Ahead of annual nationwide homelessness count, cities are turning to an app for help

Houston and Kansas City, Missouri, are among the cities using the Counting Us app to help tally their unsheltered and sheltered homeless populations this month.

By Jason Plautz • Jan. 12, 2022

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg praises smart city innovation at CES

In a virtual address last week, Buttigieg said he anticipates that cities will be built on connected technology and guided by government policy that encourages collaboration, experimentation and support for workers.  

By Dan Zukowski • Jan. 10, 2022

12 predictions about the trends that will shape smart cities in 2022

As local leaders continue to adapt to the tremendous changes that the past year brought, industry players share how they anticipate cities will evolve.

By Cailin Crowe • Jan. 5, 2022

Older adults turn to technology during an ‘epidemic of loneliness’

The pandemic kick-started local efforts to get more older adults online with the help of federal broadband investments to bridge the digital divide.

By Cailin Crowe • Jan. 4, 2022

Q&A's from 2021 that spotlight 13 smart cities voices

Revisit the year's one-on-one conversations, including with tech and climate leaders in Honolulu, Phoenix and San Diego and with execs at Revel, Veo and Drop Mobility.

Dec. 23, 2021

To cut traffic deaths, safety groups call for an approach that factors in human error

The USDOT is expected to put out the first National Roadway Safety Strategy in January. Can safety officials, law enforcement, automakers and government regulators agree on how to stop the surge in traffic fatalities?

By Dan Zukowski • Dec. 21, 2021

To correct 'unsustainable' rental market, 'all of the above' policy needed: report

As cities weigh strategies like rent control and legal assistance for renters, a new report finds little agreement among tenants and property owners. 

By Jason Plautz • Dec. 20, 2021

Seattle's regional transit system adopts plans for more equitable service

The King County Council unanimously approved a series of long-range plans that will expand service for underrepresented communities, a shift from its historic focus on serving commuters and suburban riders.

By Jason Plautz • Dec. 16, 2021

Living wage ordinances' greatest effect may be on public opinion

The living wage movement fought to boost pay for city contractor employees. These efforts had limited community effects, but they likely laid the groundwork for today’s movement toward higher minimum wages, researchers said.

By Adina Solomon • Dec. 13, 2021

Boston's new chief of streets to steer city beyond car-centric transportation

Former city CIO Jascha Franklin-Hodge will begin the role in January, aiming to support the sustainable transportation ideas that recently elected Mayor Wu campaigned on, including fare-free bus routes. 

By Cailin Crowe • Dec. 10, 2021

New York's mayor-elect faces calls for cleaner streets, modernized waste systems

The city's sidewalks are infamous for mountains of garbage bags. A new "Put Waste to Work" campaign offers a rethink of curbside waste management design and calls for more accessible, higher-tech compost systems.

By Cole Rosengren • Updated Dec. 6, 2021

As infrastructure funds begin to flow, climate, safety, equity impacts are not enough, some say

With most Transportation Department infrastructure funding going to roads and bridges, the money could perpetuate practices that fail to address certain key fronts, critics say.

By Dan Zukowski • Dec. 2, 2021

'The crossroads between climate and equity': Advocates push for transit justice

With the momentum of the just-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill and a growing emphasis on equity, advocates work toward building greater transit justice for underserved communities. 

By Dan Zukowski • Dec. 1, 2021

Transit leaders debate urban mobility myths 'busted' by the pandemic

At the CoMotion LA conference last week, transportation leaders from Miami, Los Angeles and Vancouver reflected on how transit can better serve communities and where universal basic mobility could play a future role. 

By Dan Zukowski • Nov. 24, 2021

Smart cities grapple with equity issues heightened by the pandemic

City leaders aim to help bridge the digital divide while providing better access to education, transportation, jobs and community engagement opportunities. 

By Dan Zukowski • Nov. 23, 2021

Weighing pandemic aftermath, mayors most worried about resident mental health

Other top concerns include learning loss among young people and financial insecurity of low-income residents, according to the Menino Survey of Mayors. 

By Cailin Crowe • Nov. 22, 2021

The future of smart cities: Leaders forecast more digitally just governance

Over the next five years, smart cities will emphasize digital justice, community trust and data-led decisions, city leaders say. But roadblocks — like funding and a public sector aversion to risk — could stand in the way. 

By Cailin Crowe • Nov. 17, 2021

81% of local government officials have faced harassment, abuse: NLC report

Local officials have been on the receiving end of death threats, vandalized homes and outrage in public meetings, the National League of Cities report finds, with the trend accelerating during the pandemic. 

By Jason Plautz • Nov. 15, 2021

Smart city evolution: How cities have stepped back from a 'tech arms race'

Following the 'first wave' of the smart cities movement, local leaders describe how they have largely shifted from a tech-first to a resident-first approach.

By Danielle McLean , Maria Rachal , Dan Zukowski • Nov. 9, 2021

Reassessing the smart cities movement

Smart Cities Dive asked 25 of the largest U.S. cities how they define a "smart city" and how that definition has evolved, the challenges they've faced in rolling out equitable policies and technologies, and their outlook for what's next.

By the Smart Cities Dive Team • Nov. 9, 2021

Transportation leaders react to passage of infrastructure bill with funds for transit, EVs, rail

Industry advocates and private sector players praised the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act as a landmark first step while looking ahead to the Build Back Better Act.

By Dan Zukowski • Nov. 8, 2021

Singapore named smartest global city for third year: report

New York was ranked as the smartest North American city, according to the Institute for Management Development and the Singapore University for Technology and Design’s smart city index.

By Cailin Crowe • Nov. 8, 2021

How crime and policing strategies fared in 6 mayoral races

Public safety was a pivotal issue for voters deciding some tight and high-profile mayoral races, with a mix of reform-minded and pro-police candidates elected from Boston to Seattle.

By Cailin Crowe • Nov. 5, 2021

Traffic deaths soar in first half of 2021 as experts debate best solutions

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is creating a strategy to combat traffic fatalities, which according to an agency report, rose 18% during the first half of 2021.

By Dan Zukowski • Nov. 4, 2021

15 city leaders define a ‘smart city’

Smart Cities Dive asked major U.S. cities to weigh in on the past, present and future of their smart city efforts. In the first story of a multipart series, we highlight how city leaders define the term today.

By Danielle McLean • Nov. 2, 2021