Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized that it will be a priority for his department to work directly with local governments, rather than relying more heavily on states to represent the interests of cities, counties and other localities.
Vehicle crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists fell by 50% and total crashes by 17% on streets with artistic design features, according to a new report from
@BloombergDotOrg
. (Article by
@AndreClaudio_1
)
Electric buses are cheaper to run compared to ones with internal combustion engines thanks to the economics of fuel and maintenance. Should more US cities be looking to convert their fleets?
Reno, Nevada, has one of the worst
#AffordableHousing
shortages in the U.S. Yet city officials let an out-of-state
#Casino
owner displace hundreds of low-income residents so he could one day build an entertainment complex. (
@AnjeanetteDamon
,
@propublica
)
With traffic deaths at “stubbornly high” levels, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg launched an effort Friday to rally all corners of the transportation industry to work to make American streets safer.
By
@danvock
The top score on the Police Scorecard, and the only A, went to Carlsbad, a coastal community north of San Diego that received a 90%, partially due to the fact that it was one of 15 cities with no instances of deadly force during the study’s timeframe.
We're excited to welcome
@GreeneBarrett
to Route Fifty, where they'll write a twice-monthly column offering their perspective on key management issues of concern to state and local government managers!
@GreeneBarrett
thoroughly excited with new relationship, as columnists and senior advisers
@RouteFifty
. A huge adventure with great people. Please retweet this. We want our regular sources to know where they can find us!
The Biden administration will dole out $368 million in grants to improve passenger and freight rail around the country, with the money going towards projects in 32 states. (By
@danvock
)
A new assessment of California police departments, looking at factors like use of force and solving homicides, comes up with a bracing finding. Most departments are failing.
As Feds Update Auto Safety Standards, City Official Want a Say | Groups like
@NACTO
and
@BikeLeague
want to see changes to help to prevent crashes that injure or kill pedestrians and cyclists. (
@danvock
reports for
@routefifty
.)
Americans are getting one of their first glimpses of major new spending under last year’s infrastructure law, as the Biden administration Thursday announced 166 major transportation projects that will receive $2.2 billion in grant funding. (by
@danvock
)
Nearly $112 million in federal funding is available to cities and states looking to prevent collisions by building routes that help animals safely cross highways. 🦌
Mayors called on leaders in D.C. to reopen the federal government while highlighting their efforts to help federal employees and others hurt by the shutdown.
Leaders hope to create a national
#ParentalRightsMovement
, starting with school board activism. The group already has 135 chapters in 35 states. (Article by
@tshoop
)
"My mission ... is to run to the fire – not to wait for them to come to us – but for us to go to them,"
@MitchLandrieu46
says of the Biden administration efforts to work with states and localities on the rollout of the infrastructure law. (By
@danvock
)
As part of
#FutureCities2021
, Route Fifty Presents: 10 Mayors to Watch. Our inaugural list recognizing local leaders who are tackling some of the most pressing issues facing cities today.
Black farmers make up a tiny portion of the farmers across the country. But some want to change that in the emerging legalized hemp sector. (Via
@pewtrusts
)
The superstar singer
@rihanna
's
@ClaraLionelFdn
foundation is doling out grants to organizations focused on and led by women, youth, Black, Indigenous, people of color and LGBTQIA+ communities. (Article by
@AndreClaudio_1
)
In Chicago, work requirements for public housing didn't lead to higher incomes or the ability to move on to market-rate apartments, a new study from
@urbaninstitute
says.
After years of regulatory and court battles, the federal government will cap how much state prisons and local jails can charge inmates for calls.
By
@Kery_Murakami
At a recent White House event, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and several other administration officials discussed ways to keep projects “on time, on task and on budget.”
Transportation secretary nominee and former mayor Pete Buttigieg said in a confirmation hearing on Thursday that U.S. DOT should do more to support local governments as they seek federal infrastructure funding for projects.
As public libraries across the nation begin handing out Covid-19 testing kits and N95 masks, librarians have become the latest frontline workers. (Article by
@AndreClaudio_1
)
States learned today how much they are getting of the nation’s nearly $42.5 billion investment in broadband under the bipartisan infrastructure act. Nineteen states will receive at least $1 billion,
@Kery_Murakami
reports.
Governments aren't just having a tough time hiring police and firefighters. In their latest column,
@GreeneBarrett
explore the repercussions of emergency dispatcher shortages.
A new
@usmayors
survey found that 113 out of 117 mayors in 36 states, or 97%, said the number of people seeking help for issues ranging from substance abuse to depression to loneliness has increased in the last couple of years.
@Kery_Murakami
Small cities typically have a tough time competing against large ones for federal funds.
@leagueofcities
is looking to change that by running a series of grant application workshops.
With plans for cycling trails, electric street sweepers and EV charging stations, big federal dollars for small state projects aim to get more cars off the roads.
via
@stateline_news
Instead of creating cool new gadgets, "the results of innovation in San Jose’s City Hall make our community safer, smarter and more sustainable."
#civictech
The rise in pedestrian deaths after the start of the pandemic came largely because of increased fatalities in areas where streets are not designed to accommodate walkers, according to new research. (by
@danvock
)
"Facemask use by the public could significantly reduce the rate of COVID-19 spread, prevent further disease waves and allow less stringent lock-down regimes."
Despite warnings about rising inequity in America, a new
@leagueofcities
report is not one-dimensional doom and gloom. There are some bright spots, too.
#NLC2017
To stave off an impending eviction wave—which could set off a ripple effect of higher societal costs—cities and states are looking to provide new legal protections for renters by establishing “right to counsel” programs.
New data shows that government assistance during the pandemic dramatically reduced homelessness. So why are cities and states increasingly turning to criminalization to address the issue?
Community colleges are big winners in a federal program that aims to spark regional economic development and train workers in emerging industries. (by
@capitolwatch
)
Restaurants and bars located along streets that New York City closed to cars during the pandemic outperformed their pre-Covid sales and fared better than eating and drinking establishments on nearby corridors that remained open to vehicle traffic.
After taking a hit during the first year of the pandemic, scooter and bike share services made a comeback in 2021 for their second-busiest year on record,
@danvock
reports.
Another $3 billion could be on the way from Washington for neighborhoods that have long been cleaved apart by highways and other infrastructure, if a major spending bill now pending in the U.S. Senate becomes law.
@danvock
reports.
After getting and overcoming Covid-19, Chaz Molder, the mayor of Columbia, Tennessee, said he now sometimes gets questions about why he still wears masks. His answer? "Because I’m asking others to do it."
In 2019 state of the city speeches, mayors focused on issues like parks and infrastructure. While still a big focus, there was less emphasis on public safety, a
@leagueofcities
report found.
A new initiative by the
@VolckerAlliance
aims to build out regional councils that will help local, state and federal government leaders connect with universities to better recruit future employees.
New research supports the idea that economic distress sparked the opioid epidemic. But others say the true causes are far more complicated (Via
@TheAtlantic
)
Building dense housing near transit systems could boost affordable housing, reduce emissions and promote walkability—so why isn't it happening? Expert
@yfreemark
discusses the challenges of balancing land use and transit capacity.
✍️
@danvock
"The New Normal" survey from
@TheAtlas4Cities
is seeking input from local government leaders and staff about which pandemic-era changes for their jurisdictions may be permanent, and which may be fleeting.
@_The_Atlas
is an online forum that allows local governments to showcase successful public-private partnership projects in a slick, easy-to-understand way.
"People here want more walking and biking. They want it to be safe. The city has promised that, but they haven’t been delivering it as fast as people want, so that’s part of the frustration."
On Denver's ballot next week: sidewalks.🚶🚲 👩🦽
By
@danvock
State and local governments are scrambling to get billions in relief funding to renters as time runs out on eviction bans. “The moratorium has to last long enough for the rental assistance program to do its job."
The
@Mapbox
platform makes use of open-source OpenStreetMap and the Amazon Web Services cloud for scale to aggregate 250 million miles of telemetry data each day along with datasets customers provide.
White House
#infrastructure
special adviser DJ Gribbin at
#USCMwinter18
: "Our infrastructure proposal, when we introduce it, will not include new revenue." More from
@bill_lucia
: