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Data shows that pedestrian traffic fatality rates in U.S. Sun Belt cities are significantly higher than in northern cities, with Memphis recording 13.5 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, compared to just 0.77 in Boston. Despite continued population growth and car-oriented urban design, cities such as Tucson, Jacksonville, and Los Angeles have begun implementing targeted measures, including investing $150 million in street safety improvements, adding sidewalks and bike lanes in underserved areas, and reducing speed limits and optimizing signal timing, to improve pedestrian safety.

Motor vehicles cause over 7,500 pedestrian deaths annually in the United States, about 20 per day. Low-income and communities of color face significantly higher risks. This first report in the series focuses on how Atlanta, Chicago, and Boston are responding to the crisis through data-driven identification of high-risk communities, community engagement, and street design.

Heat pumps, as an efficient and low-carbon heating and cooling solution, have attracted widespread attention in the United States, but retrofitting existing commercial buildings faces practical challenges such as high costs, disruptive construction, and difficulties in adapting to existing pipe networks. This article synthesizes multiple perspectives to analyze physical retrofits, economic feasibility, grid pressure, and comprehensive decarbonization pathways.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Baltimore City a $4 million grant to build a solar-powered composting facility at Bowley's Lane, capable of processing 12,000 tons of organic waste annually. The city is advancing organic waste collection and processing through its ten-year solid waste plan, but faces challenges such as insufficient facilities and difficulties in policy implementation.

Baltimore's latest ten-year solid waste plan draft aims to reduce reliance on the WIN Waste incineration facility, but alternative facility construction costs are high and face environmental and community health controversies.

The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory predicts that by 2050, electric vehicles could drive a 38% increase in U.S. electricity demand. To address this trend, utility companies are building partnerships with automakers, dealers, and ride-hailing service providers to jointly tackle challenges such as grid upgrades, load management, and customer service. This article reviews specific cooperation cases involving PG&E, Con Edison, Dominion Energy, Xcel Energy, and Peninsula Clean Energy.

Amtrak has initiated its first electric bus service, operating between Seattle and Bellingham, Washington, to complement two daily round-trip trains. The nearly 200-mile round trip runs on a single charge using a Van Hool CX45e motor coach. This development highlights progress in electrifying intercity bus routes, despite infrastructure challenges. Industry observers note potential impacts on private bus operators, with Amtrak's expansion plans and federal funding shaping the competitive landscape.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a funding notice last week, proposing to provide up to $860,000 for research on commercial-to-residential conversion cases, aiming to identify effective policy measures and incentives. Industry experts point out that this initiative could shorten conversion cycles and improve facility management efficiency, but economic feasibility still requires direct incentive support.

Regulations for sidewalk delivery robots vary greatly across U.S. states, from weight and speed to operational rules, posing severe challenges to tech companies' nationwide expansion. Industry leaders call for unified standards, but progress is slow.

FedEx and Amazon have successively terminated their sidewalk delivery robot projects, but industry experts believe the technology still holds potential amid rising labor costs and inflationary pressures. Companies such as Serve Robotics, Coco, and Starship Technologies are building scale through high-frequency scenarios like food delivery, while facing funding shortages, technical limitations, and regulatory challenges.