Newsroom

Feb 24, 2012

Building a sustainable suburb

Feb 21, 2012

“This is probably the worst Congress for the environment in history” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) in dramatic opening remarks at a February 13 event focused on promoting clean energy sustainability and economic growth in metro Washington.

Feb 20, 2012

On March 19, the Transportation Planning Board will apply for $20 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to make a number of high-impact bicycle and pedestrian access improvements around 16 Metrorail and commuter rail stations in the Washington region.

Feb 17, 2012

An article from Atlantic Cities on the rapid development of Surrey a former edge city near Vancouver recently caught our eye particularly in relation to the effort underway to transform Tysons Corner from a sprawling automobile-centric place to an urban center with transit housing and walkability. Surrey has been undergoing a similar transition and is beginning to even rival Vancouver as the primary center in the metropolitan region.

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.