Thurs. June 25, 2009
Plan Addresses Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability
WASHINGTON, DC – Transportation plays a pivotal role in Washington’s economic prosperity and sustainability. As a result, the city needs a broad transportation agenda to guide future investments as federal funds are unleashed to help build new infrastructure, according to the Downtown DC Business Improvement District’s (BID) latest leadership paper.
Titled, “Getting from Here to There,” the report notes that Washington has enjoyed a competitive advantage over neighboring jurisdictions in the past decade because of its existing infrastructure, relatively dense development and walkable neighborhoods. But a comprehensive investment plan could help guide the city through this current period of great challenge and opportunity.
“Pushing for an efficient and innovative transportation infrastructure system is a win-win situation for the city and for Downtown,” said Matt Klein, chairman of the Downtown BID Board of Directors and president of Akridge, a full-service commercial real estate firm. “The Transportation Leadership Paper charts actions we can take right now to keep our city green, growing and socially responsible.”
The paper recommends that Washington’s transportation agenda include:
1) completing a comprehensive strategic investment plan built on the city’s extensive transportation
studies;
2) activating a DC Transit Plan;
3) reducing Downtown congestion;
4) raising public space development and management as a priority; and
5) adopting new financing mechanisms to support the strategic investment plan.
Specifically, the agenda should include plans to manage and re-imagine Downtown streets to alleviate congestion, connect new streetcar lines and 25 million National Mall visitors to Downtown and establish placemaking as a priority in Downtown to enhance the “sense of place.”
As the cultural and economic heart of the city, Downtown also is its fiscal and economic engine, providing tax revenues that can be used toward the city’s social agenda. Investment in transportation infrastructure helps Downtown maintain its economic competitiveness, which in turn profoundly impacts the city’s ability to fund and improve everything from schools to affordable housing.
The leadership paper is the sixth in the Downtown BID’s occasional series of working papers to foster dialogue about critical issues relating to Downtown Washington’s economic, social and physical environment.
Other highlights:
- The city’s emerging commercial districts need to be well connected to the traditional Downtown and other destinations to attract prime tenants and a balanced mix of housing, retail and government office space.
- More reliable and convenient transit service will create a healthier environment with fewer motorists, and will make cycling and walking safer.
- Affordable and convenient transit service reduces the isolation that compounds social and economic problems.
The report also stresses the need for business, civic and government leaders to shape the public discourse and craft the detailed financing plan that achieves a shared vision of an economically vibrant, environmentally sustainable city that provides social equity for all.
“Economic recovery legislation, coupled with reauthorized federal transportation funding, presents the city with an enormous opportunity to enhance and expand its transportation infrastructure,” said Richard H. Bradley, the Downtown BID executive director. “Creating a viable transportation plan now to address problems and secure a future grounded in economic vitality, environmental sustainability and social equity is critical.”
Since its inception in 1997, the Downtown BID has provided leadership on a wide range of transportation issues. It championed extended Metrorail hours to support growing interest in entertainment, sports and cultural attractions; collaborative efforts to establish the DC Circulator; and dedicated funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), which provides Metrorail and Metrobus transit service in Washington, Maryland and Virginia.
For copies of the Leadership Paper, please contact Ellen Jones at 202.626.1145 or ellen@downtowndc.org. The paper is also available on the Downtown BID’s website at www.downtowndc.org/leadership.
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