Our past choices about where and how we grow have led to limited and unaffordable housing, and left too many of us dependent on driving for almost everything.

Smarter land use means more inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable communities: communities that are safe and convenient for walking and biking to daily needs – schools, stores, parks, and jobs; offer a diversity of housing options for people at different income levels; and are served by reliable, frequent public transit.

It’s good for our environment, good for people, and good for business.

Direct new homes and businesses to existing communities with access to transit

Providing more homes and businesses in existing communities with transit supports connected, economically thriving communities. It is also more sustainable and efficient than chasing sprawl development with new and costly infrastructure. Instead, focusing growth in already established communities allows us to welcome new neighbors and means private developers can contribute to modernizing aging infrastructure, like our schools, transit services, roads, sidewalks, and stormwater facilities.

Create compact, walkable, bike-friendly, mixed-use communities

We envision communities where each of us can conveniently meet our daily needs, and have more choices in how we get around. Walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented communities can provide easy access to jobs, services, retail, and community gathering spaces. This creates opportunities for connection and requires shorter and fewer car trips—reducing household transportation costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Preserve rural farms, forests and natural areas

The smart growth approach to land use reduces pressure to convert farms and forests and natural areas to development – which is key in this era of climate change. Instead, smart growth focuses on turning existing and underutilized parking lots and commercial spaces into mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods with homes and businesses. Along with tools like agricultural zoning and conservation easements, this allows us to protect our farms, forests, natural areas, and drinking water supplies.

Latest Happenings

Testimony in support of the proposed action for Takoma Metro Station redevelopment, Hearing No. 175, Docket R06-5

Ted Van Houten | October 11, 2006

Since 2000, WRN has been involved with the question of what kind of redevelopment at the Takoma Metro station would do the most to enhance transit access, improve the station area and larger community, help meet the need for more housing near transit. Appropriate development at the Takoma Metro station helps accommodate our region’s growth in a way that enhances the Takoma neighborhood while contributing to the solution for our region’s transportation, air and water pollution problems.

DC – A Working Vision for Downtown Ward 7

tom | October 1, 2005

A plan to revitalize downtown Ward 7, based on a series of community workshops in 2005.

DC – Campaign for Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning Fact Sheet

ian | January 31, 2005

Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) policies require new and/or rehabilitated residential developments to include housing units affordable to low and moderate-income residents. In exchange, developers may receive non-monetary compensation—in the form of density bonuses—that reduce construction costs.

DC USA: Proposed Parking Management Strategy to Maximize Sales and Access

katie | October 12, 2004

Given that the DC USA retail center will have substantially less retail sales space than could be supported by market demand, the conventional customer access strategy of driving and parking should be fully reconsidered. Several other facts point to the need to implement an urban strategy that better builds on the assets of the site location, and avoids its constraints.

Traffic Fatalities and the Built Environment

tom | September 1, 2003

An American Journal of Public Health article which argues that the low-density fringes of metropolitan areas are more dangerous than the inner cities because of traffic fatalities associated with driving long distances at high speeds.