Sustainable transportation in fragmented governance settings: The case of Washington, DC

Washington, District of Columbia (DC), like many cities around the world has responded to the UN's call to help national governments deliver on their 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) covered under the UN's sustainable development goal #13, Climate Action. DC's contributions to the United States NDC include making its transportation sector sustainable. DC is part of the Washington Metro region which includes jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia and during the week commuters from both states increase DC's population by almost 80 % exacerbating traffic congestion. Each jurisdiction in the region is responsible for its financial, transportation, and land use policies. To determine whether this system of fragmented governance impacts DC's transportation goals, this study used Banister's sustainable mobility framework to analyze transportation projects constructed or implemented in jurisdictions in the region. The results reveal that fragmented governance has led to jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia placing greater emphasis on transportation projects that widen, extend, or create new roads and this tends to meet neighborhood or county needs instead of regional targets which would facilitate DC's efforts to reach its sustainable development goals. The study also finds regional agencies such as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, and the Transportation Land-Use Connections Program do not have regulatory powers and hence cannot enforce transportation and land use policies nor fund any projects in the region instead each jurisdiction is responsible for its transportation and land use policies. The study also reveals that these regional agencies can be manipulated by local politicians and recommends the creation of a regional governing body that will make decisions on finance, land-use, housing, and transportation and be accountable to constituents and thus avoid interference from local politicians.