SmartCities.org – Page 2 – Connecting the Future of Cities Today

July 28, 2020

Clean Energy Advocates Release Xcel Energy Integrated Resource Plan “Report Card”

A report card released today by clean energy advocates gave Xcel Energy high marks for retiring existing coal plants, low marks for equity, and a failing grade for their proposal to build a large gas plant in Central Minnesota.… Read More

July 27, 2020

Back to Normal? Cities Say, ‘No Thanks’

The pandemic has fundamentally changed our perception of how we can live, work, and move. We’ve figured out how to get goods and services without jumping in the car. We’ve learned that all sorts of jobs can be done from home offices. And we’ve learned that people like, and want, to walk and bike as part of their daily journey. Cleaner air, quieter neighborhoods, and healthier residents can be among the positive outcomes of the crisis for cities that were on their heels with traffic and congestion before. Smarter mobility can help retain these benefits.

July 24, 2020

Neil Seldman on Washington, D.C.’s Waste Mismanagement

Neil Seldman, Director of ILSR’s Waste to Wealth initiative, was interviewed as part of the Washington City Paper’s investigation into how much money Washington, D.C., has lost in processing trash for private waste haulers. … Read More

July 24, 2020

Why Our Best Opportunity to Challenge Corporate Control is at the Local Level (Episode 105)

In this episode of Building Local Power, host Jess Del Fiacco is joined by Zach Freed, researcher with ILSR’s Independent Business initiative, and John Farrell, ILSR co-director. The three discuss the Fighting Monopoly Power guide, ILSR’s latest release, which spans the banking, broadband, electricity, food and farming, pharmacy, small business, and waste sectors. … Read More

July 24, 2020

Mainers Commit to Rural Internet Expansion with $15 Million Bond Issue

Maine’s High-Speed Internet Infrastructure Bond Issue has passed. 76% of voters authorized the issuance of $15 million in general obligation bonds to expand broadband access for residents in underserved and unserved areas.… Read More

July 23, 2020

Why Utilities in Minnesota and Other States Need to Plan for More Competition

This report explores the undercounting of customer-sited and non-utility solar in utility distributed resource forecasting. It finds that Xcel Energy’s forecasts for distributed solar in Minnesota are strikingly low.… Read More

July 20, 2020

Laying the Foundation for Smart Communications Networks

Advanced communications networks pave the way for data mining and real-time crowdsourcing across social media platforms. For example, StreetLight Data, based in San Francisco, combines Big Data with transportation knowledge to enable smarter mobility. In Columbus, Ohio, the company has identified a link between transportation issues and infant mortality rates, noting that low-income neighborhoods often do not have easy access to health care facilities, and by using transportation data, the city can increase accessibility and reduce mortality rates.

July 17, 2020

From Ames to Waterloo: An Update on Community Broadband in Iowa

Iowa is home to many community networks, from co-ops to muni cable, fiber, and other technologies. Three communities in the state have just recently made important announcements about their plans, and several others are moving forward with networks.… Read More

July 16, 2020

Co-op Power Raises the Bar for Community Solar Nationwide — Episode 108 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

In this episode of the Local Energy Rules podcast, host John Farrell speaks with Lynn Benander from Co-op Power about community solar, its barriers, and how communities across the country are building a cleaner, cheaper future.… Read More

July 16, 2020

New Guide Gives State and Local Leaders Tools to Fight Corporate Monopolies

ILSR issued the first-ever comprehensive guide for state and local policymakers and activists seeking to combat the increasing power of corporate monopolies. More than ever, as states and cities contend with the devastating economic fallout from the Covid-19 epidemic, fighting concentrated corporate power is a crucial strategy to reassert a basic fairness into the American political and economic system. … Read More