A Comic Book About Housing Michael Lewyn Wed, 05/22/2024 - 05:00 Numerous books have been written about the evils of local regulations that limit housing supply: some seem designed to appeal primarily to scholars, while others are a little more geared to a popular audience. But in Build, Baby, Build, Caplan does something unique: make the case for land use deregulation in a graphic novel format, while addressing many of the counterarguments used to defend the status quo.    Caplan begins with a simple question: why are some places more expensive than others?  For example, why ..read more

NHTSA Launches Investigations Into Two More Self-Driving Automakers Diana Ionescu Tue, 05/21/2024 - 11:00 Primary Image Primary Image Caption A Waymo autonomous car in San Francisco, California. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is separately investigating Waymo and Zoox, two autonomous car makers, over the behavior of their self-driving vehicles. According to an article by Haley Cawthon in Smart Cities Dive, the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation received 22 reports of Waymo self-driving cars crashing into stationary or semi-stationary objects. “Meanwhile ..read more

Austin Reduces Minimum Lot Size Diana Ionescu Tue, 05/21/2024 - 10:00 Primary Image Primary Image Caption Townhomes in Austin, Texas. The Austin City Council voted to reduce the city’s minimum lot size for single-family homes as part of its effort to make housing construction more affordable and encourage gentle density increases. As Joshua Fechter notes in The Texas Tribune, the new lot size rule reduces minimum lot size from 5,750 square feet to 1,800 square feet. “The council also voted to allow apartment buildings to be built closer to single-family homes and denser development along ..read more

AI’s Thirst for Energy Threatens Electric Grids Diana Ionescu Tue, 05/21/2024 - 09:00 Primary Image The growing ubiquity of artificial intelligence poses a serious challenge to worldwide energy grids, writes Dan Lohrmann in GovTech. Citing multiple news stories ranging in tone from alarm to boosterism, Lohrmann assesses the landscape and how experts perceive the future of AI versus energy conservation. An article in Barrons notes that “While AI’s surging demand may not lead to mass electrical outages, the AI boom is already changing how data centers are built and where they’re located, and ..read more

New Map Compiles Parking Reform Efforts Nationwide Diana Ionescu Tue, 05/21/2024 - 08:00 Primary Image A new interactive map from the Parking Reform Network tracks state-level parking reform legislation. “This new tool is designed to provide a valuable reference for policymakers, advocates, and anyone interested in promoting smarter parking policies,” writes Griffin Stotland, a PRN research intern who led the project. The map’s key features include: National Coverage: Our interactive StoryMap currently provides an overview of 64 state-level parking reform bills, including those that have ..read more

When Small Projects Make a Big Impact Diana Ionescu Sun, 05/19/2024 - 07:00 Primary Image “While the multi-million dollar highway project might sound impressive, it is the small-scale infrastructure projects—bike lanes, raised crossings, and the like—that are most visible and tangible to people’s lives,” write Chris McCahill and Katya Spear in a piece published by the Mayors Innovation Project. The article calls out the minimal federal investment that goes toward pedestrian and bike infrastructure and highlights the benefits of smaller projects. According to the authors, “Small-scale infra ..read more

Two and a Half Cheers for the Tech Billionaires Alan Mallach Sun, 05/19/2024 - 05:00 Primary Image Caption Rendering of proposed development and greenbelt. Nobody loves tech billionaires, for lots of good reasons. But every once in a long while, some of them just might stumble on an idea that could benefit a lot of people in important ways. And when that happens, we should not only acknowledge it, but try to help make it a success. I’m talking about the proposal to build a new city in Solano County, California, which has been given the unfortunate name of California Forever by some tone-de ..read more

Northwest Power Demand Could Surge as Data Centers, Transportation Electrification Ramps Up Diana Ionescu Fri, 05/17/2024 - 08:00 Primary Image Primary Image Caption The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington is the largest hydropower producer in the United States. Projected electricity demand in the U.S. Northwest will likely grow by 30 percent in the next decade, a growth rate faster than previously expected, writes Alex Baumhardt in Governing. The increased demand is in part due to the large number of data centers being built in the region as well as greater demand for electric home appliance ..read more

California Testing Per-Mile Gas Tax Alternatives Diana Ionescu Fri, 05/17/2024 - 07:00 Primary Image Gas taxes make up roughly 80 percent of California road and highway repair funding, but as more drivers switch to electric cars and the state prepares to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars in 2035, that key funding source is in peril. California authorities are trialing alternative revenue generators. “The new pilot program will pay Californian drivers of any vehicle type up to $400 to test alternative options for six months starting in August,” explains Alia Shoaib in Newsweek. The prog ..read more

After Months of Decreases, Rents Nationwide Are Going Up Diana Ionescu Fri, 05/17/2024 - 06:00 Primary Image Rents around the country are once again climbing after months of decline, reports Mary Salmonsen in Smart Cities Dive. “Overall, rents are up $12 this year to date, and only off by $2 from the all-time high of $1,727 set last summer,” Salmonsen adds. Rents in the single-family build-to-rent sector rose to their all-time high, $2,154, while occupancy in this sector remains high at 95.4 percent. In Boston, year-over-year rent for build-to-rent properties rose by 20 percent.  Desp ..read more