Dear voters and friends,

This election month isn’t only about who will be getting new titles. It’s about all of you- from Seattle, Washington to Miami, Florida. Typically, politicians get to decide on important policies that affect your life. Elections put some of those policy decisions back in your hands.

Propositions, issues, and measures might not get the same hype as politicians running up and down the ballot. But, they can have long term consequences for how you get to work, where your sales tax is going, and even if you can access free internet in public spaces.

They say politics is local. So, this issue is dedicated to the local ballot measures that are going to the voters on November 3rd. Given that city infrastructure and development are supported by local government, there will definitely be some items on your ballot that will go towards Building Better Cities. If you haven’t reviewed your own ballot measures, check out Ballotpedia and local voting guides.

“See” you at the polls,
Kate

Vote for Better Cities

Make Your Voice Heard on… Renewable Energy

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase use of local resources, many states have adopted renewable portfolio standards (RPS). A RPS specifies that a percentage of a utility’s electricity sales come from renewable sources, like solar and geothermal. 

  • In 1983, Iowa became the first state to adopt a RPS [EIA]

  • 30 states have adopted an RPS to achieve energy goals [NCSL]

  • Nevada’s Question 6 will set the state’s RPS at 50% [The Indy]

Make Your Voice Heard on… Improved Transportation

City traffic accounts for the majority of passenger miles traveled in the United States. This November, you could be voting on new funds for expanding public transit and improving pedestrian and bike paths.

  • This November, voters will decide on $1.4B of transportation measures in 16 localities [APTA]

  • Cities, including San Francisco and Orlando, postponed big transit measures because of COVID-19 [CityLab]

  • Austin’s Prop A will bring $175M to transit and efforts to reduce displacement [KUT 90.5]

  • Arkansas’ Issue 1 will revive the state’s highway fund [AKOnline]

Make Your Voice Heard on… Internet Access

COVID-19 has shown us the necessity of providing broadband infrastructure. In many cases, these systems are controlled by large internet service providers (like Cox, Spectrum, etc.). Many cities are shifting this to ensure equitable internet access.

  • More than 900 communities are served by municipal or co-op internet networks [MuniNetworks]

  • Chicago’s Question 1 asks voters to support community broadband [NBC Chicago]

  • Denver’s Measure 2H will allow the city to provide internet, phone, and TV services [Denverite]
 

Recent Work

Broadband Internet Service is now Essential Service

14 million rural Americans are without internet access. And, most of them are medically underserved. That spells catastrophe for a global pandemic.

Infrastructure is Ready for COVID Stimulus Funds

These four infrastructure innovations will stretch public dollars, attract private investment, and might even help us recover faster from COVID-19.

 

Cities in the News

New framework incorporates social equity in infrastructure [ASCE]

Co-ownership is key to Indigenous communities’ infrastructure [PPForum]

New study finds that supportive housing is effective for homeless [UCSF]

Architects visualize post-COVID cities [Guardian]

Canada’s Infrastructure Bank is catalyzing COVID-19 relief [Globe and Mail]

Tulsa Remote is attracting remote workers in hoards [SmartCitiesDive]
 

Get Involved

10/19: How the Construction Sector is Embracing Technology [CRETech]

10/21: Smart Cities Mobility Reverse Pitch [Plug and Play]

10/26: Transforming Energy Infrastructure [UCL]

10/28: Tools for Urban Survival: Can Cities Recover without Transportation? [Meeting of the Minds]
 

Share Your Work

I would love to hear from you and learn more about your work. Don’t hesitate to reach out for a conversation. In the meantime, please forward this email, subscribe your friends, and follow @KateGasparro to stay in touch.