Urban Tech News Roundup
Big Stories
Sidewalk Labs is in final negotiations with Toronto to build a smart city from the ground up on a 12-acre site.
This is what America's eco-city of the future looks like. The Guardian
Uber and Lyft lead to more vehicle usage in urban areas, leading some to call for congestion pricing. Curbed
When big cities thrive, smaller cities are often left behind. NYT
Georgetown, Texas, a city where all power comes from renewable sources.
Transportation and Mobility
Here’s why Tesla will have trouble hitting its 5k weekly output during the fourth quarter. Wards Auto
How cities are starting to plan for the autonomous driving future. FastCo
California may allow fully driverless cars on its roads as early as 2018. Wired
Will infrastructure be the biggest bottleneck for the adoption of EVs? Bloomberg
A startup called Mapper is attaching cameras to vehicles to provide a constantly up to date map of the nation’s roads. Wired
A white paper by Madrona Venture Group is calling for special lanes to be created for self-driving cars on the I-5 freeway. Whitepaper
Bikesharing has its own bipartisan lobby group in Washington. NextCity
Urban Planning
Sidewalk Labs launched Cityblock Health to bring quality healthcare to underserved communities. Sidewalk Talk
Ending HOV lanes and pro-car pooling policy in Jakarta led to an 87% increase in rush hour traffic. Scientific American
The smartest Americans are heading West. Bloomberg
What do Houston’s pro-growth boosters think after Hurricane Harvey caused $100B in damage in the city? CityLab Related: Distressed investors are buying Houston homes for 40 cents on the dollar.
The rise of the rich renter. CityLab
Venture capital investments remain highly concentrated in just a few cities. CityLab
Urban greening is the key to better public health. Nature Conservancy
The unique opportunities of midsized cities. Urbanophile
Smart Cities Summit is happening next week in Chicago. Website
Alternative Energy
Is solar the answer to Puerto Rico’s blackout? CityLab
Startup Edisun claims world’s largest rooftop solar tracker. Solar Industry
A guide for pathways to solar power for multi-family residents. IREC
90% of businesses say the government should provide tax incentives and research funding for innovation in sustainable energy. Harvard Report
Pollution and Climate Change
Animal farming looks as incompatible with a sustainable future for humans and other species as mining coal. The Guardian
New climate norms mean that roads will suffer and road maintenance costs will rise significantly over the coming years. Smart Cities Dive