Latest news with #SmartCitiesDive
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers unveil innovative tool to tackle growing problem with city design: 'Many cities lack consistent, street-level data'
Researchers unveil innovative tool to tackle growing problem with city design: 'Many cities lack consistent, street-level data' This new technology could lead to greener, healthier cities. A new report by Smart Cities Dive looked into a new open-source artificial intelligence model by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis that tracks vegetation growth and loss in urban environments. Canopy coverage in cities is measured by a metric known as the Green View Index, and this new AI tool found that greenery has decreased by between 0.3% and 0.5% per year. Although the decline in green areas is concerning, this technological advancement has made tracking canopy coverage easier than ever. Hopefully, this will lead to more trees being planted in places that lack access to green space and inspire city planners to prioritize making urban areas greener. Green spaces are known to have a positive impact on mental and physical health and can make exercise more enjoyable and accessible. According to The Health Foundation, neighborhoods with more access to greenery tend to have a higher life expectancy. Increased tree coverage could have an even more tangible impact on life-and-death situations by reducing heat-related deaths. One article in the Journal of Environmental Management estimated that a 10% increase in tree coverage could mean 50 fewer heat-related deaths a year in Salt Lake City and around 3,800 fewer in New York City. In addition to the impact on our health, more trees equal less pollution and a cleaner planet with better air quality. Buildings in areas shaded by trees often require less air conditioning, meaning that energy demand goes down. Having the ability to track green space more efficiently and effectively will help highlight streets where canopy coverage is desperately needed. The research scholar who led the study, Giacomo Falchetta, said, per Smart Cities Dive, "Many cities lack consistent, street-level data on vegetation coverage, making it hard to prioritize areas based on existing conditions and inequalities." He added that the model "supports the prioritization of existing vegetation maintenance for areas of cities where GVI is on a declining trend." Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
State Farm homeowners insurance rates to surge 27% in Illinois
This story was originally published on Smart Cities Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Smart Cities Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: State Farm is increasing homeowners insurance rates in Illinois by 27%, with new rates reflected in existing policies starting Aug. 15. Illinois state leaders called it the 'largest single rate hike in recent history' and said it would add an average of $750 annually to homeowners' insurance bills. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called the rate hike 'unfair and arbitrary' and urged state lawmakers to 'enact a legislative solution' to prevent insurers from making 'severe and unnecessary' rate hikes in the state. Nationwide, increases in home insurance premiums, driven in part by a rise in climate-related disasters, are adding to the rising cost of homeownership. Dive Insight: Home insurance premiums in the U.S. soared 57% from 2019 to 2024, according to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies, citing data from the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. The sharpest increases were in areas more vulnerable to climate disasters, such as Florida, according to JCHS. Some insurance companies have ceased selling homeowners insurance in more vulnerable areas. Shop Top Mortgage Rates A quicker path to financial freedom Your Path to Homeownership Personalized rates in minutes State Farm said for every $1 it earned in Illinois in 2024, it paid out $1.26, a loss it credited to an increase in severe weather and increased material and labor costs for repairs or reconstruction. The company said hail damage alone was responsible for $638 million in damages it paid in the state last year. The insurance company said its rate hike is in line with what other insurance companies have done. 'Over the last three years, many insurers have raised Homeowners rates, citing deteriorating loss trends in Illinois,' the company stated. In February, Allstate raised homeowners insurance rates in Illinois 14.3%, but it insures fewer homes in the state compared with State Farm. State Farm also recently increased homeowners insurance rates in California, where insurers must receive approval from an elected insurance commissioner to increase premiums. State Farm asked for a 30% rate increase but was granted an emergency 17% increase, which went into effect June 1. While Illinois has seen more intense rain events in recent years, state leaders argued the state's weather is not as extreme as in other states and questioned whether State Farm's increase was to pay off losses it felt in other states. 'Illinois premiums are priced for the risk in this state — not for losses in other states, including wildfires, earthquakes, or hurricanes,' State Farm stated. Recommended Reading 5 takeaways from Harvard's 2025 state of housing report Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LA County sees second year of homelessness declines, ends longstanding partnership with city of LA
This story was originally published on Smart Cities Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Smart Cities Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Homelessness declined in Los Angeles County for the second consecutive year, falling 4% to 72,308 unhoused people after a 0.27% drop last year, according to the 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. Unsheltered homelessness decreased 9.5% after a 5.1% decline last year. Permanent housing placements reached a record high of 27,994 in Los Angeles County in 2024, a 2.5% increase compared with the year before. The report comes as the county prepares to consolidate its efforts to curb homelessness through a newly established Department of Homeless Services and Housing, shifting away from a 32-year partnership with the City of Los Angeles. Dive Insight: With a quarter of the country's homeless population, California is often considered the epicenter of the nation's homelessness crisis. But while the U.S. reported record highs in homelessness last year, California's largest county recorded declines. This year's numbers continue to show improvement for the county, as local 'encampment resolution' programs such as Inside Safe and Pathway Home worked to get more people off the streets and into shelters or permanent housing, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. 'This progress reflects a focused emergency response, innovative housing programs and strong coordination among service providers and local jurisdictions,' Los Angeles County Chair Pro Tem and First District Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a press release. The City of Los Angeles also saw reductions in homelessness for a second year in a row, falling 3.4% to 43,699, according to the LAHSA report. Unsheltered homeless populations in the city fell 7.9%. In April, the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to create the Department of Homeless Services and Housing, which will launch in January, 2026. By next summer, $300 million, generated by a half-cent sales tax that went into effect April 1, will be moved out of LAHSA and transferred to the county's new department, CBS News reported. 'The goal of this new department is increased accountability, improved service delivery for people experiencing homelessness and reducing the burden on the providers who serve them every day,' the county said in a statement. The department is modeled after the county's Department of Health Services' Housing for Health program, which has had success in helping people with physical and behavioral conditions find interim and permanent housing, LAist reported. City officials decried the shift away from LAHSA, which was founded in 1993 to combine city and county efforts to reduce homelessness. 'This action would create a monumental disruption in the progress we are making and runs the serious risk of worsening our homelessness crisis, not ending it,' LA Mayor Karen Bass and City Council Member Nithya Raman wrote in a letter to supervisors in April. The city accounts for 60% of the county's homeless population, according to Bass and Raman. The county has the largest financial stake in LAHSA, at 40%, with the city funding 35% of the budget. The remainder comes from the state, federal government and private donors. LAHSA has been criticized for falling short of outreach goals, and its leadership was scrutinized for a conflict of interest earlier this year. Bass also pushed back against a 2025-2026 state budget proposal that snubbed funding for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program for localities — another potential funding shakeup for the city during a year when federal housing assistance is also in jeopardy. 'We do not need to see an increase of homelessness now when things are on a very good trajectory,' Bass said at a June 5 press conference to advocate for the prevention program. Recommended Reading Can AI help prevent homelessness before it happens? Los Angeles County is finding out. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AI could cut disaster infrastructure losses by 15%, new research finds
This story was originally published on Smart Cities Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Smart Cities Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: AI applications such as predictive maintenance and digital twins could prevent 15% of projected natural disaster losses to power grids, water systems and transportation infrastructure, amounting to $70 billion in savings worldwide by 2050, according to a recently released Deloitte Center for Sustainable Progress report. Governments and other stakeholders need to overcome technological limitations, financial constraints, regulatory uncertainty, data availability and security concerns before AI-enabled resilience can be widely adopted for infrastructure systems, according to the report. 'Investing in AI can help deliver less frequent or shorter power outages, faster system recovery after storms, or fewer damaged or non-usable roads and bridges,' Jennifer Steinmann, Deloitte Global Sustainability Business leader, said in an email. Dive Insight: Natural disasters have caused nearly $200 billion in average annual losses to infrastructure around the world over the past 15 years, according to Deloitte. The report projects that could increase to approximately $460 billion by 2050. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of these events, leading to higher losses, according to the report. 'Investing in AI has the greatest near-term potential to help reduce damages from storms, which include tropical cyclones, tornados, thunderstorms, hailstorms, and blizzards,' Steinmann said. 'These natural disasters drive the largest share of infrastructure losses, due to their high frequency, wide geographic reach, and increasing intensity.' The AI for Infrastructure Resilience report uses empirical case studies, probabilistic risk modeling and economic forecasting to show how AI can help leaders fortify infrastructure so they can plan, respond and recover more quickly from natural disasters. 'AI technologies can offer preventative, detective and responsive solutions to help address natural disasters — but some interventions are more impactful than others,' Steinmann said. Investing in AI while infrastructure is in planning stages accounts for roughly two-thirds of AI's potential to prevent natural disaster costs, she said. Tools like AI-powered digital twins, predictive maintenance systems and scenario analysis can help urban planners design more resilient infrastructure. 'At the same time, leaders should invest in building the necessary digital and data infrastructure, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and helping ensure access to high-quality data so that they can maximize the effectiveness of AI tools in the three phases of the infrastructure lifecycle (planning, response and recovery),' Steinmann said. Cities can overcome resource constraints by working with private sector stakeholders and research institutions and focusing on more cost-effective solutions that provide demonstrated measurable benefits, such as AI-powered early warning systems, she said. 'Starting with pilot projects, focusing on one hazard type — like storms — and working directly with private companies or research centers, can help demonstrate value and build momentum for broader adoption,' Steinmann said. Development banks, insurance companies and financial institutions are increasingly incentivizing AI-driven risk reduction strategies through flexible financing models and innovation funds, she added. Recommended Reading The weather is changing. Here's how utilities can adapt. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
5 takeaways from Harvard's 2025 state of housing report
This story was originally published on Smart Cities Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Smart Cities Dive newsletter. City and county officials across the country list housing affordability as a top priority. If they were looking for a year of predictability, 2025 has not been it. Shop Top Mortgage Rates A quicker path to financial freedom Your Path to Homeownership Personalized rates in minutes Uncertainty surrounding the economy and the future of federal housing assistance has exacerbated the nation's 'already-enormous housing challenges,' according to the 'State of the Nation's Housing 2025' report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. The report, published in June, found that home prices across the country are up 60% since 2019 — and rising. Here are five takeaways from the report for local government leaders. 1. Unaffordability is reaching record highs The median existing single-family home price hit a record high of $412,000 in 2024 — five times the median household income, according to JCHS. Subsequently, existing home sales have plunged, with just 4 million homes sold last year, the lowest number since 1995. Renting has also become increasingly burdensome, with a record 50% of renters spending more than half their income on rent in 2023. The issue is widespread, with the share of cost-burdened renters increasing in 43 states and in 89 of the country's largest metro areas between 2019 and 2023. 2. Homeownership is declining Homeownership rates declined in 2024 for the first time since 2016, falling to 65.6%, according to JCHS. They fell again in the first quarter of 2025, to 65.1%. The largest decline in homeownership — by 1.4% in 2024 — was among households led by people under the age of 35. Homelessness also reached record highs in 2024, surging 33% since January 2020. 3. State and local governments will need to play a larger role In May, the Trump administration announced plans to slash around $33 billion from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development budget, diminishing housing aid that states and local governments have come to rely on. 'Looking forward, state and local governments will undoubtedly play a larger role in addressing record-breaking housing needs as the federal government contemplates the withdrawal of vital supports,' the JCHS report states. Nationwide, more than 800 local government housing trust funds and 350 municipal rental assistance programs have been set up to finance affordable housing, according to JCHS. However, if the federal government moves forward with proposed cutbacks, local leaders will face difficult spending decisions. 'The federal government underpins many state and local programs, and the scale of that funding and assistance will be nearly impossible to replace,' according to JCHS. 4. Finding ways to increase housing supply is 'critical' Increasing new housing supply 'remains critical for alleviating affordability pressures and stimulating economic growth,' the JCHS report states. It recommends local governments explore multiple methods to unlock additional housing development, including: Implementing zoning reforms. Revisiting restrictive land-use policies. Creating financing tools for developers. Providing design assistance for 'missing middle' housing types, such as accessory dwelling units and small multifamily buildings. 'Continued innovations by state and local governments regarding housing policies, regulations and financing models will help" address housing needs, the report states. 5. Climate disasters are a growing risk for housing Increasingly severe and frequent climate disasters represent a growing risk to housing supply in 2025, according to the report. Damages from climate-related disasters in 2024 amounted to more than $180 billion. Hurricane Helene in the Southeast in 2024 and the Palisades and Eaton wildfires in Southern California earlier this year severely damaged or destroyed more than 20,000 homes. More than 61 million homes in the U.S. are currently in areas with 'at least moderate hazard risk,' the report states. 'In the wake of disasters, homes may be destroyed and rents can rise as displaced households seek temporary accommodations from an already-strained stock,' it states. Such events are also causing increases in home insurance premiums, which surged 57% from 2019 to 2024, the report states, citing data from the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., or Freddie Mac. Recommended Reading Housing shortages hit low-income renters the hardest, Pew report finds
