8 trends shaping cities in 2022

There is good news. Cities will have more money to deal with problems like making transportation more fair for everyone and making it easier for electric cars to be used. If the Build Back Better bill becomes a law, cities will have even more money to reduce greenhouse emissions and make their buildings less harmful to the environment.

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

Smart Cities Dive gathered expert and researcher opinions to explore how eight of the biggest trends facing cities will play out by 2022.

Crime and policing will continue to be top of mind for local leaders

CNN reports that over two-thirds of the country's 40 most populous cities experienced a rise in homicide rates in 2021, with many of them reaching or surpassing record highs. As a result, public safety is likely to remain a top priority for local leaders in 2022.

Crime and policing were important issues in many of the high-profile mayoral elections last November. Some of the winners promised to increase the police presence in cities to reduce crime. This was a stark contrast to the nationwide calls just a year prior to defund police departments.

Some local leaders and their constituents continue to advocate for and implement various police reforms. This includes stronger police oversight in some cities that are responding to a spike in crime by increasing police budgets.

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