Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Federal Stimulus

D.C. City Government Considers “Cash for Close-in Urban Living”

The nation's capital is proposing to use money from the Obama administration's economic stimulus law for a pilot program that would give grants of up to $3,000 for suburban commuters to move closer to transit or their place of work.

washington_metro_washington_d_c_dc123.jpgThe interior of a D.C. Metro station. (Photo: PlanetWare)

The Live Near Your Work grants being weighed by D.C. would use $90,000 to offer incentives for 30 local workers to move within 1.5 miles of their office, a half-mile of a Metro rail station or a quarter-mile of a bus stop.

The program would be an "experiment" along the lines of "cash for clunkers," the city's Department of the Environment director told the Washington Examiner:

"The biggest driver of how much energy somebody uses is where theylive," said George Hawkins, DDOE director. "We're trying to get peopleto live closer to where they work. It's not a lot of money, but it'ssomething we want to pilot to see how it goes."

Incentive programs that aim to encourage work-accessible living patterns are already in place in Baltimore, Minneapolis, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday’s Headlines Got DOGE’d Again

Amidst uncertainty about future federal funding, Amtrak is cutting $100 million and 450 jobs.

May 9, 2025

Friday Video: Where Was the First Public Bus Route in the World?

...and which surprising historical figure helped launch it?

May 9, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Are Not Gonna Pay a Lot for This Truck

President Trump's tariffs, along with rising insurance costs, are driving down Americans' interest in owning a car.

May 8, 2025

How One Suburb is Using Transit to Transform Into a True City

A Washington State suburb may be poised to evolve into a true transit-oriented hub – and offer lessons for other bedroom communities, even during an anti-transit era.

May 8, 2025
See all posts