Think Regionally Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

SEASON 3: EPISODE 5 IS NOW LIVE

In recent years, metropolitan Washington has seen tremendous improvements in its air quality—down from upwards of 80 unhealthy air days each year in the 1990s to an average of ten as of 2023. But last year's Canadian wildfires emphasized that good air quality is not a guarantee, and it can be easily impacted by increasing environmental threats driven by climate change. 

Air quality is not just an environmental challenge, but a health one. When the air quality is poor, our region's most vulnerable residents suffer. 

In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney speaks with Kristen Willard of the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform, DC Department of Energy and Environment Air Quality Branch Chief Joseph Jakuta, and COG Air Quality Program Director Jen Desimone on how the region is supporting community health by zeroing in on initiatives, education, and programs aimed at improving air quality. 

Over the last several decades, residents have increasingly turned to biking to improve fitness, reduce car pollution, and avoid escalating gas prices. Local governments and planners are encouraging the trend. In our region, they’re building hundreds of miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails and adding bicycle lanes to streets. For example, the Transportation Planning Board at COG has adopted the National Capital Trail Network Map, a planning priority for a seamless pedestrian and bicycle system of off-street trails, connecting 63% of the region's population. Today, momentum around biking continues to accelerate as local governments, advocacy organizations, and transportation planners at COG work together to plan a more bike and pedestrian-friendly region.



In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney talks with City of Frederick Mayor Michael O'Connor, Washington Area Bicyclist Association Senior Organizing Manager Kalli Krumpos, and COG Senior Transportation Planner Mike Farrell on some of the plans and programs that expand bicycling in metropolitan Washington.

Working through COG, area jurisdictions joined together this year in a monumental decision to create the first regional fair housing plan in a generation. Since the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, we've made significant strides to reverse patterns of housing discrimination and racial segregation. But, the Fair Housing Plan sheds light on very real instances of discrimination in the housing process today. Reverberating impacts of exclusionary zoning practices, as well as housing affordability, has also led to an increase in racial segregation in our region. 

In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney speaks with Fairfax County Supervisor Rodney Lusk, Equal Rights Center Executive Director Kate Scott, and COG Housing Program Manager Hilary Chapman on initiatives to ensure fair and equitable housing in metropolitan Washington.

Access to an adequate food supply remains a challenge for many low- to middle-income families. The Capital Area Food Bank reports that a third of households in the metropolitan Washington region face food insecurity, uncertain about having enough to eat.

To address this issue, local officials are actively working together to advocate for the restoration and potential expansion of federal funding for nutrition programs. Simultaneously, they are
working with partners to implement strategies to improve local food production, support farmers' markets, and strengthen food pantries for communities in need.

In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney sits down with D.C. Hunger Solutions Director LaMonika Jones, Montgomery County Office of Food Systems Resilience Director Heather Bruskin, and COG Food and Agriculture Regional Member (FARM) Policy Committee Chair and City of Fairfax Council Member Jon Stehle, to discuss building a more resilient and food-secure region. 

Crime does not respect municipal boundaries, so area public safety agencies collaborate closely through COG and other regionwide initiatives to track crime trends, communicate during real-time emergencies, and launch innovative programs to target crime and protect public wellbeing. COG's Annual Report on Crime and Crime Control, released recently, highlighted a troubling trend in rising property crime, but includes promising information on regionwide coordination among our local, state, and federal public safety agencies. 

In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney sits down with two area police chiefs, City of Laurel Police Chief and COG Police Chiefs Committee Chair Russell Hamill and Prince George's County Police Chief Malik Aziz, and Scott Boggs, Managing Director of COG's Department of Homeland Security and Public Safety, to discuss rising crime and other challenges, and how the region is working together to keep communities safe. 

Penny Gross joined the COG Board in 1996, the same year she was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Since then, she's been a central figure at COG as regional leaders have worked together to tackle issues such as the health of the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways, public safety, Metro, and more.

In this episode of COG's podcast, Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney sits down with Gross to reflect on the biggest topics in the region then and now, how regional collaboration has evolved, and where the focus will be for the next generation of leaders.