Events: GGWash’s Fall Mixer is happening this Wednesday. Come join us!

Bring your friends and family and join us from 5:00 - 9:00 pm on Wednesday, September 28, 2022, for our Fall Mixer at Metrobar! This casual gathering is your chance to chat with fellow transit fans and housing advocates, meet the GGWash staff and board, quaff a locally made drink, and “ooh and ahh” over the original local art and Metro railcar #5058 installed on site.

Plus, it’s an evening out for a good cause. The majority of each ticket sale directly supports GGWash and Metrobar is donating a portion of the night’s proceeds to support our work. So come on down to this platform: no SmarTrip card required! We can’t wait to see you! Click here to learn more and buy tickets.

Thursday, September 29

Delve into the intersections between community development and the social determinants of health: Did you know that up to  80% of health outcomes are influenced by non-clinical factors, such as access to quality and affordable housing, reliable transportation, nutritious food, and financial stability? This means that only 20% of our health accounts for a person’s overall well-being. In fact, our health is increasingly determined more by the ZIP code we live in than our genetic code. Social drivers, also known as social determinants of health, such as where people live, learn, work, and play, will largely affect an individual’s health and quality of life outcomes.

Join the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) in this informative online event at 1:00 pm on September 29. They will provide critical information on the definition and application of the social determinants of health (SDOH) and how they can intersect with community development and how community development practitioners can begin to move in the direction of creating and sustaining Equitable and Healthy Communities. See here for more information.

Talk housing policy with Brookings senior fellow Jenny Schuetz and GGWash’s Alex Baca: Most of us think housing in the Capital Region is too expensive. If that’s right, what can we do about it? In her new book, Fixer Upper, Brookings Institution senior fellow Jenny Schuetz has prescriptions to fix America’s housing system. Jenny is a housing expert, and she is also a DC local. What do her recommendations mean for the area we call home?

Join the Center for Washington Area Studies and moderator Alex Baca, policy manager at Greater Greater Washington, for an in-person spirited discussion of Jenny’s prescriptions for our housing woes. The event will be held at the George Washington University Textile Museum from 3:30-4:45 pm on September 29. RSVP here.

Saturday, October 1

Enjoy Open Streets along Georgia Avenue: Open Streets Georgia Avenue returns for its third year! DDOT and District Bridges are partnering to close three miles of Georgia Avenue to cars and open the street for people to walk, bike, scoot, and play from 9:00 AM - 3:00 pm on October 1. Seven activation zones along the route will host hourly programmed classes and demonstrations, including yoga, drum circles, double dutch, foam party, pop-up bike lanes, music, and more! Businesses along the route will also provide space for outdoor dining and retail. The event is free and suitable for all ages and abilities! No cars, just people. See here for more information.

Wednesday, October 12

Learn about equitable transit-oriented development with GGWash: The Washington region has been a leader in transit-oriented development (TOD) for decades by building dense housing and commercial space in close proximity to transit stations–with plans for more such development in years to come. But too often, we see racial and socioeconomic disparities in who can afford to live in and who benefits from access to these places. Across the country, more and more regions are adopting “equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD)” frameworks, bringing more intentionality to the work to rectify these disparities. What does that mean, and what can we learn from this approach? What efforts are currently underway in the Washington region to make access to housing, jobs, and other benefits of TOD more equitable?

Greater Greater Washington has been exploring ETOD through an ongoing limited series. This webinar is a chance for readers to learn more directly from experts featured in the series and will include time for audience Q&A. GGWash’s editor-in-chief, George Kevin Jordan, will moderate a panel including the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s policy director, Cheryl Cort, Marly Schott, program manager for Elevated Chicago, and RISE Prince George’s Kyle Reeder. Register here for the event, which will take place from 12:00 - 1:00 pm on October 12.