The Trump administration made sweeping changes to federal transportation, housing and climate funding and policy while testing the boundaries of local autonomy and authority in 2025. The relentless pace is likely to continue in 2026 as the administration upends the process of how federal funds are allocated — and rescinded, shaping trends in urban infrastructure.

Despite that widespread uncertainty, “local leaders will remain steadfast in delivering meaningful results, strengthening local economies and improving the quality of life for their residents,” Clarence Anthony, the National League of Cities’ CEO and executive director, said in response to Smart Cities Dive’s call for predictions about the coming year. Many other predictions had one factor in common: technology, most notably artificial intelligence, and how communities might apply it across transportation, resilience, city operations and more. (We’ll have more to say about the outlook for city use of AI later this month.)

Those two threads connect many of the eight trends the Smart Cities Dive team will be watching in the year to come. Which trends shaping U.S. cities are you following in 2026? Let us know at smart.cities.dive.editors@industrydive.com.

Upcoming Trends in Urban Infrastructure: Air Taxis Are Set to Take Off

With the backing of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Trump administration, air taxis are moving toward public flights this year.

In December 2025, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy released a 10-year, 40-point national strategy to advance developments in air taxis and other new aircraft for cargo delivery, disaster response, medical transportation and law enforcement, calling it “a bold strategy to unlock the future of our skies and unleash this next chapter of aviation safely and efficiently.”

States are eager to assist the FAA in integrating advanced air mobility into the system, Greg Pecoraro, president and CEO of the National Association of State Aviation Officials, said in the announcement of the strategy.

Archer Aviation plans to launch a network of air taxis in Southern California in time for the FIFA World Cup matches in Los Angeles this year. Joby Aviation completed more than 850 test flights of its electric air taxis in 2025.

Read the full article about trends in urban infrastructure to watch in 2026 at Smart Cities Dive.