Future by Salvatore Vastano licensed under Creative Commons.

Concerned about the future of urban America? Randy Shaw’s Generation Priced Out is a call to action on one of the most talked-about issues of our time: how skyrocketing rents and home values are pricing low- and middle-income people out of urban America. Randy Shaw tells the powerful stories of tenants, politicians, homeowner groups, developers, and activists in over a dozen cities impacted by the national housing shortage.

The housing struggles that we see in DC are replicated throughout urban America, and Generation Priced Out challenges progressive cities to reverse rising economic and racial inequality. Shaw demonstrates that displacement is not inevitable. He presents proven measures for cities to preserve and expand their working- and middle-class residents.

Join the GGWash Neighborhood on Thursday, March 28 at 5:30pm at Busboys and Poets (2021 14th St NW) for a happy hour with Shaw before his public book talk at 6:30pm. You won't want to miss this opportunity to discuss how to move the national affordable housing conversation forward.

RSVP

Other events from around the region:

Tuesday, March 26

Budget some time for DC budgets: Give input on budgets for the Office of Planning, the Office of Zoning, and the University of the District of Columbia starting at 11 am in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW). Anyone who wishes to testify should contact the Council to sign up.

Thursday, March 28

Budget some time for DC budgets, housing edition: Give input on budgets for the Rental Housing Commission, Housing Finance Agency, and the Office of the Tenant Advocate starting at 10 am in Room 120 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW). Anyone who wishes to testify should contact Oscar Montiel to sign up.

Budget some time for DC budgets, public works edition: Give input on budgets for the Department of Public Works starting at 11 am in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW). Anyone who wishes to testify should contact Aukima Benjamin to sign up.

Saturday, March 30

Step-and-sketch: Join experts from Sketching the District “to create and hone your powers of observation while exploring Arlington during this open sketch session in Clarendon… start the walk with an introduction to sketching followed by an exploration of Clarendon led by WalkArlington that includes multiple sketching stops. Urban sketching is the act of drawing and documenting the world around you, whether that is your local neighborhood, museum, park, or cityscape. Sketching facilitates a deep connection to your surroundings and an appreciation of the beauty in everything.”

Meet your fellow sketcher-walkers at Clarendon Central Park (3140 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA) from 10 am to 12 pm. Bring your sketching materials or just a notebook and pencil. The event is open to all skill levels—the goal is to help participants experience Clarendon in a new way.

Monday, April 1

Budget some time for DC budgets, energy and environment edition: Give input on budgets for the Department of Energy and the Environment starting at 11 am in Room 120 of the John A. Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW). Anyone who wishes to testify should contact Aukima Benjamin to sign up.

Brew and choo-choo: Have some beers with the Rail Passengers Association, “the largest national organization that serves as a voice for the more than 40 million rail passengers in the US [whose]mission is to improve and expand conventional intercity & regional passenger train services, support higher speed rail initiatives, increase connectivity among all forms of transportation and ensure safety for our country's trains and passengers.

Buy a $12 ticket and head to Busboys and Poets (450 K St NW) from 6 to 8 pm to attend the Beer+Transit networking event, part of the 2019 #RailNationDC Spring Advocacy Conference, and hear from guest speaker Joe McAndrew, the Director of Transportation Policy at the Greater Washington Partnership.

See how the Swiss get around: Buy a $25 ticket and head to the Westin City Center (1400 M Street NW) from 8 pm to 9:15 pm where “noted rail tour operator Carl Fowler will share why and how the Swiss offer the most perfect example of a truly integrated, multi-modal transportation in the world [with a] “Rail Pass” that includes not only every train, but also every bus, tram (trolley car), lake-steamer and even some mountain cable cars, plus offers admission to over 400 museums, landmarks, and parks!”

See what you think about Fowler's perspective that “All of the frustrating issues that compromise public transport in the US have been solved to create a system that is easy to use, frequent, and takes you to scenes of incomparable beauty.”

Check out more urbanist events at ggwash.org/calendar. Do you have an event you'd like to see featured in the weekly events post? Submit it here.