Over the last three decades, the D.C. region has seen the most development in far-flung exurbs disconnected from area jobs and transit networks.

A report from the Brookings Institution claims that new housing in the Washington, D.C. region is too dispersed, failing to take advantage of the area's "highly centralized" public transportation and job centers. "Large employment centers and transit infrastructure are durable features of the built environment that persist for many decades. Therefore, a climate-friendly growth strategy for the region would concentrate new housing, retail, and services around these existing locations." But as Jenny Schuetz and Matt Ring write, "[t]he vast majority of new homes there have been built in low-density exurban or suburban counties—well outside existing public transportation networks. The fastest-growing communities are over 20 miles from the region’s primary employment center."
The report illustrates the growth of housing in the region's different areas and concludes that the "region’s housing growth over the past 30 years has mixed implications for climate impacts," as rates of construction grow for both multi-family buildings near the urban core single-family homes in car-dependent exurban communities. The authors also warn that "[t]he absence of development in job- and transit-rich centrally located neighborhoods throughout the District, Fairfax County, and Montgomery County," a result of opposition from homeowners and low-density zoning laws, "harm[s] more than the physical environment." These anti-growth efforts "exacerbate long-standing economic and racial inequality and push low-income households into longer commutes from distant exurbs."
FULL STORY: The Washington, DC region has built too much housing in the wrong places

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Driving Equity and Clean Air: California Invests in Greener School Transportation
California has awarded $500 million to fund 1,000 zero-emission school buses and chargers for educational agencies as part of its effort to reduce pollution, improve student health, and accelerate the transition to clean transportation.

Congress Moves to End Reconnecting Communities and Related Grants
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee moved to rescind funding for the Neighborhood Equity and Access program, which funds highway removals, freeway caps, transit projects, pedestrian infrastructure, and more.

From Throughway to Public Space: Taking Back the American Street
How the Covid-19 pandemic taught us new ways to reclaim city streets from cars.
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