Urban Tech News Roundup

Big StoriesSidewalk Labs is in final negotiations with Toronto to build a smart city from the ground up on a 12-acre site.This is what America's eco-city of the future looks like. The GuardianUber and Lyft lead to more vehicle usage in urban areas, leading some to call for congestion pricing. CurbedWhen big cities thrive, smaller cities are often left behind. NYT Georgetown, Texas, a city where all power comes from renewable sources. Transportation and MobilityHere’s why Tesla will have trouble hitting its 5k weekly output during the fourth quarter. Wards AutoHow cities are starting to plan for the autonomous driving future. FastCoCalifornia may allow fully driverless cars on its roads as early as 2018. WiredWill infrastructure be the biggest bottleneck for the adoption of EVs? BloombergA startup called Mapper is attaching cameras to vehicles to provide a constantly up to date map of the nation’s roads. WiredA white paper by Madrona Venture Group is calling for special lanes to be created for self-driving cars on the I-5 freeway. WhitepaperBikesharing has its own bipartisan lobby group in Washington. NextCity Urban PlanningSidewalk Labs launched Cityblock Health to bring quality healthcare to underserved communities. Sidewalk TalkEnding HOV lanes and pro-car pooling policy in Jakarta led to an 87% increase in rush hour traffic. Scientific AmericanThe smartest Americans are heading West. BloombergWhat do Houston’s pro-growth boosters think after Hurricane Harvey caused $100B in damage in the city? CityLab Related: Distressed investors are buying Houston homes for 40 cents on the dollar.The rise of the rich renter. CityLabVenture capital investments remain highly concentrated in just a few cities. CityLabUrban greening is the key to better public health. Nature ConservancyThe unique opportunities of midsized cities. UrbanophileSmart Cities Summit is happening next week in Chicago. Website Alternative EnergyIs solar the answer to Puerto Rico’s blackout? CityLabStartup Edisun claims world’s largest rooftop solar tracker. Solar IndustryA guide for pathways to solar power for multi-family residents. IREC90% of businesses say the government should provide tax incentives and research funding for innovation in sustainable energy. Harvard Report Pollution and Climate ChangeAnimal farming looks as incompatible with a sustainable future for humans and other species as mining coal. The GuardianNew climate norms mean that roads will suffer and road maintenance costs will rise significantly over the coming years. Smart Cities Dive Learn more about Dreamit UrbanTech