New York aims for 800,000 new homes via zoning reform, transit-oriented development

The New York Housing Compact will require cities and towns to allow higher-density development around MTA rail stations and encourage zoning reform with new home benchmarks for municipalities.

By Danielle McLean • Jan. 11, 2023

Federal agencies share ‘blueprint’ for transportation decarbonization

Energy, environment, housing and transportation regulators teamed up on strategies to realize a 100% clean electrical grid by 2035 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with nods to micromobility, zoning reform and more.

By Maria Rachal • Jan. 10, 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

DC mayor sets goal of 15,000 new residents downtown within 5 years

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s plan would ultimately add more than 100,000 new residents to downtown Washington, D.C., by converting office space into residential housing, but it calls for federal assistance as well.

By Danielle McLean • Jan. 4, 2023

Updating local regulations may ease EV charging rollout

Improved regulations make it easier for developers to “know what they’re getting into,” said one transportation planner.

By Kalena Thomhave • Jan. 4, 2023

13 predictions about the trends that will shape smart cities in 2023

Cities will get smarter about transportation infrastructure needs, continue to rethink the use of downtown spaces and look at where data can help inform various operations, readers said.

By Danielle McLean • Jan. 3, 2023

How Inflation Reduction Act funding could affect cities

The federal support could help cities reduce carbon emissions, become more resilient to extreme weather and pursue climate justice.

By Danielle McLean • Dec. 26, 2022

As e-bike fires rise, calls grow for education and regulation

Some point to cheap aftermarket batteries as the primary factor in e-bike and e-scooter battery fires and worry that micromobility device storage bans will set back transportation decarbonization efforts.

By Dan Rosenbaum • Dec. 22, 2022

Los Angeles to speed up affordable housing production through executive order

Karen Bass, the city’s newly sworn-in mayor, is taking immediate action on homelessness with the executive order and an effort to move unhoused individuals living in encampments into hotel and motel rooms.

By Danielle McLean • Dec. 20, 2022

New York state climate panel outlines ambitious road map to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The plan is a “bold, monumental achievement,” New York’s environmental commissioner said, but the head of an independent power producer industry group said it fails to adequately address grid reliability.

By Stephen Singer • Dec. 20, 2022

U.S. homeless population remains nearly unchanged since 2020: HUD

The Biden administration’s interagency council on homelessness also released a plan that aims to reduce homelessness 25% by 2025. 

By Danielle McLean • Dec. 19, 2022

Rents drop at sharpest rate in over a decade

New York, Dallas, Miami and other U.S. metro areas experienced slower rent growth year over year, according to a report by real estate software company Yardi Matrix.

By Mary Salmonsen • Dec. 19, 2022

Miami-Dade County releases extreme heat action plan

After appointing a chief heat officer last year, the county and its neighbors are doubling down on cooling strategies and educating the public, describing extreme heat as even more harmful than hurricanes.

By Maria Rachal • Dec. 16, 2022

Wichita, Kansas, to pay landlords who accept housing vouchers

The payments would reward landlords that start or return to accepting voucher program participants, to those who accept more program participants and those who face expenses for damages or lost rent due to premature lease termination.

By Danielle McLean • Dec. 14, 2022

Rent growth expected to cool even more in 2023

A short, mild recession could slow rent growth next year, according to real estate software company Yardi Matrix.

By Mary Salmonsen • Dec. 14, 2022

Inside Houston’s approach to addressing homelessness

This series examines the factors that have led to the success of Houston’s homeless response system and the challenges the city faces and will continue to face in addressing homelessness.

By Danielle McLean • Dec. 13, 2022

Why coordinated care is key to Houston’s housing-first approach to homelessness

“A client’s ability to get assistance should not hinge on talking to the right person at the right agency on the right day with the right knowledge of some bed that they might qualify for,” one city official said.

By Danielle McLean • Dec. 13, 2022

Demand soars for EV charging at apartments

Infrastructure options and cost incentives have become more complex as the electric vehicle revolution gears up.

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Dec. 13, 2022

Are owner-occupancy requirements driving up housing costs?

Rules that require property owners to live in the homes they purchase can reduce the availability of rental housing and result in more racial and economic segregation, say affordable housing advocates and researchers.

By Karen Kroll • Dec. 12, 2022

Albuquerque, New Mexico, plans to convert hotels into affordable housing

The city wants to convert hotels and motels into permanent housing for at least 1,000 unhoused and lower-income individuals by 2025. Officials are also calling for office building conversions and less restrictive zoning.

By Danielle McLean • Dec. 9, 2022

NYC apartment owners weigh the dangers of electric bikes, scooters

Lithium-ion batteries used in mobility devices such as electric bikes and scooters have caused nearly 200 fires and six deaths in New York City this year.

By Leslie Shaver • Dec. 9, 2022

San Jose, California, to eliminate minimum parking requirements

It’s the largest city in the U.S. to ax parking requirements, according to data from the Parking Reform Network. 

By Michael Brady • Dec. 9, 2022

The states with the biggest influx of new renters

Millions of people are eager to move. Here’s where they’re headed, according to a new analysis.

By Mary Salmonsen • Dec. 7, 2022

Portland, Oregon, passed a controversial homelessness mitigation plan. Here’s why and what comes next.

Amid discontent over the city’s homelessness crisis, Portland’s city council passed resolutions to address the issue. But opponents say parts of the plan won’t work and appear politically motivated. 

By Katie Pyzyk • Dec. 6, 2022

Owning a home costs 35% more than renting in high-growth cities: report

The price gap between rentals and homeownership will be most apparent in high-growth cities such as Denver, Phoenix, Nashville, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Tampa and areas with concentrated tech employment, including the West Coast, according to a new report. 

By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Dec. 6, 2022

Houston’s housing-first model is reducing homelessness. Here’s how it works and the obstacles it faces.

Over 90% housed under Houston’s housing-first program have remained housed for over two years, city officials say. But further progress is challenged by a housing shortage and other factors.

By Danielle McLean • Dec. 5, 2022