D.C. Policy Center

Between 2017 and 2020, I wrote nearly twenty articles for the D.C. Policy Center, a Washington, DC think tank focused on urban issues in the Washington, DC region. These articles covered a number of topics, including Metrorail’s service cuts and ridership issues in 2017-2018, proposals for improved suburb-to-suburb transit in the DC region, and the demographic history of the region.

Contents

• Metrorail Cuts and Ridership Issues, 2017–2018
• Suburb-to-Suburb Transit in the DC Region
• Demographic History of the Region, 1970–2020
• Other Topics

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Metrorail Cuts and Ridership Issues, 2017–2018

Between March and May 2017, I wrote a series of five articles for the D.C. Policy Center on WMATA‘s Metrorail service cuts and fare increases, comparing Metrorail’s fares and service to those on other US rapid transit systems, as well as DC commuter rail fares to fares on other US commuter rail systems. These were followed by an article in February 2018 on how the Metrorail service and funding crisis had led to Metrorail no longer being the second-busiest rapid transit system in the United States.
Note: Several of these articles were republished by Greater Greater Washington.

• “WMATA plans to raise rates, but Metrorail’s fares already among highest in the country,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (1 March 2017).
• “Lowering fares on MARC and VRE could increase commuter rail ridership and decrease Metrorail overcrowding,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (16 March 2017).
  (cross-posted at Greater Greater Washington)
• “Metro should carefully consider the costs of further off-peak service cuts,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (27 March 2017).
• “Metrorail changes mean even shorter hours than other transit systems,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (19 April 2017).
  (cross-posted at Greater Greater Washington)
• “D.C. could roll back the coming Metrorail fare increase for residents at a relatively low cost,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (3 May 2017).
• “Metrorail is no longer the second-busiest rapid transit system in the country,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (7 February 2018).
  (cross-posted at Greater Greater Washington)

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Suburb-to-Suburb Transit in the DC Region

In February and March 2019, I wrote a seven-article series for the D.C. Policy Center making extensive proposals for circumferential transit in the DC area, including Purple Line extensions to Tysons Corner and Largo and a number of bus rapid transit lines. My analyses included estimates of construction cost for the Purple Line extensions and maps of activity density along the proposed routes, and I discussed both projects currently in the planning phase—largely bus rapid transit lines in Northern Virginia—and projects that I think deserve more serious consideration than they have so far.
Note: These articles were republished by Greater Greater Washington.

• “Why the Washington region needs better suburb-to-suburb transit,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (21 February 2019).
• “Our region needs better suburb-to-suburb transit, but a Metro loop isn’t the best option,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (27 February 2019).
• “The best way to build a Purple Line link between Bethesda and Tysons Corner,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (1 March 2019).
• “Why it makes sense to extend the Purple Line to Largo, but not National Harbor,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (6 March 2019).
• “Northern Virginia needs better suburb-to-suburb transit. Here’s where rapid bus service could help.,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (8 March 2019).
• “Here’s where rapid bus service could best connect Maryland’s suburbs,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (15 March 2019).
• “For circumferential transit in the District, try crosstown bus lanes,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (19 March 2019).

This article series caught the interest of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board, and I was invited to give a ten-minute presentation to the board on the Washington, DC region’s need for circumferential transit. The slides from my presentation are available online here.

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Demographic History of the Region, 1970–2020

Between July 2019 and January 2020, I wrote a series of four articles for the D.C. Policy Center with maps of population density and race, income, and education demographics in the DC area from 1970 to present, based on data from the National Historical GIS Database. I hope to eventually extend this analysis back to 1860 or earlier by hand-entering data from Census reports into minor civil division geometries derived from old maps. However, this will be a major undertaking and I have no estimate of when I will be able to complete it.

Note: These posts were republished by Greater Greater Washington.

• “How the D.C. area’s population density has changed since 1970,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (24 July 2019).
• “How household incomes in the D.C. area have changed since 1980,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (13 November 2019).
• “How the region’s racial and ethnic demographics have changed since 1970,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (13 January 2020).
• “How the spatial distribution of education levels in the region has changed since 1970,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (14 January 2020).

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Other Topics

In addition to the three series on Metrorail service cuts, suburb-to-suburb transit proposals, and demographic history, I wrote two stand-alone pieces for the D.C. Policy Center.

• “The regional transit proposals that predated Metro, from express buses to monorails,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (24 February 2020).
  (cross-posted at Greater Greater Washington)
• “2020 Census self-response rates in the Washington, D.C. region,” by DW Rowlands, D.C. Policy Center, (18 May 2020).