The impact of national ride-hailing regulations: Safety

Incidents of sexual assault and violence have brought renewed scrutiny to ride-hailing, which could lead to bolstered background checks or fingerprinting.

By Chris Teale • Dec. 18, 2019

Philadelphia's first 'Pitch & Pilot' seeks tech to reduce waste

The initiative is part of a strategy to improve government services with private sector partnerships and community engagement, rather than a top-down approach. 

By Jason Plautz • Dec. 17, 2019

New Orleans cyberattack has cost city $7.2M

Officials said last week that it could take up to eight months to recover from the December cyberattack, and the costs will likely climb.

By Chris Teale • Updated Jan. 21, 2020

New federal AV legislation under fire for inadequate safety provisions

Multiple sources told Smart Cities Dive the bill's 10-year timeframe to produce national safety guidelines is too long, which could lead to accidents.

By Chris Teale • Dec. 12, 2019

Kansas City, MO to eliminate transit fares

The city, which stands to be the first to adopt zero-fare transit in the U.S., already has a free light rail system, with fare-free buses soon to follow.

By Katie Pyzyk • Dec. 10, 2019

5 cities home to 90% of tech job growth: report

Further concentration would hinder the income growth, job opportunities and economic inclusion of millions, according to a Brookings Institution report. 

By Jason Plautz • Dec. 10, 2019

California governor encourages '100-day challenges' to fight homelessness

Gov. Gavin Newsom said cities can access funding for homeless aid by setting and achieving short-term mitigation goals that could develop sustainable program models.

By Katie Pyzyk • Dec. 9, 2019

Federal climate leadership could cut emissions 49%: report

America's Pledge said cities, states and businesses have led the way on climate action, but further emissions cuts need national leadership, too.

By Chris Teale • Dec. 9, 2019

Airbnb to roll out hotline for mayors, city officials

The hotline is part of Airbnb's "ongoing commitment to work with cities" and increased communication to ensure safety and privacy standards, the company said. 

By Chris Teale • Dec. 9, 2019

Rising Star of the Year: Mayor Jacob Frey, Minneapolis

A Twitter feud with President Trump may have put Frey on the mainstream map, but the mayor has made strides in Minneapolis since he took office in 2018. 

By Chris Teale • Dec. 9, 2019

The Smart Cities Dive Awards for 2019

From Sidewalk Labs' disruptive, futuristic smart city to the climate strategy in Calgary, Alberta, these are the leading cities, officials and initiatives of the year.

Dec. 9, 2019

Climate Leader of the Year: Calgary, Alberta

Over 100 oil and gas companies reside in the "energy city." Calgary welcomes these energy sources, but it's also driving prosperity with an in-depth Climate Resilience Strategy.

By Kristin Musulin • Dec. 9, 2019

City Leader of the Year: Mayor Jenny Durkan, Seattle

Seattle saw increased leadership from Durkan in 2019 as she took on ride-hailing, encouraged more transit use and added housing stock in the city.

By Chris Teale • Dec. 9, 2019

Disruptor of the Year: Sidewalk Labs

Alphabet-owned Sidewalk Labs is disrupting today's urban pain points with innovative, controversial solutions for its proposed futuristic smart city. 

By Cailin Crowe • Dec. 9, 2019

City of the Year: Honolulu

On top of forging a path to aggressive emission reductions, Honolulu is infusing resilience in its housing, transportation and food sectors.

By Cailin Crowe • Dec. 9, 2019

Lime, Bird, Bolt, Razor lose appeals to operate in DC

The operators will pull their scooters from the District on April 1. Scooters from Lyft, Skip, Spin and Jump will remain in the city under 2020 program terms.

By Cailin Crowe • Updated Feb. 28, 2020

Climate Mayors to bolster city-level action with steering committee

The new 24-member committee will work to "catalyze membership" and further engage residents to reach Paris agreement goals.

By Jason Plautz • Dec. 4, 2019

The safest cities in the US: report

A survey from WalletHub examined 41 key safety indicators in three categories: home and community safety, natural disaster risk and financial safety.

By Katie Pyzyk • Dec. 3, 2019

Amazon Web Services names 2019 'City on a Cloud' winners

The 18 winners will be awarded up to $20,000 in promotional credits, up to $20,000 in financial support and up to five employee AWS training vouchers.

By Chris Teale • Updated Dec. 5, 2019

NYC council members propose bike mayor, pedestrian mayor

The proposed leadership comes during a difficult year for cycling and pedestrian safety, as the city has already seen 28 cyclist fatalities.

By Katie Pyzyk • Nov. 27, 2019

San Francisco considers congestion pricing — again

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority began a study period for a new tolling scheme, joining the likes of LA and Seattle in congestion pricing studies. 

By Chris Teale • Nov. 25, 2019

Are flying cars close? Leaders say yes, but doubts linger

While uncertainty swirls around issues of infrastructure, safety and regulations, industry leaders say eVTOLs are on track to launch soon.

By Chris Teale • Nov. 25, 2019

Road to 100: How one man's mission to power his hometown by wind created a Northwest Missouri boon

The town of 1,200 was the first in the country to be able to power all of its electricity from wind resources. Now, the county is booming in wind production.

By Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 22, 2019

Sidewalk Labs wants out of Google's data-collection shadow

Following the release of its digital innovation appendix, the company's head of urban systems explained the challenges of innovating the real estate sector.

By Kristin Musulin • Nov. 21, 2019

Smart city growth to depend on data governance: PwC report

The report outlines a "seven layer model" to data management: categories, consent, collection, anonymization, storage, access and monetization.

By Jason Plautz • Nov. 21, 2019