Sustainable DC Progress Reports
As a part of holding ourselves, our partner agencies, and our city accountable to the goals we have set, Sustainable DC conducts annual progress reports on all of the goals and actions of the plan.
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Housing Equity Report
The Housing Equity Report provides goals for the equitable distribution of affordable housing in DC, supporting Mayor Muriel Bowser’s vision for creating 36,000 new housing units by 2025. The report is the first in a series that will comprise the Housing Framework for Equity and Growth. The framework is a cutting-edge effort that will examine factors across multiple scales, design typologies, and resident experiences to generate recommendations that can increase housing affordability and opportunity for all residents.
You can also learn more about the current distribution of affordable housing by the Planning Areas in the report itself or by Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) areas here.
You can also view a video about the Housing Framework for Equity and Growth and our work to increase affordable housing in the District below.
External Publications
Washington Region Housing
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG)
The Future of Housing in Greater Washington highlights the efforts by area officials and housing and planning directors to work together at COG to address the region's unmet housing needs. The report sets an ambitious target of adding at least 320,000 housing units between 2020 and 2030, an additional 75,000 units beyond the units already predicted to be built in the region for this period. MWCOG also created goals for establishing 75 percent of those units near Activity Centers or high-capacity transit and ensuring 75 percent of new housing should be affordable to low- and moderate-income households.
Urban Institute
Meeting the Washington Region’s Future Housing Needs is an analysis of the current housing supply and predicted population growth forecast in the region. The report states that to ensure the region’s future economic growth and prosperity, the region must produce at least 374,000 more housing units by 2030 and create at least 40 percent more housing to meet the needs of moderate-income households. The report highlights that jurisdictions within the region will need to leverage their existing housing tools and learn from each other to implement highly effective policies to accelerate housing production.
Related DC Government Publications
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED)
An Assessment of the Need for Large Family Units in the District of Columbia provides a more thorough understanding of any gaps in the supply of and demand for large units in the District. Recognizing that housing is fundamental to helping families thrive in the District, this study explores the questions: is there a need for an increase in the rate of large unit production and preservation in the District? If so, where, what kind, at what price, and for whom?
Office-to-Affordable Housing Task Force Report examines the potential for converting vacant office space to affordable housing to address the pressing housing shortage in the District of Columbia. In response to reports drawing attention to the large amount of vacant office space in the region and the District, the Council of the District of Columbia passed the Office to Affordable Housing Task Force Establishment Act of 2017, which commissioned a Task Force to answer three questions around feasibility, policy, and regulatory considerations, as well as the cost of office-to-residential conversions.
The Climate Ready DC Plan
The evidence clearly indicates that climate change, once considered a problem for future generations, affects DC residents and businesses today. In recent years, we have seen how climate change is already impacting us with record-breaking heat waves and snowstorms, flooding caused by rising sea levels and heavy rains, and the destructive 2012 derecho storm. These events are sobering reminders that without action, increasingly severe weather events will threaten to disrupt our power grid, harm our economy, and cost lives.
Climate Ready DC is the city's strategy to make DC more resilient to future climate change. DC's investments in expanding our tree canopy, managing stormwater, and greening our construction codes are helping us to prepare for hotter summers and heavier rains. Our programs to save energy and install solar energy are also helping to make our power system more durable. But, we have much more work to do to ensure that all residents are protected, and we cannot do it alone. Achieving our commitment to climate resiliency by 2050 requires ambitious action today—we must make forward-looking choices and targeted investments while monitoring our progress now and in the coming decades.
Read the full Climate Ready DC Plan
What Will Climate Change Mean for DC
Rising Temperatures, Heatwaves and Dangerously Hot Days
Average annual temperatures have increased 2°F during the last 50 years, and are expected to continue to rise. Historically, the average summer high temperature was 87°F. This is projected to increase significantly to between 93°F and 97°F by the 2080s. As average temperatures rise, extreme heat days will increase and heatwaves will last longer and occur more frequently. Heat waves can be deadly, as prolonged heat exposure may lead to a series of health conditions, including respiratory challenges, exhaustion, cramping, heatstroke, and fatalities. This proves especially true for older people, children, and those with existing health conditions, who are at greater risk of developing heat-related illnesses.
Even more, Some neighborhoods in DC are up to 16.5°F warmer than others due to the urban heat island effect. Neighborhoods with large areas of pavement and buildings, and minimal green space, stay warmer than non-urban areas. As temperatures increase due to climate change, this effect will worsen.
What Is the District Doing?
The District is working to reduce the urban heat-island effect and related increases in outside air temperatures by encouraging cool and green roofs, expanding green space, and planting and protecting shade trees, especially in areas with the greatest number of heat-sensitive residents.
More Frequent and Intense Heavy Rain Events
In July, 2019, the District experienced a month’s worth of rain in a matter of hours stranding residents on top of their cars. In 2016, another cloudburst over Cleveland Park sent water rushing down the Metro station escalators and submerged the tracks with water, closing the station. In 2012, heavy rains over the Bloomingdale neighborhood overwhelmed the storm sewer system and flooded streets and the basements of homes. In 2006, heavy rains (or cloudbursts), over Federal Triangle caused flooding that submerged the basements of federal office buildings and national museums with multiple feet of water, causing millions of dollars in damage and exposing the priceless collections of the country’s museums.
The intensity and frequency of these severe rain storms is only expected to increase in the District as a result of global climate change.
What Is the District Doing?
The District, led by efforts at DOEE, DC Water, and DDOT, has become a national leader in utilizing green and gray infrastructure to better manage stormwater and to reduce harmful runoff into DC’s rivers and streams. Currently, the District is developing a better way to model interior flooding. This will allow the District to identify which communities are most exposed and sensitive to flooding, and where targeted stormwater management planning is needed. The District is also exploring new opportunities to store floodwater while creating community amenities such as parks. To learn more, see our Blue Green Infrastructure Report.
Sea-level Rise & Storm Surge
Over the last century, warmer oceans and melting ice due to climate change have caused sea levels to rise around the globe. This change in sea level rise poses significant risks to coastal cities and those adjacent to tidal rivers. In DC, water levels for the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, both tidal rivers, have increased 11 inches in the past 90 years due to sea-level rise and subsidence. As a result, nuisance flooding along our riverfront has increased by more than 300%, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sea level rise will only amplify this trend.
What Is the District Doing?
The District developed the Flood Risk Tool to help design professionals, developers, and consultants identify the potential flood impacts of a particular site. The tool offers an interactive map that offers views of the risks of multiple types of flooding throughout the District. The map includes layers of FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), storm surge, and sea-level rise.
As called for in Climate Ready DC and Resilient DC, the District is also considering limiting the development of new critical facilities within the 500-year floodplain and is developing a set of resilience guidelines to encourage climate-smart design.
More Intense & Unpredictable Storms
DC is also vulnerable to coastal storms, like hurricanes, that cause storm surge flooding. Rising sea levels will only increase the danger that coastal storms can cause. In addition, fast-moving storms with intense winds, like the 2012 Derecho can quickly knock out power, leaving residents in the dark.
What Is the District Doing?
The District Government is actively exploring opportunities to advance distributed energy resources like solar power, battery storage, and microgrids that can provide communities with resilient power.
To learn more about climate risks in the District, read the supporting technical reports:
- Climate Projections & Scenario Development
- Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
- Climate Change Adaptation Recommendations
Disproportionate Impacts
Climate change will not affect everyone equally. As defined by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), frontline communities are groups of people directly and indirectly impacted by climate change at a disproportionate rate when compared to other groups. These groups tend to have less access to resources and protections due to income, age, gender and gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation, etc. For example, older adults tend to be more sensitive to heat and more likely to suffer heat stroke or worse. And, an individual who can afford to install and run air conditioning has greater capacity to adapt to heat waves than someone who cannot afford airconditioning.
What Is the District Doing?
Climate Ready DC calls for action that reduce the economic effects of severe weather on frontline communities and that prioritizes resources to improve emergency preparedness in Frontline communities.
Recently, the District developed a Multifamily Resilience and Solar Assessment Tool to comprehensively identify opportunities to improve the resilience of affordable housing properties to climate change impacts. The tool was piloted across twenty properties in the District. Owners of the pilot properties received comprehensive assessment reports, detailing recommended retrofits and cost estimates. In the grant’s second year, the team is working to support its use by owners of affordable housing across the District. Explore the tool using the links below:
- Resilience Opportunity Assessment Tool
- Resilience and Solar Assessment Tool User Manual
- DOEE Assessment Tool Public Outreach
- Resilience Assessment Initial Questionnaire
- Incorporating Resiliency into DC Affordable Housing: A Strategy Map
Read the supporting technical reports that informed our risk assessments:
- Climate Projections & Scenario Development
- Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
- Climate Change Adaptation Recommendations
Learn More About How the District is Becoming Climate Ready
Climate Ready DC Implementation Roadmap
Climate change adaptation means being prepared for a changing climate by taking action today to reduce the potential impacts of climate change on people, buildings, and infrastructure. In 2020 the District released Climate Ready by 2050, Making Progress Towards a Climate Ready DC. This strategy identifies the steps we will take in the near term to address the most urgent risks we face in a changing climate. It also outlines how we will regularly report on progress so we can better assess if we are on track to achieve our ambitious but essential goal to be climate resilient by 2050.
Additional Climate Adaptation Resources
- In April 2019 Mayor Bowser released the District’s First Resiliency Strategy.
- The District Department of Transportation released a Climate Change Adaptation Plan in 2013.
- The Metropolitan Washington Council of Government facilitates regional coordination on climate adaptation. Learn more.
- The National Capital Planning Commissions supports federal and local agency collaboration on climate change. Learn More.
- In 2013, DOEE and the Office of Planning partnered with the Center for Clean Air Policy to hold a workshop on Severe Weather and Critical Infrastructure Resilience. Read the report.
- DOEE 2013 Study: Assessing the Health Impacts of Urban Heat Island Reduction Strategies in the District of Columbia
Sustainability at Home
Here are some more tips to make your home more sustainable while also saving money.
- REDUCE YOUR ENERGY USE: The average U.S. household spends around $2,600 a year on utility bills according to EnergyStar.gov. The DC Sustainable Energy Utility has a virtual home energy walkthrough tool to help you identify places to reduce energy usage. Here are some other easy ways to reduce your energy consumption and energy bill:
- Turn off appliances and lights that you are not using
- Open windows to allow a breeze instead of turning on the air conditioning when temperatures allow. Ceiling fans (turning counterclockwise) and window fans can help pull in cool air and push out hot air.
- Set your thermostat at 78 degrees when you’re at home and higher when you are away. A smart thermostat can make it even easier to save energy.
- Hang clothes to dry instead of using the dryer. If you do use a dryer, make sure to clean the lint filter before every use.
- BUY LESS AND DONATE: You can donate items that you are no longer using or save money by getting things for free! By extending the life of any product, you help reduce dependence on disposable or cheaply made single-use products that end up in landfills.
- RECYCLE RIGHT: Spending more time at home often means generating more waste at home so recycling right is more important than ever. Zero Waste DC breaks down what should be recycled, what should be thrown away, and provides lots of great information on reusing items.
- GROW YOUR OWN PRODUCE: You can keep your garden going with fall crops and indoor plants during the winter. Plant a few seeds or seedlings by a sunny window. Make sure to check your soil safety if planting in the ground, and to water when the soil gets dry. Note that the frequency of watering will change significantly as the weather cools down. More resources on gardening:
- DPR Urban Grower Webinar Course - The DPR Urban Grower Webinar Course is a FREE online course focused on teaching people all the basics of gardening from building a home garden to cooking and preserving your harvest.
- Landscape and Garden Watering Guide - DC Water and Waterwise offer tips for using water effectively when watering your plants
Sustainable DC Progress Reports
As a part of holding ourselves, our partner agencies, and our city accountable to the goals we have set, Sustainable DC conducts annual progress reports on all of the goals and actions of the plan.
2021
The Sustainable DC 2021 Progress Report provides a detailed explanation of the progress on all of the actions in the Sustainable DC 2.0 Plan. A detailed chart of each action’s progress can be found here.
The Climate Ready DC 2021 Progress Report highlights key projects and initiatives of 2020 and summarizes progress on Clean Energy DC.
Photo credits for the document can be found here.
The 2021 Clean Energy DC Progress Report is anticipated to be released in winter 2021/2022.
2020
The Sustainable DC 2020 Progress Report provides a detailed explanation of the progress on all of the actions in the Sustainable DC 2.0 Plan. A detailed chart of each action’s progress can be found here.
The Sustainable DC 2020 Progress Summary highlights key projects and initiatives and summarizes basic progress on Sustainable DC 2.0.
Beginning in 2020, Clean Energy DC and Climate Ready DC both conducted annual progress reporting, as well.
The Clean Energy DC 2020 Progress Report provides updates on each section of Clean Energy DC, while the Clean Energy DC Summary highlights key projects and initiatives of 2019 and summarizes progress on Clean Energy DC. A detailed chart of each action's progress can be found here.
The Climate Ready DC 2020 Progress Report highlights key projects and initiatives of 2019 and summarizes progress on Climate Ready DC.
2018
The Sustainable DC 2018 year Progress Report highlights key initiatives and summarizes basic progress on the Plan: Sustainable DC Progress Report 2018. This report is more condensed due to the development of Sustainable DC 2.0 occurring at the same time. The traditional chart showing the level of progress of each action is also available: Sustainable DC Progress Report Chart 2018. Find credits for photos used in 2018 report here.
The Detailed Fifth Year Progress Report provides detailed explanation of the progress on all 143 actions in the Sustainable DC Plan: Sustainable DC DETAILED 2018 Progress Report.
2017
The Sustainable DC 2017 Year Progress Report highlights key projects and initiatives and summarizes basic progress on the Plan: Sustainable DC Progress Report April 2017.
The Detailed Fourth Year Progress Report provides a detailed explanation of the progress on all 143 actions in the Sustainable DC Plan: Sustainable DC DETAILED 2017 Progress Report. Find credits for photos used in 2017 report here.
The Fourth Year Summary Card provides opportunities for how to get involved in making the District more sustainable: Sustainable DC 2017 Summary Card.
During Earth Week 2017, almost two hundred District residents met to hear about progress on Sustainable DC and to launch the District’s update to the plan, Sustainable DC 2.0. A panel of technical experts spoke and the community provided their own expert advice on how the Sustainable DC Plan should be updated.
2016
The Sustainable DC 2016 Year Progress Report highlights key projects and initiatives, and summarizes basic progress on the Plan: Sustainable DC Progress Report April 2016. Find imagery credits for photos used in the 2016 report here.
The Detailed Third Year Progress Report provides detailed explanation of the progress on all 143 actions in the Sustainable DC Plan: Sustainable DC DETAILED 2016 Progress Report.
The Third Year Progress Summary provides a graphic summary of progress and a checklist of 10 actions to be more sustainable: Sustainable DC 2016 Progress Report Summary & Tips.
During Earth Week 2016, DOEE held a series of events focused on nature and climate, two of our major themes for this year. On Monday, DOEE and National Geographic held a viewing of six nature-based film shorts in partnership followed by a conversation on wildlife conservation, habitat protection, pollinators, and access to nature with some of the filmmakers. On Tuesday, DOEE and the NoMa BID also held a panel discussion on climate change and what the District should do to be prepared for more severe weather in our future.
2015
The Sustainable DC 2015 Year Progress Report highlights key projects and initiatives and summarizes basic progress on the Plan: Sustainable DC Progress Report April 2015.
The Detailed Second Year Progress Report provides further explanation of the progress on all 143 actions in the Sustainable DC Plan: DETAILED SDC Progress Report 2015.
The Second Year Progress Summary provides a high-level snapshot of progress and eight tips to be more sustainable: Sustainable DC Progress Report 2015 Summary & Tips.
On Earth Day 2015, 200 residents, advocates, and stakeholders met to discuss waste management in the District. Speakers from Seattle, WA and Edmonton, AB joined local experts to imagine what the path to zero waste in the District might look like.
2014
The Sustainable DC First Year Progress Report highlights key projects and initiatives and summarizes basic progress on the Plan: Sustainable_DC_First_Year_Progress_Report.
The Detailed First Year Progress Report provides further explanation of the progress on all 143 actions in the Sustainable DC Plan: SDC All Actions 2014 Progress Detailed.
On Earth Day 2014, 130 community members met to learn about SDC Plan progress and engage in partnerships and opportunities to take action. Partners presented in a lightening round focusing on ways to get involved.
Home Welcome"My vision is to make the District of Columbia the healthiest, greenest, most livable city for all District residents" - Mayor Muriel Bowser |
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