Gray, Knapp and Gross Elected to Lead COG Board in 2007
District of Columbia Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray will lead COG's Board of Directors in 2007 after being elected to serve as chair in January. Montgomery County Council Member Michael Knapp and Fairfax County Supervisor Penelope A. Gross will serve as vice chairs.
Also in January, Fairfax County Supervisor Catherine Hudgins was elected to chair the Transportation Planning Board and Montgomery County Council Member Nancy Floreen was elected to chair the Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee.
Forum Explores Solutions to Climate Change
COG's Regional Climate Change Roundtable brought together more than 75 environmental planners, elected officials and other policy makers to begin to examine a proposed regional climate change effort by COG. Climate change has the potential to impact the metropolitan Washington region in a number of ways, including coastal flooding, heat waves and other dangerous weather events.
The half-day forum focused on programs in the region that could offer to solutions to climate change.
TPB Begins Travel Survey Of 10,000 Area Households
The region's first large-scale household travel survey in more than a decade will help guide future transportation planning as the area continues to grow.
The TPB has contracted with research firm NuStats to assess the travel behaviors of 10,000 randomly-selected area households. Survey results will be used to develop new forecasting models for use in transit and highway planning. As the region faces a predicted 1.6 million more residents by 2030, it will help local governments study which transportation improvement projects will benefit their growing communities most.
Workshops to Explore Housing Incentives for Shorter Commutes
In partnership with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, Commuter Connections introduced an initiative to educate businesses on housing incentives and programs available to help make living near work more practical and affordable for employees. The “Live Near Your Work” initiative was launched at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., where top employers explored issues such as local home buying assistance programs and commuting options, as well as various low- to no-cost incentives employers can provide for staff who choose to live near their workplaces.
