Section 10-A207. ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES

 

207.1The District of Columbia was sited to take advantage of the unique environment and landscape at the confluence of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. Urbanization over the last 200 years has compromised almost every aspect of this environment, leaving us with one of the most polluted rivers in the country, air quality that fails to meet federal standards, and a city where heavy tree cover has declined by more than half in the last 30 years alone. Of course, these are not issues unique to Washington. On a global level, issues such as fossil fuel depletion, climate change, sea level rise, and deforestation may have even more far-reaching impacts on the way we live and work in the future. 207.1

 

207.2This Plan makes a conscious effort to promote natural resource conservation and environmental sustainability. It incorporates measurable goals such as reducing per capita energy consumption by one percent a year, recycling 45 percent of our solid waste stream, and making the Anacostia River fishable and swimmable by 2025. These goals can only achieved through fundamental changes in the way we live and the way we build. In the future, “green” building and “low impact development” will need to become the norm rather than the exception. The concept of sustainability runs through much of the Comprehensive Plan, from the renewal of brownfield sites to a renewed commitment to environmental justice in all neighborhoods of the city. 207.2

 

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The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.