By David Alpert (Executive Director) • May 18, 2020
DC will continue most of its existing transportation efforts next year under a draft budget released by DC mayor Muriel Bowser. However, unless the DC Council changes the budget, the District will have somewhat less funding for affordable housing programs and won’t plan ahead to ensure well-coordinated development in areas slated for big growth and change.
About 95% of US households will fill out their 2020 census information using forms mailed to their house that they will reply to via the internet, phone or mail. In the Washington region, the self-response rate from these forms varies greatly depending on location, density, race, population and income.
By Christina Sturdivant Sani (Contributor) • May 18, 2020
The NoMa Parks Foundation wants opinions for the potential designs of three new public spaces that will appear at “Dave Thomas Circle.” Explore alternatives to driving your kids to school. Plus, traffic safety meetings across the city, and more in this week’s urbanist events.
By David Alpert (Executive Director) • May 18, 2020
Cities like Oakland, Seattle, Denver, Charlotte, New York, Paris, Montreal, and Bogotá have opened many neighborhood streets for people not in motor vehicles to use to run errands and get exercise during, and after, the coronavirus pandemic. DC councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3), who chairs the transportation committee, and colleagues Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1) and Charles Allen (Ward 6) sent and published a letter Friday asking DC to do the same.
As stay-at-home orders lift, and people consider their transportation options, bike and scooter companies are hoping to re-emerge as a safer transportation option for people who need to commute while safely practicing social distancing. (Luz Lazo / Post)
A proposal that would have let restaurants in the district apply for street closures, to make room for al fresco dining, was nixed from a DC Council bill scheduled to be heard this Tuesday. (Alex Koma / Business Journal)
For trips between April 1 and June 30, Atlas Arteria, the effective owner of the Dulles Greenway, is allowing health care professionals and first responders to apply for a program to have tolls waived when driving on its toll roads. (Mike Murillo / WTOP)
Based on reopening guidelines set by an advisory group, Mayor Muriel Bowser said current trends predict DC is six days away from meeting the goals set to safely reopen. The mayor could announce a reopening date for certain sectors of the economy as soon as Thursday. (Dana Hedgpeth / Post)
With revenue down by $700 million in April compared to a year ago, Virginia’s plans to improve roads, bridges, and public transit infrastructure may need to be put on hold as the coronavirus pandemic led to state revenue falling dramatically. (Nick Iannelli / WTOP)
The attorneys general of DC, Maryland, and Virginia plan to file a lawsuit to force the Environmental Protection Agency to require Pennsylvania and New York to revise their Chesapeake Bay cleanup plans. Under a binding 1983 agreement, states along the bay’s watershed must have pollution controls in place by 2025. (Jacob Fenston / DCist)
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposed $16.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2021 follows a grim financial outlook by the city’s chief financial officer that suggests it would take two years for the district to recover from the pandemic. (Amanda Michelle Gomez / City Paper)
In a unanimous vote, Rockville City Council passed an ordinance that freezes residential rent increases through July 31. Starting on starting Aug. 1, rent increases greater than 2.6% require a 90-day notice after the end of Maryland’s state of emergency. (Briana Adhikusum / Bethesda Beat)
The US is facing a bicycle shortage due to disrupted supply chains and surging demand. Nationwide sales of bicycles, equipment, and repair services doubled in March compared to a year ago, with many stores and distributors sold out of low-end consumer bikes by the end of April. (Christina Goldbaum / The New York Times)
