Public Policy
The many local governments in the Washington region take actions every day that affect our downtowns and neighborhoods and the quality of life in our cities and counties. Greater Greater Washington writes about the public policies that influence our region and how they promote (or prevent) a growing, inclusive region with walkable urban neighborhoods.
Many different types of public policy influence where and how people live, work, and play. Education, which is one of the biggest reasons people choose a place,can help ensure the success of the next generation. And the environment is vital to preserving a livable region for our descendants.
Public safety and social justice issues affect how people of different backgrounds interact in our public places and whether people feel welcome. Health, food, and jobs are all vital parts of making our region thrive. And our governments make many budgetary and fiscal decisions that shape all of this.
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Lunch links: Bike share, Bloomingdale and BRAC
What’s the right bikeshare density?; Cycling is safer in numbers; Bloomingdale supports good urbanism; Modest BRAC impact in PG; Loudoun teacher wins big prize; Keynesian economies; No such thing as full employment. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: The (hazardous?) future of cars
This car really could hit a pedestrian; More driving distractions or a ban?; Not enough money for transit; DC spares federal bike funding; More highways not the only choice; Drill, baby, drill; An IBM planet?. Keep reading…
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Weekend links: Full of potential
The art of bikeshare redistribution; Streetcars and intensification; What’s up with conservatives and transit? Another view; Secret garden; Liquor license newspeak; Evicted from a bike locker?; Healing the freeway gash; Stop removal courage. Keep reading…
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Impervious Area Charge is an integral part of sewer service
The Obama administration’s decision to to pay an impervious area fee added to all water bills in DC, reversing its earlier position, is a welcome step toward cleaner water. DC Water levies the impervious area charge on customers based on the estimated level of stormwater their properties dump onto the streets and thus into the sewers. This is necessary to pay for replacing DC’s… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Where it’s big
Where are the big apartment buildings?; I cannot tell a lie; Metro wants your input; Brown asked to resign; Reduce blight and close the budget gap; The big, greener apple; More than tunnels. Keep reading…
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Afternoon links: Republicans vs. sustainable transportation
ARC tunnel confirmed dead; VA to cut bike/ped funds; Why is transit a partisan issue?; It pays to live car-free; Metro map to change; DC “poorly designed”?; White House gets solar panels. Keep reading…
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Will one old school become a new school?
The historic Harrison Elementary school building, at 13th and V Streets, NW, will likely soon continue it’s educational mission by hosting one of DC’s burgeoning charter schools. If it does, it will buck a trend of DC awarding old school buildings to many organizations except charter schools. DC’s Department of Real Estate Services will begin reviewing… Keep reading…
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Jefferson Memorial next to get security wall
An NCPC staff report on a security perimeter at the Jefferson Memorial contains a fascinating before and after photo set of the area: Keep reading…
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Can pop culture push sustainable mobility?
Popular culture shapes our lives in countless ways, both directly and subconsciously. Since Leave It to Beaver, American popular culture has been deeply rooted in car-centered suburbia. That paradigm may be shifting. There was a time when being carless was tantamount to wearing head gear: totally uncool. Truth be told, that time is still now in many places,… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Less money, more students
Ehrlich’s school funding lacking; Public schools still on the rise; Big city school superintendents’ future uncertain; Hit-and-run near Dupont Circle; Purple Line in November; Developers shifting to Smart Growth; Metro riders impossible to please; Supporting food trucks; And…. Keep reading…