How can we make the District of Columbia truly “One City?”
Making genuine progress toward creating “One City” is the Mayor’s highest priority. Mayor Gray has said that One City “is the recognition that all District residents, no matter their differences, are bound together by a common destiny and a shared desire to make the city even better for the people who live here. Regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ward or neighborhood, we all want a vibrant, sustainable city, where all residents have an opportunity to provide for themselves and their families, where every neighborhood is safe, where every student goes to a good school, where every tax dollar is spent wisely on a government that works, and where citizens’ voices really count.” Yet the District government cannot achieve this goal alone.
We’d like your thinking on some of the specific questions that we’ll be wresting with at the summit:
- How do we grow and diversify the economy?
- What do DC government, businesses, and non-profits need to do to help people who aren’t currently job-ready get the skills they need to find work, especially in growing sectors of the economy?
- In order to have healthy, thriving infants and toddlers, what District government services and resources will be most important for our families and communities?
198 results found
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More money for Metro and bike lanes
expand and support public transportation, as essential infrastructure for healthy people to promote more exercise and give access to amenities & jobs, as well as conserve resources, reduce traffic load/impacts, improve air quality, allow public funds to be spent on more critical elements rather than dealing with streets because of too many cars
3 votes -
Care for the sick and disabled citizens of the District by making medical marijuana available ASAP, and ensure the DoH is transparent
The sick and disabled residents of the District who live with debilitating pain on an everyday basis should not have to wait another day to have safe and reliable access to the medicine that the citizens of the District voted in favor of by a 69% majority. The Medical Marijuana Program, as it is operated by the department of health, has been too slow, not transparent, and not responsive to patients or citizens needs. Stop the foot-dragging and get the program underway for the sake of the sick and disabled among us.
3 votes -
Promote economic, social, and environmental JUSTICE
We need a city with economic justice and equality, with social justice and an end to all forms of oppression, environmental justice and an end to our support of fossil fuels, and real democracy:
--promote cooperatives instead of big corporations that benefit the 1% (no Walmart!)
--promote sustainable livelihoods, including training and support for regional farming, renewable energy projects, and energy conservation; ensure a living wage for all
--ensure that all have good housing and access to healthy food
--ensure that all have access to good health care, establish public or cooperative neighborhood health clinics that charge by ability to…3 votes -
Ideas to spur Indigenous Small Businesses...
DC is a metropolitan City, yet the diversity it brings should be helping to nurture some international business profiles whether in the supply side or in the demand side... Such feature needs to be considered when envisaging support to Small businesses... The best approach to Small business then would be a network approach instead of a single lane kind of approach...
2 votes -
DC provide the same opportunities for Qualified Community Based childcare programs to benefit from money from the City Build program.
DCPS and Charter Schools receive monies to improve the infrastuture of their programs we care the cities most vulnerable children as well and should be able to apply for like monies to improve these services in community based childcare programs so that pqrents have true choice
2 votes -
Rehire, retrain impacted dc residents fired from dcps so out of state newcomers can get jobs to fluff resumes and not raise test scores.
Rehire DC residents fired from dcps, get them off welfare and back to work. give them the same 5 week summer training that out of state folks get. Those folks have not raised test scores. Impact is a joke! It is used to provide jobs for 'non residents'. We want our community whole again with our residents working in our schools with our values with our children!
2 votes -
Ensure the city provides equitable resources and support to citizens. This means improved public transportation in Washington Highlands area
The number of metro stations is far less in the Washington Highlands area than in other areas of the city. In addtion, buses run infrequently during non-rush hours during the week and less frequent than in other parts of the city on the weekend.
There is also a need for significant economic development projects in the Washington Highlands section of the city. One is hard pressed to find a place to meet for coffee and there are few to no restaurants in this section of the section.
Because this section of the city is near Prince George's County, the city…
2 votes -
Link community college and nonprofit programs to help more residents prepare for work
The community college has expertise in providing skills training for in-demand jobs. Nonprofits have expertise in helping individuals address personal barriers that make it difficult to succeed in school. Let's find ways to help the community college and effective nonprofits work together. This has been accomplished by the Training Futures/NOVA partnership just down the road...no reason we can't do it too!
2 votes -
Don't hide or ignore differences, celebrate them.
Have a massive getting-to-know-you campaign where each identity group had the undivided attention of the entire City and they got to put their best foot forward. Food, clothing, dance, music, art, ideas, issues, . . . And each festival would include discussion sessions, kind of mini OneCity events about that identity group, how and why their image is propagated the way it is, what contributions they make to the community, and like that.
2 votes -
Please make free parking space available for DC residents that are tired of spending their money in MD and Va.
Please make free parking space available for DC residents that are tired of spending their money in MD and Va.
2 votes -
Set up a citywide advisory board of former ANC Commissioners
Make use of this ever-increasing group of people; their experience and wisdom can be valuable to the wellbeing of the city. Require that issues they address be citywide in nature to avoid interference with the duties and perks of sitting commissioners. Advice on broad issues as seen by people from all parts of the city working together could be quite useful - I know because I served 12 years as an ANC Commissioner.
2 votes -
Real Estate Utilization
The city could have a formalized process for underutilized or abandoned real estate (particularly in urban areas) that can allow for temporary use. If a list of properties were available, there could be a process for taking proposals for the use of the property. The key ingredient is expediency. If proposals for creative, temporary use of property could be rapidly processed, entrepreneurs and developers of the economy could quickly bring money into new areas.
2 votes -
2 votes
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Persuade the Federal Govt to adopt policies less unfavorable to cities than current policies
Persuade the Federal Govt to adopt policies less unfavorable to cities than current policies. Scholars have identified several policy areas, , including transportation, that favor suburban sprawl or rural areas rather than more efficient urban life styles. The facts should be conveyed repeatedly and in a public manner to Federal officials and Congressional leaders. Any change here should benefit the District in retaining its population.
2 votes -
More police at Metro station to prevent violence and theft
At certain Metro stations and bus stops there are a lot of jumpings and theft of shoes, money, or bags. If there were more police or security at these stations there would be a lot less violence and theft.
2 votes -
Our school system is deplorable. So many of our youth can not read and write at their age level. We need make make going to school safer
We need to city council more accountable for their actions. How are we ever to recieve statehood if Congress can not trust over leaders.
2 votes -
Stop letting Maryland parents use DCPS preschools as free childcare
Last year DCPS sent hundreds of tuition bills to Maryland commuters with kids enrolled in DC's public preschools, but not one parent paid. DCPS said that without a collection agency there's nothing they can do, but can't they turn the Maryland kids away? DC kids need those spots. If I left my daughter on the doorstep of Sidwell Friends School without paying, would they educate her for free? No! There's a long string of Maryland plates at my daughter's preschool every afternoon and none of those parents are active in the PTA. We need neighborhood schools to be neighborhood schools…
2 votes -
If you work for DC you must live in DC
If you work for DC you must live in DC
2 votes -
1 vote
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1 vote