ASC's Intersections Newsletter — July 7, 2023
Nora's Note
Open for all. As we honor Disability Pride Month this July, the ASC team is taking stock of the best tools and techniques built to expand accessibility and inclusion in public engagement planning. With one in four adults in the US living with a disability, comprehensive public engagement planning must place accessibility at the center. Thirty-three years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), technological advances have greatly expanded the ways in which civic planning projects can reach and include all audiences. At ASC, we are proud to lead in the field of inclusive public engagement planning from start to finish, ensuring our processes not only ADA compliant, but also actively seeking new ways to inform in-person, hybrid, and digital public engagement best practices. Here’s a quick tip—we’ve added an accessibility adjustment to ASC’s website, which allows users to modify the appearance of the site to meet a broad range of user needs. If you have difficulty applying it, let us know.
Transportation
Infrastructure funding is bringing zero-emission buses to communities that need them most. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has allotted nearly $1.7 billion towards the advancement of green public transportation. Two new FTA initiatives will fund 130 projects across 46 states and territories in various stages of the transition to lower-emission buses—from procuring buses and charging stations to supporting workforce development programs for the new vehicles’ maintenance. Read more to learn how communities from Seneca Nation in Western New York to the Seattle metropolitan area will use the funding to advance the equitable rollout of lower-emission buses. (Source: Grist)
AP News: The US government is awarding $1.7 billion to buy electric and low-emission buses
Mass Transit Mag: WMATA increasing service, implementing courtesy stop option for late night riders
The Conversation: Right-to-charge laws bring the promise of EVs to apartments, condos and rentals
Gothamist: NYC congestion pricing gets key federal approval, possibly in place by April 2024
Climate
New law may give PFAS-contaminated farms an alternative income source through solar. Over the course of the past five years, a sharp rise in contamination from PFAS, aka “forever chemicals”, has led to a loss of approximately 10% of Maine’s farmland (50 farms). A new law has been passed that may allow for the contaminated farms to utilize solar projects as an alternative source of revenue, in the hopes of preserving the remaining farmland. Read more to learn how this new law could benefit farmers and their land, while simultaneously increasing renewable energy production in Maine. (Source: Maine Public)
Environmental Health News: Minnesota enacts nation’s broadest ban of “forever chemicals”
Canary Media: Steam made by heat pumps can help clean up industry and manufacturing
Delaware Online: Delaware lawmakers pass bill to reduce greenhouses gas net emissions by 100% by 2050
The Guardian: Saved by seaweed: nuns and Native women heal polluted New York waters using kelp
Economic Development
Boston looks to boost employee productivity with generative AI guidance. Cities around the US are working to establish guidelines for the responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. Boston's recently released interim guidelines emphasize generative AI as an assistive tool, not a replacement, for human expertise and contextual understanding. Transparency and accountability measures aim to guard against bias by holding individuals accountable for the outcomes generated by technology. Read more about how cities aim to ensure responsible and accountable use of generative AI. (Source: Route Fifty)
Gothamist: NY lawmakers close ‘Frankenstein’ loophole used by landlords to spike regulated rents
Smart Cities Dive: To improve multifamily housing energy efficiency and resiliency, HUD offers $4.8B for retrofits
Axios: New law protecting pregnant workers set to take effect — and it's a big deal
Route Fifty: A different kind of green bank—one that targets affordable housing
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