Articles tagged with "urban-planning"
Wowza — NYC Congestion Pricing Cut Pollution 22% In Just 6 Months! - CleanTechnica
New York City implemented congestion pricing on January 5, 2025, aiming to reduce pollution by charging vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ) in Manhattan below 60th Street. Data from 42 air quality monitors showed a significant 22% reduction in PM2.5 pollution within just six months. Specifically, average daily peak PM2.5 concentrations dropped by 3.05 µg/m³ inside the zone, where background levels typically range from 8-9 µg/m³. Importantly, pollution also decreased citywide by 1.07 µg/m³ and by 0.70 µg/m³ across the broader metropolitan area, countering concerns that traffic and pollution would simply shift to neighboring areas. The effectiveness of the CRZ improved over time as drivers adapted by switching to public transit, rescheduling trips, or taking alternative routes. Vehicle traffic declined by 11% overall, with heavy-duty truck traffic dropping 18% and passenger vehicles down
energypollution-reductioncongestion-pricingurban-planningair-qualitypublic-healthtransportation-policyWorld's buildings mapped for the first time in high-resolution 3D map
Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have created the GlobalBuildingAtlas, the first comprehensive high-resolution 3D digital map of the world’s man-made environment, encompassing 2.75 billion buildings. This dataset, developed using 2019 satellite imagery and funded by the ERC Starting Grant, offers a resolution 30 times finer than previous global maps, with each building modeled at a 3-by-3 meter scale. Approximately 97% of the buildings are represented as Level of Detail 1 (LoD1) models, providing simplified yet sufficiently detailed three-dimensional geometry suitable for urban structure analysis, volume calculations, and infrastructure planning. Unlike earlier datasets that focused mainly on affluent urban areas, this new map includes broad coverage of historically underrepresented regions such as Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and rural zones worldwide. The 3D data enables more accurate assessments of urbanization and poverty by capturing building volume, not just footprints, leading to better insights into living conditions. A
energyurban-planning3D-mappingsatellite-imageryclimate-adaptationsustainable-developmentinfrastructure-planningHow Will Boston And Other Coastal Cities Fight Sea Level Rise? - CleanTechnica
The article discusses the challenges Boston and other coastal cities face due to rising sea levels and the efforts underway to mitigate flood risks. Boston’s Seaport District, developed since the 1980s on former mud flats, has become a hub of luxury real estate, cultural institutions, and commercial activity. However, nearly all structures built in the last 25 years in the Seaport are projected to be at flood risk by 2050, with about $7.6 billion in real estate sitting partly within a 100-year floodplain. Flooding threatens not only buildings but also critical infrastructure like streets and tunnels, potentially reducing the area's appeal to tenants and diminishing the tax base that supports city services. Additionally, about 100,000 residents in Boston’s low-lying waterfront neighborhoods face flood exposure by the 2050s. To address these risks, Boston is investing heavily in coastal resilience projects through initiatives like Climate Ready Boston and the Coastal Resilience Solutions plan. The city’s Office of Climate Resilience
energyclimate-changecoastal-resilienceflood-mitigationurban-planninginfrastructuresea-level-riseBoston Dynamics partners with Analog to deploy robots in the UAE - The Robot Report
Boston Dynamics and Analog Studios FZ LLC have formed an exclusive regional partnership to deploy Boston Dynamics’ Spot robots across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), starting with practical applications such as park inspections, environmental and accessibility monitoring, and preventive maintenance. Analog, based in Abu Dhabi, will serve as Boston Dynamics’ sole certified reseller, integrator, and service partner in the UAE, as well as a premier partner for the broader Middle East and North Africa region. Together, they plan to co-develop a next-generation robotics platform that integrates Analog’s AI intelligence to enhance urban planning, citizen services, and facility monitoring, including safety, quality, compliance, security, and predictive maintenance. A key element of the partnership is the integration of Spot robots with Analog’s country-scale world model of the UAE, which functions as sovereign national infrastructure. This high-fidelity, continuously updated model supports real-time decision-making by providing a shared context that enables robots and physical systems to navigate, coordinate, and act safely and efficiently.
roboticsBoston-DynamicsAI-integrationfacility-monitoringpredictive-maintenanceurban-planningphysical-intelligenceRising seas endanger 100 million buildings in Global South: Report
A new study led by McGill University warns that rising sea levels could threaten over 100 million buildings across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, particularly in low-lying, densely populated coastal regions of the Global South. The research involved a detailed building-by-building analysis using elevation data and satellite imagery to assess flood risks under various sea level rise scenarios ranging from 0.5 to 20 meters. Even under the most optimistic emissions reductions, a 0.5-meter rise could inundate around three million buildings, while failure to curb fossil fuel emissions could lead to rises of five meters or more within centuries, putting up to 100 million buildings at risk of regular flooding. The study highlights that sea level rise is an inevitable, long-term consequence of global warming that will continue for centuries, threatening entire communities, infrastructure, and cultural heritage sites. The researchers emphasize the importance of using their publicly available interactive map to help urban planners and policymakers identify high-risk areas and implement climate adaptation strategies such as protective infrastructure
energyclimate-changesea-level-risecoastal-infrastructurefossil-fuelsenvironmental-riskurban-planningNew Canadian Transit Fund Aligns Housing & Mobility, Retires Flawed Hydrogen Push - CleanTechnica
Canada is overhauling its public transit funding approach by replacing the temporary Zero Emission Transit Fund (ZETF) with a permanent, predictable Canada Public Transit Fund starting in 2026. This new fund commits about $30 billion over the first decade and $3 billion annually thereafter, providing stable, long-term support that enables transit agencies to plan fleet renewals and infrastructure upgrades with confidence. Unlike the ZETF, which was short-term, application-driven, and narrowly focused, the new fund integrates transit capital into core federal infrastructure funding with baseline regional allocations and targeted competitive calls for projects addressing priorities like electrification and active transportation. A key innovation of the new fund is its alignment of transit planning with housing development through Metro-Region Agreements and Integrated Regional Plans, promoting coordinated growth that avoids car-dependent sprawl. This approach reflects lessons from Singapore’s transit-oriented housing model and responds to Canada’s housing and climate challenges by ensuring public investment supports livable, low-carbon urban environments. Additionally, the fund continues to
energypublic-transitelectric-busessustainable-transportationinfrastructure-fundinglow-carbon-citiesurban-planningCalifornia Pivots: Cutting CEQA Red Tape To Boost Housing & Climate Goals - CleanTechnica
California has enacted a significant reform to its longstanding environmental review law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), by exempting many urban multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) from its extensive review process. This legislative change, embodied in Assembly Bill 130 (AB 130) signed in 2025, aims to accelerate infill housing development in urban areas by reducing delays, costs, and legal uncertainties that have historically hindered housing projects. The reform applies to projects on parcels under 20 acres that meet density requirements, are properly zoned, and avoid environmentally sensitive or historic sites. Some taller projects must also comply with labor provisions as part of political compromises. CEQA, originally enacted in 1970 to protect the environment and provide public accountability, has over time been criticized for being exploited to block or delay developments, including those aligned with climate and housing goals. Lawsuits often came from groups with limited environmental credentials, serving as tools for neighborhood opposition or competing interests, which impeded urban
energyclimate-changehousing-developmentenvironmental-policyurban-planningCalifornia-legislationsustainabilityBerlin on Verge of Creating Gigantic Car-Free Zone - CleanTechnica
Berlin is on the verge of establishing a massive car-free zone in its city center, potentially becoming one of the largest pedestrian and bike-friendly urban areas worldwide. The proposed zone would be bounded by the Ringbahn, a 22-mile railway encircling central Berlin, making it larger than Manhattan. This initiative, led by the Volksentscheid Berlin Autofrei campaign since 2020, aims to significantly reduce private automobile traffic in the core of the city, promoting human-powered transport like walking and biking to enhance livability and environmental sustainability. Despite strong opposition from pro-car groups and legal challenges from the Berlin Senate—who argued the proposal was unconstitutional, causing a three-year delay—the initiative is moving forward. A recent court decision has cleared procedural hurdles, allowing the campaign to resume signature collection and potentially hold a referendum in 2026. Advocates see this as a crucial step toward transforming Berlin’s transport policy and aligning it with other global cities like Paris and Bogotá, which have successfully reclaimed public spaces for pedestrians and
energyclean-technologyelectric-vehiclessustainable-transportationurban-planningcar-free-zonesgreen-cities