Here’s the good news: With federal relief funds and the $1 trillion infrastructure legislation that passed last year, cities will have new resources to tackle challenges such as making public transportation more equitable and accommodating growing numbers of electric vehicles hitting the streets. If the Build Back Better bill becomes law, additional financial resources could help cities reduce greenhouse emissions and continue to grow the momentum around decarbonizing their building stocks.

The bad news is that many serious issues cities have been facing in the past two years remain or have gotten worse. City leaders are grappling with the rising cost of housing, which has left many financially insecure. They are adapting to worsening and more frequent extreme weather events such as record-breaking heat, wildfires, winter storms, and hurricanes. They are looking for new workers who can fill the many vacant public transportation jobs. And they are addressing rising crime rates amid calls for policing reform.

With the input of experts and researchers, Smart Cities Dive dug into these topics to look at how eight of the biggest trends facing cities will play out in 2022.

  • Crime and policing will continue to be top of mind for local leaders
  • Transit agencies will continue to focus on equity
  • Smart city leaders will continue to collaborate across regions and organizations
  • Worker shortages will persist in transit as well
  • Micromobility will work to become integral to urban transportation systems
  • The urgent need for climate adaptation is spurring nature-based solutions
  • Cities will aim to address housing affordability issues the pandemic has exacerbated
  • Electrification in transportation and buildings will become even more mainstream

Read the full article about trends shaping cities by Cailin Crowe, Danielle McLean, Maria Rachal, Dan Zukowski, and Jason Plautz at Smart Cities Dive.