Newsroom

Feb 13, 2012

Since it began two years ago, the Transportation Planning Board's wheelchair-accessible taxicab pilot program--"rollDC"--has seen an eight-fold increase in the number of trips provided to users of mobility devices living in or visiting the District of Columbia. In a 2011 customer satisfaction survey, 81% of respondents rated their most recent "rollDC" trip either "very good" or "excellent," and nine in ten first-time users said they planned to use the service again in the future.

Feb 7, 2012

We asked two leaders who are guiding the implementation of Region Forward to comment on the progress that’s already been made what they’re looking forward to accomplishing in the coming year and how RF impacts their own communities.

Feb 6, 2012

An alternative vision for the future of the region's transportation system being studied by the Transportation Planning Board would give travelers new options for avoiding traffic back-ups, slow expected growth in congestion and travel delay at peak hours, and provide new revenue for much-needed improvements in high-demand travel corridors.

Feb 2, 2012

Housing is an essential element of Region Forward. And it pops up in some way in almost every blog post here at The Yardstick usually in the context of the region’s need for much more affordable housing .

Feb 1, 2012

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the region’s economic future. And it’s for a good reason. Over the past few years the prevailing narrative has been that metro Washington shines as one of the rare bright spots in a dismal national economy thanks to the protective bubble provided by the federal government.

Jan 26, 2012

The connection between land-use patterns and public health is increasingly evident. And troubling. The prevailing development model in much of the United States – sprawl – effectively mandates auto dependency and thus exacerbates the country’s ongoing problem with weight and its increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Jan 26, 2012

Recently launched CapitalRegionUpdates.gov web site provides residents a “one-stop shop” with guidance and information during emergencies.

Jan 25, 2012

New COG Chairman Frank Principi (Prince William County) discusses regional housing issues, including the foreclosure crisis and the need for more affordable housing, on NBC's "Viewpoint" program.

Jan 23, 2012

Indexing gas taxes to inflation would be the easiest way to secure more adequate funding for the maintenance and expansion of the region's transportation system in the short-term, according to a study prepared for the TPB. But the study adds that, in the long-run, transportation funding should be tied to how much drivers use the roads, not to how much gasoline they buy.

Jan 19, 2012

Not enough housing. Not the right housing. Stephen Fuller and Lisa Sturtevant of the GMU Center for Regional Analysis blog about their findings which show that the region is not producing nearly enough housing and not the right type of housing to meet the needs of the future.