To meet its climate goals and revitalize its downtown core, the District must expand its transit and urban amenities to meet the needs of a wider variety of people.

After a disheartening experience at a webinar ostensibly focused on downtown Washington, D.C.’s potential for post-pandemic economic recovery, Caitlin Rogger highlights the need for more multifaceted, multimodal investment in the District in a piece for Greater Greater Washington.
For Rogger, “Downtown recovery will take a lot more than just drivers: a key component is making it easy to get downtown without a car.” But the dismissive attitude of District officials and delayed transit projects signal a lack of willingness to engage with transit users, pedestrians, and cyclists and cater transportation options to their needs.
Moreover, it reflects an overall failure to engage with the needs of parents, elderly people, disabled people, and other groups. “Choices we make now–from employers subsidizing parking but not transit, to building multi-lane roads that are scary to cross for the young, old, and mobility-impaired, to insisting on full-time in-person work only–will determine who participates.”
Rogger points out that key elements of a successful post-pandemic recovery doesn’t necessarily differ much from things that people have advocated for for decades: “things to do, public space, room for sidewalks, bikes, and transit, good air and sound quality, public art–as opposed to space for cars.”
The District already has goals to reduce driving, lower carbon emissions, and encourage more mixed-use neighborhoods, but policy choices have to support those goals. “Workers aren’t the only type of person who can generate valuable activity–even profitable activity,” Rogger writes. Downtowns must be accessible, safe, and attractive for everyone, not just white-collar workers.
FULL STORY: Downtown DC’s recovery hinges on one word

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing
From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

Cool Walkability Planning
Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.
The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

Report: Austin’s State Roads Deadlier Than City Roads
Traffic fatalities and serious injuries grew on state-owned roads in the Texas capital, even as city-owned streets saw death rates plateau.

Who Benefits Most from Land Conservation Efforts?
A new study estimates that recent land conservation generated $9.8 billion in wealth nationally through the housing market and that wealthier and White households benefited disproportionately.

Richmond Repeals Parking Minimums, Encourages Off-Street Parking and Transit
The Virginia city is replete with underused off-street parking lots, which city councilors hope to make available for parking at more times while encouraging transit use.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
City of Orange
City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.