ASC's Intersections Newsletter — Week of November 9, 2020
Transportation
Simulators Hold Potential for CDL Training and Testing, Experts Say. Truck drivers have helped keep communities afloat during the pandemic—but with a shortage of drivers before the pandemic, new pandemic-related challenges in earning a commercial driver’s license (CDL) pose a significant challenge. Traditional CDL training, for example, requires a student and instructor to sit next to each other without enough room to follow social distancing protocols. Truck driving simulators, as highlighted in a recent webinar, could help new drivers safely and effectively gain the experience they need to join the workforce. Read on to learn how modern-day simulators can improve CDL training and testing, both today and in the post-pandemic future.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: City cuts ribbons on two major Brooklyn bike lanes
Cities Today: ‘Silent’ e-scooters fitted with artificial noise to warn pedestrians
Spectrum News: Inside the New NYSDOT Traffic Management Center
Next City: Boston Area Adds ‘Rapid-Response Bus Lanes’ for Pandemic Transportation
Transportation Today: Rhode Island moves forward with multi-hub bus system, community engagement
Government Technology: Three Cities Use Smart City Concepts to Improve Transportation
The Trucker: FMCSA hopes to gain ‘traction’ for automated-vehicle tech through hands-on demos, gathering input from industry insiders
ABC 7 WKBW: Grand opening of new transportation hub in Buffalo
Energy/Environment
From design to recycling, opportunities abound to make solar more circular. With solar set to grow 50% by 2024, solar designers are faced with the responsibility of making solar a truly "renewable" product. Solar panels have a limited lifespan of 25 to 30 years, and as demand for solar increases, solar companies are also seeing an increase in consumer consciousness about recovery rates, recycling programs and circularity. To address these concerns, companies are exploring new opportunities for sustainable design that recycles the materials used in solar energy, such as crystalline, silicon and aluminum. Read on to learn more about how "circular solar" allows materials to be more efficiently used, reused and recycled.
NY Times: The Uneasy Afterlife of Our Dazzling Trash
GreenTechMedia: Long Island Could Save Money Replacing Old Peakers With Batteries, Study Finds
New Scientist: Dash of potassium could help make long-lasting electric car batteries
BBC: UK energy plant to use liquid air
PBS NewsHour: U.S. formally exits Paris pact aiming to curb climate change
Yale E360: Declining Snow Cover in U.S. Northeast Will Have Major Impacts on Rivers, Study Finds
Energy News Network: Offshore wind advocates want better coordination on electric grid upgrades
Fast Company: The U.S. is one of the world’s worst ocean plastic polluters
ScienceDaily: Past is key to predicting future climate, scientists say
Economic Development
Why we need to bring the entrepreneurship narrative back to small-business owners. Often, small businesses are the ones who think big—and think with a focus on impacting their local communities. This entrepreneurial mindset is what sets small business apart, and during the pandemic, has led many cities and towns in recovery efforts. Despite the impact that small businesses have on the national economy— for example, employing nearly half of the American workforce—many contemporary narratives about entrepreneurship focus on a small number of venture-backed companies. Read on how changing the narrative around entrepreneurship can support small businesses as they shape economic recovery and the future of our communities.
Bloomberg CityLab: A Small City Comeback, Interrupted
StateScoop: Local officials tout importance of partnerships during pandemic
Governing: U.S. Economy Hopeful as Unemployment Rate Falls
Idaho Press: Veteran-owned small business are key in economy
Buffalo Business First: Workforce development programs reinvent themselves during pandemic
Smart Cities World: St Louis to build a green jobs workforce for its clean energy economy
Niagara Frontier Publications: Start of construction of $2.5 million mixed-use redevelopment project part of downtown revitalization initiative in Batavia
Commercial Observer: Creative Resourcefulness of NYC’s BIDs Is A Boon for Area Businesses
Westfair Communications: ‘Needle moving in right direction’ for CT manufacturers
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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