The 2021 Consumer Electronics Show has begun, and more than a dozen sessions will focus on 5G in smart cities and health care as well as cities' role in the coronavirus vaccine and the expansion of global broadband by using unused broadcast spectrum. In addition, health-focused devices will be able to alert the user if they show signs of possible infection.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is the first to achieve the new 4+ level in Airports Council International's Airport Carbon Accreditation program. The Texas airport, which achieved carbon neutrality in 2016 by buying offsets, is being recognized as a leader in sustainability with a range of measures such as "dynamic glass" windows that change color like transitional lenses to block out sunlight and shuttles between terminals that use renewable fuel.

The city council in Ann Arbor, Mich., seeks public input on a final draft of a transportation plan that aims to provide shared mobility services and build shared streets, among other initiatives. "We must upgrade our infrastructure, test new street designs, and craft new policies and programs," the plan states.

Residents of the Dutch cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam have been removing tiles and paving stones from their front gardens to replace them with plants and trees as part of a competition to see which city could add the most green space. Rotterdam City Council member Bert Wijbenga says the initiative was aimed at involving citizens in local efforts to improve the environment.

The US Department of Transportation allocated $49.6 million for 10 intelligent transportation system projects nationwide. The two largest grants went to University of Michigan's Smart Intersections, which was awarded $9.95 million, and San Diego Association of Governments' Advancing Connectivity and the Economy Through Technology, which received $9.29 million.

More cities will adopt mobility-as-a-service and autonomous delivery as a means to control road congestion, reveals a Lux Research report published this month. While the US has not embraced MaaS as quickly as Europe, researchers think implementation will continue to grow as micromobility and transit become more integrated.

Volkswagen has built an robotic recharging system that can roam a parking facility to charge electric cars while parked. The prototype uses cameras, ultrasonic sensors and laser scanners to perform the entire recharging process without human involvement.

In observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, Smart Cities SmartBrief will not publish Monday, Jan. 18. Publication will resume Monday, Jan. 25.