cherie gibson of the district department of transportation says the streetcar will stimulate development and rejuvenate economically depressed neighborhoods (such as the h st ne corridor), based on the overwhelming success of portland and seattle streetcars serving as development-oriented transit.

proximity to streetcars will increase property values by $10-15 billion, according to gibson. the expected result is $238 – 291 million in annual new tax revenue after the 37-mile streetcar network is finished. at that rate, it would take only six years for the city to recuperate the full $1.5 billion cost of the streetcars. after six years, the tax revenues would be pure profit.

with numerous methods to travel around the district and the convenience of being able to ride the streetcars with smartrip cards, we all have another reason to avoid sitting through dc traffic.

source: dc streetcar official site

map of the proposed 37-mile streetcar network. the initial h/benning line, shown in red, would extend west all the way to georgetown. additional lines are planned to go north and south through dc. 

sources: interview with cherie gibson (ddot)

but it doesn’t have to be.

there are tons of little things we can do in our day-to-day lives that help fight against the human impact of climate change.  it takes a little knowledge and some curiosity.

we wanted to see what the average person focuses the most on during their day and see if they have any curiosity about what they can do to help the environment.  we went to washington dc’s historic h street corridor, a diverse and rapidly changing area of the washington dc area, in order to find out what matters most to people. 

what we found out is that just asking the question can get people thinking.  it’s a small step that can lead to conversation and eventually, action in our daily lives.

gabe salkin and mel mcintire are seniors majoring in journalism and mass communication at the george washington university.