Homeless Tents Encampment in front of Union Station at Columbus Circle, NE by Elvert Barnes Photography licensed under Creative Commons.

Discuss how we can end poverty in America: The United States has a higher poverty rate than any other advanced democracy. A range of policies and practices have caused this persistent but urgent challenge, but so too have the decisions and actions of people in the middle and upper classes.

Join the Urban Institute on Wednesday, May 3 from 12:00 - 1:30 for a discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matt Desmond about why poverty persists in America and how everyone can play a role in fighting it. Learn more about the hybrid event and register here.

  • Date: Wednesday, May 3, 2023
  • Time: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
  • Location: Urban Institute, 500 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC, 20024 or Virtual

Wednesday, May 3:

Strap on your helmet and lace up your shoes for this year’s National Bike and Roll to School Day: National Bike & Roll to School Day is May 3, 2023, and invites participants to celebrate the joy of active commuting while building a sense of community and school spirit. Whether addressing the need to make routes to school safer for active trips or encouraging children and teens to be more active, these events can be powerful tools to inspire lasting change.

Join in on Capitol Hill’s annual celebration of National Bike and Roll to School Day this Wednesday. Learn more about the event here.

  • Day: Wednesday, May 3, 2023
  • Time: 7:30 AM - 8:15 AM
  • Location: Lincoln Park, 11th and East Capitol St, Washington, DC

Thursday, May 4:

Attend the University of Maryland’s Resilience Research Hub Showcase: UMD’s Resilience Research Hub highlights the faculty engaged in inequality and/or resilience research across the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS). The hub includes important research on fostering resilient cities that can prevent and recover from various shocks and stresses such as climate change-induced extreme weather events, sea level rise, or global pandemics.

​Join UMD in celebrating research excellence across resilience themes-including environmental, economic, health and safety, and more. Learn more about the event and RSVP here.

  • Date: Thursday, May 4, 2023
  • Time: 4:00 - 5:30 PM
  • Location: Stamp Grand Ballroom, Adele H. Stamp Student Union, 3972 Campus Dr, College Park, MD 20742

Saturday, May 6:

Volunteer to restore Fort Slocum Park: Invasive plants are a major threat to our fragile forests, and stopping their spread helps allow for a thriving native understory. Join Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service for this invasive plant removal restoration event in Rock Creek Park at Fort Slocum Park. Learn more and register here.

  • Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023
  • Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location: Fort Slocum Park, 5800 Kansas Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20011

Tuesday, May 9:

Share your input on the Monumental Core Streetscape Design Guidelines: The public is invited to an online meeting to learn about and comment on the proposed Monumental Core Streetscape Design Guidelines: Small-Scale Elements. These guidelines inform the placement and characteristics of streetscape furnishings and civic infrastructure including benches, waste receptacles, bicycle racks, and utility boxes, among others in downtown Washington, DC’s monumental core, including in and around the National Mall.

The National Capital Planning Commission, together with the federal and District agencies responsible for these streetscapes, drafted these guidelines to provide a coordinated approach to ensure the area’s beauty and functionality. The proposed Small-Scale Streetscape Elements are part of a larger initiative to update the 1992 National Mall Streetscape Manual. Learn more about the Streetscape Design Guidelines and register to attend the virtual public meeting here.

  • Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2023
  • Time: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
  • Location: Virtual

Discuss a “Bold New Transportation Plan for Maryland”: The Action Committee for Transit (ACT)’s monthly in-person meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 9. The meeting will be joined by the speaker, Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller. Join this month’s meeting to hear directly from Lieutenant Governor Miller on the future of transportation in Maryland. Learn more about ACT and this Tuesday’s meeting at the Silver Spring Civic Center here.

  • Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2023
  • Time: 7:30 PM
  • Location: Silver Spring Civic Center, 1 Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, Silver Spring, MD

View more upcoming events on our calendar!


Community members submit events for inclusion on our events posts and in our events calendar. Submit your event here. Submissions may be edited for context and clarity.

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Tagged: bikes, dc, development, events, maryland, poverty, resilience, streetscape, transit

Karly Meyer was an Engagement Fellow at Greater Greater Washington. She was a student at George Washington University majoring in Public Health with minors in Sustainability and Biology. Karly discovered her interests in urban planning and active transportation while studying sustainable development in Copenhagen, Denmark. She grew up in Exeter, New Hampshire and used to live in Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC.