 predictions about what 2025 may hold for US cities
“Playground” cities will thrive, innovative housing programs will proliferate and technology will transform transit and municipal services, these sources say.
By Smart Cities Dive staff • Jan. 2, 2025 -
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US DOT issues final rule on accessibility standards for transit riders
The rule sets guidelines for state and local transportation departments and transit agencies to improve access for users with disabilities at transit stations.
By Dan Zukowski • Dec. 20, 2024 -
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California kicks off e-bike incentive program statewide
Income-qualified buyers can access vouchers of up to $2,000 each through the program, which is expected to fund the purchase of up to 1,500 e-bikes.
By Dan Zukowski • Dec. 17, 2024 -
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Transportation equity data available in newly updated US DOT online tool
The tool helps state and local governments prioritize transportation investments that benefit disadvantaged communities. U.S. DOT is seeking feedback on the update.
By Dan Zukowski • Dec. 16, 2024 -
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How 5 states are innovating SNAP
From produce-buying incentives to in-app discounts, new pilots and programs aim to help people stretch funds from the nation’s largest anti-hunger program.
By Catherine Douglas Moran • Dec. 12, 2024 -
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Lowest-income households face highest transportation cost burden: federal report
Motor vehicle costs, including purchase, insurance, fuel and maintenance, eat up the largest amount of transportation costs across all U.S. households.
By Dan Zukowski • Dec. 10, 2024 -
Daphne Howland/Smart Cities Dive
Washington, DC, sues Amazon over slow Prime deliveries in underserved areas
Prime members in two zip codes aren’t receiving promised benefits, D.C.’s attorney general alleges. The e-commerce giant defended its actions by citing concerns over driver safety.
By Daphne Howland • Dec. 5, 2024 -
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With a $2.5M direct cash assistance pilot, Ohio city aims to boost low-income residents’ economic mobility
Columbus, Ohio, is pairing monthly payments with career-building and wealth-building programs to give residents a “crucial stepping stone.”
By Ysabelle Kempe • Nov. 13, 2024 -
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Trump agenda has states, advocacy groups girding for legal battles
California, New York and Illinois are among states readying to sue the Trump administration over divisive issues such as reproductive rights, climate regulation and immigration.
By Justin Bachman • Nov. 11, 2024 -
Jacob Wallace/Smart Cities Dive
New York City official backs composting over codigestion, citing environmental justice concerns
Residents across New York City are now putting their organics into curbside bins for collection. But where those organics will be processed continues to be up for debate.
By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 8, 2024 -
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Transit agencies document equity efforts in APTA report
Hiring dedicated equity executives, requiring analyses prior to system changes and partnering on services for those experiencing homelessness are among the efforts named in the American Public Transportation Association report.
By Dan Zukowski • Oct. 15, 2024 -
Retrieved from Pixabay.
EPA requires lead pipes to be replaced nationwide within 10 years
The landmark rule imposes the strictest limits on lead in drinking water since federal standards were set 30 years ago.
By Julie Strupp • Oct. 8, 2024 -
rarrarorro via Getty Images
2025’s top smart city conferences
Smart city technology, housing, climate action, road safety and more will take center stage at events in 2025.
By Dan Zukowski • Updated Jan. 31, 2025 -
Permission granted by Jon Lugbill
Q&AThis former Olympian is bringing a 43-mile trail to life in Virginia
Jon Lugbill, ardent trail user and executive director of a nonprofit that encourages active living, tells how the Fall Line Trail came to be and what it means for the communities it reaches.
By Dan Zukowski • Sept. 30, 2024 -
Retrieved from Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management.
Miami-Dade County, Florida, postpones vote on new incinerator due to siting concerns
The decision should not be taken lightly given the history of a waste incinerator that polluted one neighborhood for decades, a commissioner said.
By Jacob Wallace • Sept. 24, 2024 -
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How one city plans to reconnect a historically Black neighborhood split by a 1950s interstate
New Rochelle, New York, is one of more than 130 projects using funds allocated this year from the Reconnecting Communities Pilot program.
By Dan Zukowski • Sept. 20, 2024
