The scoop: San Francisco recruits sidewalk 'patrol' to clean up poop

Mayor London Breed wants to clean up the city's worsening problem with human feces, with employees to patrol some streets and alleys with a steam cleaner.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 15, 2018

Rail leaders 'optimistic' about hitting train safety deadlines after federal warnings

Aspects of Positive Train Control must be implemented by the end of the year, something the American Public Transportation Association said is within reach.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 15, 2018

Chicago aldermen seek ride-share regulations

Following New York City's lead, the two lawmakers want a driver minimum wage and are investigating a license cap to combat congestion and driver poverty.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 14, 2018

Baltimore officials fund affordable housing trust

The trust will be funded through $20 million a year in excise taxes and an annual lump sum allocation, two years after its initial creation.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 14, 2018

Why most Americans don't want to live in a 'smart city'

Smart tech is transforming the way local government delivers services, though concerns about cyberattacks and personal data collection may keep the public from getting on board.

By Maria Buczkowski • Aug. 13, 2018

NYC becomes first US city to regulate ride-hailing

Drivers must now receive a minimum wage of $17.22 an hour, while new licenses will be frozen for a year as the Taxi and Limousine Commission studies the industry.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 9, 2018

Amazon Web Services to partner with investment firm on emergency responder tech program

AWS will use its resources, including its Public Sector Marketplace, to house the technology platform and bring it to more potential clients.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 9, 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

Boston to expand police body cam program

The decision was based on results from a report about the police department's pilot, which found "small but meaningful benefits," including fewer complaints.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 8, 2018

US Ignite launches platform to connect cities to federal funding opportunities

The initiative is designed to help communities access information, and also provide workshops and technical assistance to take advantage of available grants.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 8, 2018

Denver releases set of community growth plans

The visions in Denveright are based on two years of community outreach, and cover land use, transportation, and parks and recreation.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 7, 2018

10 cities receive grants to financially empower residents

The cities will receive $20,000 each to develop programs to help residents sustain financial health and bolster community stability.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 7, 2018

DC issues RFP for affordable housing projects

DHCD is offering gap financing to selected proposals, providing such plans will make at least 5% of the units in the new or rehabilitated properties for permanent supportive housing.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 7, 2018

Why URBAN-X is 'bullish' on startups' potential to solve city challenges

Micah Kotch, managing director of the accelerator, explained how startups "speak a different language from public officials," but can overall help cities improve quality of life. 

By Chris Teale • Aug. 6, 2018

Seattle forms innovation council to boost citywide tech solutions

The Innovation Advisory Council will harness assistance from tech giants like Amazon to ease affordability and homelessness problems.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 6, 2018

US Senate passes 'minibus' containing transit, EPA funding

The spending bill includes $16.1 billion for public transit and $8.1 billion for the EPA — which is $2.7 billion more than what was requested in the Trump administration's FY 2019 budget proposal.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 6, 2018

Mayors condemn EPA's proposed freeze on auto emissions standards

The Climate Mayors coalition said the plan is an "unprecedented attack on both the environment and states' rights" and pledged to do more to combat climate change.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 3, 2018

EPA proposes to freeze auto emission standards, revoke California EV rules

The move could be met with opposition from utilities, which support pro-EV policies, but the EPA administrator said he is open to compromise with California.

By Gavin Bade • Aug. 2, 2018

NYC creates office to address discrimination by taxi, for-hire vehicle drivers

The Office of Inclusion aims to eliminate ride refusals based on location and racial biases through anti-discrimination training for drivers.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 2, 2018

Applications open for 2nd round of wireless research testbeds

Cities are required to partner with academic institutions and businesses to pitch for the testbeds, with two awarded earlier this year to New York City and Salt Lake City.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 2, 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

Petition calls for DC to expand bike-share program to 20K bikes

An open letter from advocacy groups urged the city to make sure the system is safe and equitable, and encouraged DC legislators to take "bold action."

By Sean Gibbons • Aug. 1, 2018

Cincinnati launches digital platform for small businesses

The platform can detail the license, permit and fee requirements for any business, with information customized to the zoning requirements for a particular location.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 1, 2018

Searching for shelter: Homelessness by the numbers

From funding levels to the number of people with cell phones, a look at some of the striking data about homelessness in the U.S.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 1, 2018

6 startups to join Innovation Partnership Program in Kansas City, MO

The companies will work with city departments for 13 weeks "to find sustainable solutions to improve services for our residents and visitors," Mayor Sly James said.

By Chris Teale • July 31, 2018