The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is emerging as a leader in sustainable approaches to transportation, instituting a collection of environmental process improvements and interagency partnerships to integrate land use, transportation, environmental stewardship, and community needs. There are a wide range of initiatives underway to help build sustainable communities across the city.
What is “Great Streets”
One initiative, dubbed “Great Streets,” focuses on improving major road corridors in the city. The program is intended to make road improvements that promote local businesses while also enhancing communities with better pedestrian, bicycle, and transit options for “sustainable mobility,” according to a summary.
The Great Streets initiative follows five basic principles:
- Change the public and market perceptions of the corridors through streetscape and transportation improvements, and reposition them as one of the best places to live and work, consequently expanding the city’s tax base;
- Transform roadways and intersections into environmentally friendly and usable community open spaces;
- Change the existing “corridors” function from major vehicular arterials into streets that sustain healthy pedestrian and transit based activities, and consequently support the city’s air quality and transportation agendas;
- Transform each corridor into a place that is memorable, compelling, and desirable to visit again and again;
- Reposition the street as a vital neighborhood asset, and thus increase the community’s stake in its design, upkeep, and stewardship.
Achieving the Goals
To achieve these goals, DDOT plans to spend more than $100 million over 4 years to improve public spaces in six target corridors. Partner agencies in the city include the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, the Office of Planning, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and Neighborhood Service Coordinators.
DDOT also is a key partner in several multi-agency initiatives and projects to spur economic development, social equity, and mobility in the city. Key among them is the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, a multi-agency effort to revitalize the areas around the waterfront of the Anacostia River. Goals of the initiative are to achieve environmentally responsible development; to unify diverse waterfront areas into commercial, residential, recreational, and open-space uses; to develop and conserve park areas; and to provide greater access to the waterfront, communities, and business corridors. Construction already has begun on a new 1.5-mile streetcar line in Anacostia, the first installment of a planned city-wide streetcar network. A series of open houses on the proposed streetcar network will be held in late October and early November.
Other Initiatives
These and many other DDOT initiatives are among a long list of actions included on the “Green D.C. Agenda,” a sustainability initiative launched by D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty on Earth Day 2009. Topping the list are the city’s pioneering efforts to promote bicycling. On Oct. 2, D.C. officials cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art bicycle station. The facility offers bicycle parking, rentals, repairs and accessories at the west end of Union Station and holds approximately 133 bicycles. The $4 million project was funded by the Federal Highway Administration and DDOT. The city also is home to a first-of-its-kind bicycle sharing program. Launched in 2008, the program currently offers 10 kiosks housing 100 bikes. DDOT has plans to add another 50 stations to the network.
Within DDOT, plans for achieving sustainable transportation will be implemented through a range of process improvements, including a comprehensive environmental management system. Detailed information on environmental compliance and stewardship for DDOT projects is spelled out in the new Environmental Process and Policy Manual. Early consideration of stakeholder concerns allowed DDOT to streamline the review process for the 11th Street Bridges project and earned the agency top honors for environmental streamlining in FHWA’s 2009 Environmental Excellence Awards.
For more information, link to DDOT web pages on the Great Streets Initiative, the Anacostia Initiative, Bike Sharing, Bike Station, Environmental Management System, Environmental Policy and Process Manual, and Context Sensitive Solutions Guidelines. Additional information may be accessed by linking to the Green D.C. Agenda and transit and mobility action items page.