Happy Holidays—Week of December 21, 2020

Nora's Note

This holiday season is unlike any other, to cap off a year unlike any other. Throughout this season, and as we move into a new (and hopefully better) year, we wish you moments of peace amid the difficulties, connections with family and friends even if they can’t be in person, the warmth of memories from holidays past and wonderful glimpses of the joy that still lives under the surface.


Transportation

Transportation construction activity to fall modestly next year. Even as travel decreased in 2020, progress on many transportation projects continued. In their annual transportation construction forecast, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) notes that a record $294.2 billion worth of construction work was completed on projects in 2020, a 4 percent increase from 2019. With new safety protocols in place, projects continued, but in 2021, ARTBA anticipates a 5.5 percent drop in transportation construction work, reflecting general economic uncertainty and reduced transportation-related revenue related to reduced travel. The forecast is more hopeful for 2022, when it anticipates growth in transportation construction could resume. Read on to learn more about the factors that will impact transportation construction in the new year.

  • FHWA Public Roads: Detecting Bridge Corrosion with a Robotic Magnetic-based NDE System

  • NextCity: Creating Lasting, Equitable and Renewable-Energy Car Sharing in the Twin Cities

  • NJ Spotlight News: NJ Transit’s train control system gets federal approval

  • The Verge: How to keep the bike boom from fizzling out

  • Greater Greater Washington: Driving while distracted increases during the pandemic, a study reveals

  • Engadget: It was a massive year for electric bikes and scooters

  • NGT News: New Signage Leads Connecticut Motorists to Alternative Fuel Corridors

  • Planetizen: $544 Million in Transit Capital Investment Funding Announced


Energy/Environment

Battery Storage Prices Continue to Fall, Moving Carbon Free Grid Closer to Reality. The cost of utility-scale battery storage continued to drop in 2020, hastening the day when renewable energy will become mainstream and a carbon-free power grid can become a reality. According to the Energy Information Administration, this price drop—70 percent between 2015 and 2018—is largely due to improvements in lithium-ion battery technology, spurred by the race to commercialize electric vehicles. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory projects mid-range costs for such batteries to fall another 45 percent between 2018 and 2030. Read on to find out how this will play out in California, which will soon be home to the world’s large battery project, and New York City, where the 316-megawatt Ravenswood battery storage project will be able to replace two natural gas peaker plants in Queens.

  • Utility Dive: Fed joins global climate-focused network of central banks

  • ABC News: New form of solar energy to enter US market

  • Energy News Network: As pandemic continues, Vermont home weatherization visits go virtual

  • NPR: 2020 May Be The Hottest Year On Record. Here's The Damage It Did

  • Greentech Media: Report Outlines How US Could Reach 50% Renewables by 2030

  • PV Magazine: How does your state rank on the ACEEE energy efficiency scorecard?

  • CleanTechnica: US Energy Department Puts $21 Million Into New Offshore Wind Energy Tech Projects

  • Phys.org: Research breakthrough could transform clean energy technology


Economic Development

How the pandemic may have reshaped New York City’s streetscape forever. As New Yorkers began venturing outside mid-pandemic, officials responded by opening over 83 miles of roadway to cyclists, runners and walkers, and allowing nearly 11,000 restaurants to expand their businesses onto the sidewalks. The City’s “Open” programs hinted at what New York streets might look like in the future, and what new economic and cultural opportunities may evolve. Read on to see how these streets could permanently be reimagined.

  • Statescoop: Illinois announces computer refurbishing program to close digital divide

  • Commercial Observer: Gowanus Rezoning Could Include New Space for Artists, Light Manufacturing

  • Mass Transit: FTA awards $6.2 million in TOD planning grants

  • Route Fifty: The New Plans to Remake Appalachia’s Economy

  • Gothamist: Young Chinese New Yorkers Rally Around Chinatown’s Businesses. That May Not Be Enough To Keep Them Open.

  • NYup: With jobs to fill, Oneida Nation expands recruiting for Turning Stone, other casinos

  • The City: These Brooklyn Businesses Survived the Pandemic’s First Nine Months. But January Looks Bleak Without Another PPP Loan

  • Westfair Communications: Ivy Realty proposes mixed-use, 203-unit building in Port Chester


New at ASC

Our recent webinar “How to Maximize Your Virtual Engagement" with CEOs Nora Madonick (ASC) and Rebecca Karp (Karp Strategies) is now available on-demand.

  • Learn to use new technology to reach and engage audiences

  • Find out what works and what doesn’t

  • Take away guidance from real-world scenarios

The webinar showcased the teams' collaboration—Toolkit for Virtual Engagement—and you can download it today at ascRemote to build a strategy to meet your audiences where they are to advance the civic planning projects and initiatives that will speed recovery.

Get in touch to learn how our signature approach can work for you.

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ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of January 4, 2021

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ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of December 14, 2020