Posts by Alex Baca — DC Policy Director
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Why changes to DC’s Future Land Use Map do not eliminate community input
As Comp Plan limps to its conclusion, GGWash’s Alex Baca unpacks why increasing density in DC’s Future Land Use Map (FLUM), does not remove community input on development projects. Keep reading…
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Our streets aren’t safe for children
Yesterday, a driver in an SUV killed a four-year-old child at the intersection of Georgia Ave and Kennedy Street NW. It’s not just the one driver who’s responsible for the loss this child, but a whole system that prefers, very demonstrably at the expense of others’ lives, people who are able to afford cars, at the fastest speed possible, on trips that, for the most part, they are making alone. Keep reading…
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DC Council held a roundtable about how to get emergency rental assistance to residents. Here’s my testimony.
On February 22, Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne Nadeau held a roundtable on emergency rental assistance. The roundtable also addressed the goings-on of the mayor’s strike force on rental housing, a group of mayoral appointees tasked with delivering 10 recommendations by mid-March on how to “save” rental housing. by mid-March. Alex Baca, GGWash’s policy manager offered testimony at this meeting. Keep reading…
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How one Petworth ANC is forging a path for affordable housing
ANC 4C has been a leader in affirming new development so as to increase the construction of more affordable housing. Keep reading…
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Residential segregation wasn’t an accident — it was government policy
White and Black Americans are segregated not solely due to choices made by private individuals, but because of policies created and maintained by the government itself. On Monday night, GGWash hosted a discussion of The Color of Law, Richard Rothstein’s book about government-sponsored, or de jure, segregation. Keep reading…
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Here’s how you can weigh in to make sure the Comp Plan will help, not hurt, housing production in DC
Amending DC’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan, the District’s foundational land use text, has been ongoing since 2016. The DC Council unanimously passed a revised Framework element, which sets the tone for the rest of the document, last October (we loved it!), but the Framework is only the first chapter of a 1,500-page doorstop. However! A public hearing on 24 additional elements is scheduled for November 12 and 13. Keep reading…
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Want to know what’s going on with urbanist issues where you live? Update your address with us.
Having accurate, up-to-date address information for our readers and supporters is important to understanding who’s involved with us, but it’s even more critical to connecting you to what sorts of housing- and transportation-related things are happening in your neighborhood, so that you can support them (or make them better!). Please help us help you know about what’s going on where you live and update your address today! Keep reading…
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The DC Council is expected to take its first vote on a Vision Zero Omnibus bill Tuesday
On Tuesday, the DC Council will take its first vote on the Vision Zero Omnibus bill, which passed unanimously out of its committee hearing on July 10. This legislation is part of the District’s larger goal to end traffic deaths by 2024. Keep reading…
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GGWash recently held our 2020 ANC commissioner training. Here’s what happened.
On July 16, Greater Greater Washington hosted our 2020 ANC commissioner training. Many thanks to the eighty-something attendees for their smart questions, thoughtful replies, and knowledge-sharing. Keep reading…
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2020 at-large Council candidates tackle questions about homelessness, DC’s budget, and police reform
Several people are vying for Councilmember David Grosso’s soon-to-be-former at-large seat in the November 3 general election. In this article, candidates answer questions about DC’s budget, homelessness, police reform, and more. Keep reading…