What civil engineers are reading this week

• There’s a new No. 1 Best Place this year to be a civil engineer

  This U.S. city’s reputation has been growing in civil engineering circles this decade. See the factors that catapulted the burgeoning city to the head of ASCE’s annual index.

• America’s water infrastructure reckoning has arrived

  According to an EPA survey, the nation’s water systems will require more than $625 billion in investments over the next 20 years, of which nearly $423 billion is needed to replace or rehabilitate old lines.

• Machine learning helps scientists map nitrous oxide emissions, raising resilience

  A hybrid modeling tool improves nitrous oxide emissions prediction accuracy, helping address a potent greenhouse gas driving rising temperatures. Learn about the hurdles the team faced.

• As extreme rainfall overwhelms Chicago’s sewers, the city tries a new approach

  A $12 million pilot for underground stormwater storage targets flooding in historically underserved neighborhoods.

• Researchers develop AI tool to ease water conflict between farms and chip plants

  As drought hits much of the U.S., researchers have developed an artificial intelligence model to help manage competition between agriculture and semiconductor manufacturing for water resources.

• ASCE president: Transportation engineers must navigate the sustainability interchange

  “Transportation engineers ... have the power to shape a more sustainable future,” writes ASCE 2026 president and transportation engineer Marsha Anderson Bomar. “Challenge the status quo.”