D.C. Metro has a plan to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption by building to LEED green building standards and buying electric buses.
"The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) introduced its first Energy Action Plan to reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and long-term operating costs," reports Katie Pyzyk.
The energy action plan calls for electric buses and new LEED-certified facilities, requiring a five-year investment of $65 million. The agency plans to redesign its Potomac Yard Metrorail station in Alexandria, Virginia to be the first-ever LEED-certified transit station. That station is proximate to the future location of Amazon's second headquarters.
The WMATA is pitching the Energy Action Plan as an investment that will pay long-term dividends in cost savings--$16 million in energy costs savings each year, "and another $13 million in savings on operations and maintenance by 2025," according to Pyzyk.
FULL STORY: DC's transit agency announces Energy Action Plan
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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