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

How To End Your City’s Fight Over Scooter Parking Once and For All

Micromobility riders need a good place to end their ride just like everyone else — and cities can accomplish several goals at once by giving them one.

May 14, 2025

Blue State AGs Sue Trump Over ‘Strong-Arm’ Tactic of Tying DOT Funds to Immigration Crackdown

The U.S. Department of Transportation is illegally threatening to withhold billions in transportation funding to states that don't "cooperate" with the administration's immigration crackdown, a new suit argues.

May 14, 2025

Let Wednesday’s Headlines Clear Our Throat

Congestion pricing is doing what its supporters promised it would do.

May 14, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Are Blocked In

Cities and regional governments could do a better job of spending federal transportation money than states, argues the Brookings Institute.

May 13, 2025

Check out Seattle’s New Subway!*

*...but only for stormwater runoff, not people. And considering that cars, trucks, roads and parking lots for cars are responsible for half of stormwater volumes — and contribute most to toxic runoff — why are households that don't even drive paying to keep other's waste from polluting sensitive waterways?

May 13, 2025
See all posts