District of Columbia

Car Commutes and Congestion Are Back in D.C.
Low transit ridership and a more dispersed daytime workforce are creating new headaches for car commuters in the D.C. area—in a story likely to be repeated all over the country as work returns to the office.

No Evictions for Less Than $600, Says New D.C. Law
As part of a bill that made many COVID-era tenant protections permanent, the District voted to ban eviction filings for households owing less than $600 in back rent.

D.C.'s Ambitious Bike Infrastructure Plans
The District of Columbia plans to install ten miles of protected bike lanes this year, among other improvements including additional bike parking and more e-bikes for the Capital Bikeshare fleet.

Omicron Breaks Another Pandemic Record: Hospitalizations
The highly infectious Omicron variant is contributing to a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. The record set in last winter's surge fell on Tuesday as hospitals suffer from massive labor shortages caused by the variant.

What Transit Systems Can Learn From D.C. Metro
The nation's second-largest transit system—and one of its newest—persists in the face of a host of challenges exacerbated by the pandemic.

In D.C., Employers Will Refund Workers Who Leave the Car at Home
D.C. has passed a "parking cash-out" law that goes further than a few preexisting examples to reward commuters who leave their cars at home.

D.C. Bus Priority Plan To Expand Bus Lanes and Improve Service
A new plan from DDOT describes 51 bus priority projects aimed at improving service and making transit accessible to more D.C. commuters and residents.

Snowstorm That Stranded Thousands Prompts Questions About Auto-Centric Development
After thousands of motorists spent over a day on a snowbound Virginia highway, experts are warning that auto-centric sprawl will worsen the impacts of extreme weather events.

State Hospitalization Record Breaks as Omicron Surges
Infections from the Omicron variant, which early studies suggest cause less severe illness than the Delta variant, may be contributing to a record number of hospitalizations in Ohio, the highest since the start of the pandemic.

Nation's Capital Is #1 COVID Hotspot
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations per capita in the District of Columbia are higher than in any state or U.S. territory on New Year's Day. Only Puerto Rico and Louisiana have seen hospitalizations increase faster than D.C. in the last two weeks.

Report Links Housing Growth and Climate Resilience
Data from three U.S. metro areas show a failure to address land use and sprawl as a key factor driving climate change.

Study: D.C. Region Must Take Aggressive Steps To Reach Climate Goal
To achieve its stated emissions reduction goal, the Greater Washington area must sharply reduce driving and speed up the adoption of electric vehicles.

D.C. Passes Short-Term Rental Regulations
The District of Columbia has approved final regulations for short-term rentals like Airbnb that limit rentals to owner-operated units and cap vacation rentals at 90 days.

Leadership Change at the D.C. Office of Planning
D.C. Planning Director Andre Trueblood is leaving the helm of the District's Office of Planning.

A Primer on Arlington County's Missing Middle Housing Study
The county is evaluating its options for spurring construction of 'missing middle' housing that would provide more housing types in the D.C. suburb.

Is Fare-Free Transit Worth Reduced Transit Service?
Transit advocates worry that the movement to eliminate fares will come at a high cost to transit-dependent riders who rely on frequent, reliable service to reach jobs and services.

60 Percent of D.C. Metrorail Fleet Pulled From Service After Last Week's Derailment
The disruptions caused by an October 12 train derailment on D.C. Metrorail's Blue Line are spreading to the entire system.

D.C.'s Housing and Homelessness Crises Are Two Sides of the Same Coin
To reduce homelessness, advocates say, build more affordable housing.

D.C. Inspector General: District 'Misspent' $82 Million in Affordable Housing Funds in 2020
A new report accuses the District of misusing funds and failing to properly monitor projects aimed at creating housing for 'extremely low-income' households.

Capital Bikeshare Reinstalls White House Station
The station on the White House grounds has been reinstated as part of Capital Bikeshare's push to expand the network by dozens of new stations by the end of the year.
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