How community leaders can plan for (and execute) a sustainable city

We're obligated as a society to care for the environment where we live, work and play. The map has been drawn; we simply need to follow the path.

By Steve Smith • July 23, 2019

Mayors declare heat emergencies as cities face power outages, health risks

Weekend heat waves across the U.S. were responsible for at least six deaths, raising concerns about the risks of changing climates.

By Kristin Musulin • July 22, 2019

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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

Pittsburgh's smart garbage cans help streamline public works

By installing more than 1,200 smart cans, the city faces an estimated $1.54 million in savings annually. 

By Jason Plautz • July 22, 2019

Study: 'Artificial snow' could save ice sheet, prevent sea level rise

Controversial geo-engineering and other drastic measures may need to occur if climate change policy solutions don't happen quickly enough. 

By Jason Plautz • July 19, 2019

Transforming small cities from manufacturing centers into tech hubs

The tech workforce needs not only well-paid jobs, but a place they want to go home to at night from those jobs. The latter is easier said than done. 

By Nigel Wilson • July 19, 2019

Mayors call for new 'Marshall Plan,' federal resiliency office to fight climate change

A committee of 10 Democrats promised to continue studying climate change, holding more hearings and fostering partnerships with governments at all other levels as well as with the private sector.

By Chris Teale • July 18, 2019

Berkeley, CA sets historic law banning natural gas from new buildings

Berkeley is the first U.S. city to pass such a measure, designed to curb GHG emissions and prepare new buildings for electric infrastructure.

By Kristin Musulin • July 18, 2019

Portland, OR creates equitable mobility pricing task force

Dylan Rivera of the Portland Bureau of Transportation said the city hopes to bring congestion and pollution "relief" to the public "as soon as possible."

By Katie Pyzyk • July 17, 2019

Reduce, reuse, rescoot? A look at e-scooters' long-term sustainability

Scooters are touted as a low-cost, clean form of transportation, yet their life span is far from sustainable — and their parts could pose a danger to recycling facilities.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 17, 2019

LA seeks neighborhood buy-in to boost earthquake preparedness

Mayor Garcetti announced "Ready Your LA Neighborhood," a re-emphasis on city preparedness, but the effort may lack community-wide involvement. 

By Kira Barrett • July 16, 2019

6 steps for staying secure in a smart world

Many people see the internet as part of the furniture, something as ubiquitous as hot water. But it's crucial that networks are nurtured and proactively protected.

By Will Evans • July 16, 2019

Mayors resolve to stop paying ransomware hackers

The resolution, made at the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Annual Meeting, came just after two Florida cities paid their attackers' ransom demands.

By Samantha Schwartz • July 15, 2019

3 key themes that will drive cities' strategies for job creation

"The future of work in America" report assessed how tech and automation will impact labor fields, productivity and economic development in cities.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 15, 2019

US cities average a failing grade on UN sustainability report card

Lagging execution of the Sustainable Development Goals should "provide flashing red lights" to communities, according to the network's director. 

By Kristin Musulin • July 15, 2019

Northeast Maglev exec teases high-speed rail benefits

While the advanced trains could drastically improve regional transit, experts warned that smart cities must also prioritize "the basics."

By Cailin Crowe • July 12, 2019

77% of global cities will experience 'striking shift' in climate by 2050

Nearly a quarter of global cities will experience extreme climate conditions not currently found in any city, a new report in journal PLOS One found.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 12, 2019

National parks get EV chargers through BMW partnership

One hundred EV chargers are being installed at parks across the country with industry-standard plugs for use across different brands.

By Jason Plautz • July 10, 2019

Boston's first move on 'zero waste' plan indicates large-scale ambitions

The city released an RFI seeking ideas for a program to reduce the estimated 54,700 tons of residential food and yard waste disposed of each year. 

By Cole Rosengren • July 10, 2019

Mayors left out of Trump's environmental leadership address

The president applauded his administration's work on environmental stewardship in an address on Monday. There was no praise for leadership on the local level.

By Kristin Musulin • July 9, 2019

Rockefeller Foundation launches new climate and resilience initiative

The initiative is one of three pathways for the foundation to transition its urban resilience work as 100 Resilient Cities disbands this month. 

By Katie Pyzyk • July 9, 2019

ShakeAlert app did not alert Los Angeles residents of weekend quakes

Despite 6.4- and 7.1-magnitude earthquakes that rocked Southern California, officials said the tremors weren't intense enough to set off the app.

By Kristin Musulin • July 8, 2019

Report: Pittsburgh could reduce carbon emissions 75% by 2030

Siemens' City Performance Tool found the city could exceed its climate goals by expanding district heating systems and implementing electric buses and car-sharing, among other initiatives.

By Cailin Crowe • July 8, 2019

Philadelphia takes strides in combating opioid crisis: 'If we fail, we want to fail fast'

A new progress report highlights the work 35 city departments have done to curb opioid use. "It's easy to collapse under the weight of this," the city's managing director told Smart Cities Dive.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 8, 2019

Hawaii to combat climate change with carbon-injected concrete

The green concrete can reduce embodied carbon by 25 pounds per cubic yard, according to the state's transportation department.

By Jason Plautz • July 8, 2019

Trump: Federal government could 'intercede' on homelessness crisis

During a Fox News interview, the president said homelessness is a problem that started two years ago. "We've never had this in our lives before," he said.

By Katie Pyzyk • July 3, 2019