ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of July 2, 2021
Nora's Note
Safer summers, for all. The importance of heat equity has been especially pronounced as heat waves across the United States led this week’s headlines. Extreme heat poses significant health hazards, and access to features that mitigate the impact of high heat, like tree cover, is often distributed unevenly. Programs like those that provide cooling centers and free air conditioners offer necessary short-term relief, but it's critical that we also take action to better prepare all communities for long-term increases in extreme heat.
21 Digital Trends for 2021
Over the past 20 weeks, ASC's digital strategists have explored the pros, cons and how-tos of using an emerging trend to reach wider, more representative audiences right where they are. This week, read the final Tech Trend Tuesday article to learn why we consider Citizen Experience (CX) to be the most important trend in public engagement coming out of the pandemic.
Transportation
Where U.S. e-bike ridership grew during COVID-19. From New York City to California's Bay Area, bike-share programs across the United States have seen major jumps in e-bike ridership. A nationwide analysis of bike-share programs in major U.S. cities found that e-bike trips made up more than a third of all May 2021 bike-share rides. Demand for socially distanced transportation options was a major factor in the increase of e-bike trips from 2020 to 2021, accelerating the pre-pandemic trend of adding more e-bikes to bike-share fleets seen in cities like Madison, Wisconsin. Read on for more information about how bike-share programs are adapting to the rise of e-bike ridership.
ABC 7 NY: NYC installs first curbside electric vehicle charging port in Bronx
SFGATE: It's so hot in the Pacific Northwest that roads are buckling
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Report finds racial disparities in nation's traffic deaths
NJ.com: NJ Transit scores federal grant for more electric buses
Transport Topics: Tech Giants Make Push Into Autonomous Driving
Mass Transit: Construction on new Port Authority bus terminal could start in 2024
CBS News: Politicians and automakers tout the rise of electric vehicles. But gas station owners aren't rushing to install chargers.
amNY: NYC transportation planners want you to help create a better ‘Streets Plan’
Energy/Environment
Governor Cuomo Announces More Than $9 Million Available for Carbontech Fellowship Program. To continue attracting top scientific talent to New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced an investment of more than $9 million toward the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s new Carbontech Entrepreneurial Fellowship Program. Through this NYSERDA initiative, New York will further its ambitious climate action goals by helping university scientists develop and commercialize their carbontech projects. Read on to learn more about NYSERDA's next steps toward establishing the Empire State as a hub for decarbonization tech development.
Inside Climate News: New Climate Research From a Year-Long Arctic Expedition Raises an Ozone Alarm in the High North
Buzzfeed News: The EPA Just Announced A $50 Million Push To Help Underserved Communities Tackle Pollution And Get Jobs
Grist: For Florida’s corals, no escape from climate change
NY Times: Climate Change Hits Native Americans Especially Hard
WSKG: November Ballot Queston Will Determine Right to Clean Air and Water
Electrek: Con Edison to combine battery storage and EV chargers at same site in New York
Vox: How heat waves form, and how climate change makes them worse
Energy News Network: Energy efficiency can rein in costs from healthy building air quality projects
Economic Development
Chicago pilot to address inequities in transit-oriented development. While transit-oriented development (TOD) projects can connect people to community resources and support sustainable transportation habits, they can inadvertently amplify inequities within a community. To avoid these negative impacts, Chicago launched a pilot program in June to provide financial support and technical assistance for TOD projects that focus on equity and community involvement. Read on to learn more about the new grant program connects to the city’s larger plans to ensure equitable access to transit and economic opportunity.
Cities Today: Platform calculates green infrastructure ROI
Governing: Small Cities Can’t Manage the High Cost of Old Infrastructure
Marketplace: Unemployment claims are declining again, but only slightly
Pew Stateline: Flush With Federal Cash, States Invest in Their Crowded Parks
Route Fifty: Wide Digital Divide Persists Between Low- and High-income Households
CNBC: SBA to process most aid applications for music venues and theaters by early July
Bloomberg CityLab: For Disabled Users, the ‘Open Streets’ of the Pandemic Remain Closed
ABC 7 NY: Newark's Equitable Economic Recovery Plan aims to help small businesses
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