ASC's Intersections Newsletter — April 23, 2026
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Nora's Note
Because there’s no place like Earth. From temporary leaf tats on chubby cheeks to Car-Free Day on more than 50 streets in NYC to new legislation for long-term change, Earth Day celebrations in New York and across the country have reignited energy around action to fight climate change. The New York State Senate introduced a baker's dozen of bills to activate environmental action, to address everything from reducing fossil fuel use to accelerating distributed solar energy and reviving the NY-SUN program Arch Street helped launch a decade ago. There’s a bill for an electric landscaping equipment rebate program, and one establishing producer responsibility for bed mattress recycling and disposal. These and other bills move Earth Day from sidewalk celebrations to an agent of real change. ASC supports participatory processes that give the public a meaningful role in identifying projects across communities, municipalities, and industries, in service of broader policy goals. Our public engagement work shows that climate action and infrastructure change are most successful when communities have a seat at the table and help shape solutions in their own neighborhoods.
Transportation
After months of frozen federal funds, the MTA filed suit against the Trump administration and won—securing the release of roughly $60 million in withheld reimbursements for the Second Avenue Subway extension. This is a nearly $7 billion project that would bring the Q train to East Harlem for the first time. The federal government backed down just moments before a court hearing last week, a major victory for a community that has waited over 100 years for direct subway access. Read more about what this win means for the future of the project and NYC transit funding more broadly. (Source: AMNY)
Streetsblog: Florida town gives new residents free golf carts to replace their cars
Mass Transit Magazine: NJ Transit receives first of 374 multilevel III rail cars
Gothamist: How the Port Authority is helping deaf people navigate its labyrinthine terminals
Climate
Maine has become the first U.S. state to pass a moratorium on large data centers, halting projects requiring more than 20 megawatts of power until at least 2027 to study their impact on energy use, costs, and local communities. The move reflects growing concern about the surge in energy use driven by AI and cloud computing, as data centers could account for a rapidly increasing share of electricity demand and strain power grids nationwide. Read more to explore how this debate is unfolding, here. (Source: Grist)
Inside Climate News: To battle climate change, a Baltimore church turns to nature
Canary Media: Tiny North Carolina town takes a big step toward geothermal energy
Happy Eco News: Plastic pollution prevention laws expand across several US states
Economic Development
An Urban Institute study found that upzoning in New York and Philadelphia increased housing production. New York saw about 4,000 additional units over four years, while Philadelphia added roughly 4,000 permits annually in upzoned areas. Upzoning is a policy that changes zoning rules to allow higher-density development, such as permitting more housing units or taller buildings on a given parcel. The study concludes that while upzoning can boost supply, it is not sufficient on its own and must be paired with policies addressing affordability and displacement to achieve equitable outcomes, such as NYC’s mandatory inclusionary housing program. The study also found that areas already attracting investment benefited most. Read more about the study’s findings here. (Source: Smart Cities Dive)
Bisnow: NYC pension funds to invest $4B in affordable housing
BKReader: NYC to run new affordable housing insurance program
Manufacturing Dive: How manufacturers are testing physical AI physical AI before making big investments
Digital
Artificial Intelligence has the horsepower to revolutionize business process reengineering (BPR), but for it to succeed, human intelligence must be in the driver’s seat. AI keeps getting faster and smarter. Product developers and tech leaders continue to revise, reform, and release new models, leaving professionals with heaps of emerging tech to implement in their respective workplaces. At this stage in innovation, the question is less 'how do I use AI?,' and more 'what is AI good/bad at and how can I collaborate with it?' AI and AI agents are grunt-workers, task-rabbits, code-monkeys, etc., but cannot ideate nor reason like humans can. Once one’s rhythm is found between their mind and AI, optimizational harmony will follow. Read more on the human-AI relationship here. (Source: Forbes)
Route Fifty: Nonprofit puts up $10M to help agencies test AI tools for benefits modernization
GovTech: National League of Cities launches AI forum for local government
Tech Crunch: You’ve heard of hybrid cars. Now meet a hybrid cement plant.
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