Nuria Fernandez, the administrator for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), briefed the COG Board of Directors on September 8 on the current priorities of the administration and how those align with COG and the Transportation Planning Board’s (TPB) goals for the future, including maximizing the region’s investment in transit and prioritizing equity in planning to ensure greater prosperity for all residents.

“The success of the transportation system is critical to the economic health, sustainability, and future growth of the D.C. region,” said Fernandez.

She discussed how funding from the proposed Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, which was passed by the Senate in August, will help advance transit projects and initiatives across the region and entire nation.

Fernandez commended COG on its work to address the challenges and concerns of transportation in the region and also emphasized the important role metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), like the TPB, play in addressing pressing, interrelated issues such as climate change and equity.

The FTA is similarly focused on the ways transportation and climate are linked. Fernandez described how prevalent low emission technology has become in combatting climate change and how the FTA is committed to increasing awareness not only around the issues themselves but also the funding sources available to create solutions.

She also recognized COG’s efforts to determine how to optimize growth around transit and support underserved communities, especially as the population continues to increase in metropolitan Washington over the next few decades.

At the same meeting, the COG Board of Directors discussed endorsing High-Capacity Transit Station Areas (HCTs), areas around Metrorail, commuter rail, light rail, and bus rapid transit, and Equity Emphasis Areas (EEAs), areas that contain higher concentrations of low-income or minority residents, as key planning concepts and tools to inform decision making and action in the region. Focusing on HCTs and EEAs could create stronger transit-oriented communities and in turn help the region achieve multiple shared goals, including those related to housing affordability and climate change.

DC Streetcar (Beyond DC/Flickr)

“COG’s focus on transit-oriented development along with promoting these Equity Emphasis Areas provides the basis for jurisdictions to maximize development,” said Fernandez, who noted that EEAs align with the FTA’s own focus on equity and will serve as a useful tool not only for transportation, but land use, education, and housing as well.

The COG Board will vote on two resolutions in October to officially endorse HCTs and EEAs as part of its planning framework for the region over the next decade.