Washington DC challenges

First challenge is to manage diversity and preserve social cohesion:

• W DC can be seen by tourists as a rich city, but poverty rate in W DC is higher than the national average : 17.5% when it is 12.5% on average for the United States.

• This can be explained by the distribution of the population in W DC. At the beginning of the 20th century, the town was inhabited by white people in majority. In the 70s, almost 70% of the population were black because white people have left the city centre to settle in the Metropolitan area. That is why W DC was nicknamed the “Chocolate City”. Then, at the beginning of the 21st century, black people proportion decreased to reach 58%. The ethnic distribution and sociological characteristics of W DC neighbourhoods are changing quite quickly, mainly due to the process of gentrification.

• It can also be noticed that the proportion of Latinos is much lower in W DC than the national average.

• But whites and blacks don't live in the same neighbourhoods in W DC. A distinction can be made between the predominantly white residential neighbourhoods of the north-west and the poor, predominantly black neighbourhoods of the north-east or south.
• We can see on this graph the correlation between unemployment and population repartition. We can see that north-west is much less affected by unemployment than north-east or south. Neighbourhoods in the south-east are particularly affected by unemployment but also by crime. A special program called “Violence Interrupters" was launched to eliminate illegal weapons from the city and to step up retaliation for violence committed.

• The objectives of the Washington major to manage diversity and preserve social cohesion are first, that all parts of the city can benefit from the growth and prosperity, and so that no neighbourhood is forgotten. Then the local authorities want to preserve affordable social housing in order to avoid that only the rich can live in the city. And to achieve this objective, it is needed to create more opportunities for the middle class.

Second challenge is facing climate change:

• W DC became aware of climate issues at an early stage and actions have been taken to make the city more sustainable.

• Some goals are already achieved. For instance, W DC is an airy urban landscape and 37 % of the city is covered in trees, creating a canopy that brings cooler temperatures on summer days. In addition, 48% commuters use cycle, walk or use public transport instead of cars, which is a significant proportion. Then, between 2006 and 2020, WD DC has reduced its city-wide carbon footprint by 31%. For instance, the American University of Washington DC was the first American university to achieve full carbon neutrality.

• To continue combating and adapting to climate change, the « Climate Ready DC » program was launched 7 years ago. You can see on the right the editorial of Muriel Bowser, W DC mayor since 2015, announcing the launch of this program : “climate ready DC is….along our rivers”.

• It includes quite ambitious objectives such as zero emission buses in 2027, when first electric buses start operating in 2023. The development of solar energy to meet the city's targets of 100% renewable energy by 2032 is also a strategic priority. And regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the region's commitment is to reduce by 50% by 2032 and 80% by 2050.

In conclusion, our research on W DC really made us want to go and see for ourselves!