If you’ve been following DC’s economic recovery efforts post-pandemic, you’re likely aware of the focus on downtown. Last week, Mayor Muriel Bowser convened a summit on the future of downtown, focused on the emergence of new mixed-use neighborhoods and economic development initiatives.
As we move into the next stage of DC 2050, I wanted to take a moment to look back on what we’ve heard from residents so far and share a bit about how we plan to keep the conversation going.
In my April blog post, I shared my commitment to ensure that every DC community member, regardless of Ward, race, ethnicity, or economic status, has a seat at the table as we plan for our city’s future. DC 2050 will only succeed if we build it in true partnership with those who have been left out of the conversation historically.
For DC 2050, to create a comprehensive plan for the whole city, we need to connect with and consider the needs of the whole city. The District of Columbia is incredibly diverse, with residents of all ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. We acknowledge that urban planning has been part of systems that, through racially discriminatory and exclusionary policies, have harmed Black residents, other people of color, and their communities.
The District of Columbia is home to almost 700,000 people and growing. The DC Office of Planning is forecasting that by 2050, the population of our city will grow by 100,000 to 150,000 people.
As part of the DC 2050 engagement process, the DC Office of Planning has awarded a total of $75,000 in grants to three community-based organizations in the District to lead targeted engagement efforts. Over the next eight months, The Coalition, Many Languages One Voice, and Congress Heights Community Training and Development Corporation (CHCTDC) will plan and host inclusive community engagement activities across the District. They’ll focus on connecting with lower-income Black residents in Wards 5, 7, and 8 and residents with limited English proficiency.
DC 2050, the District's next comprehensive plan, will guide land use and development in our city for the next 25 years. Two of the big questions we are thinking about at OP are 1) how will we grow? and 2) where should we grow?
As we start to develop the policies for the new comprehensive plan alongside DC residents, I’m sharing reflections and takeaways.
In November, we hosted workshops to hear from community members about how they want the District to grow. We talked to people from all parts of the city to inform how we map future land uses in the District to accommodate growth.
