DDOT recognizes that there are inequities in transportation policy, planning and project delivery in Washington, DC. Deep-rooted structural injustices and inequities have contributed to the disparate access to safe, affordable and efficient transportation that provides access to economic opportunities, housing and services for communities across the District. DDOT also acknowledges these inequities have disproportionately and negatively impacted environmental and health outcomes in our underserved communities.
Through our organizational framework, DDOT is committed to elevating and advancing transportation equity by evaluating our policies, planning, community engagement and project delivery, to ensure public investments in transportation justly benefit all residents, visitors and commuters. Additionally, DDOT values how diversity within our Department helps shape the work we produce. To that end, DDOT will continue to recruit, hire and retain a workforce that reflects the diversity of the District at all levels of the organization.
DDOT recognizes its shared responsibility to acknowledge and prevent transportation inequities while explicitly upholding anti-racist and anti-discriminatory practices. In honoring this commitment, we will continue to listen, learn and strive towards equity, inclusion and access in response to the needs of communities across the District.
Defining Equity
Transportation Equity is the shared and just distribution of benefits and burdens when planning for and investing in transportation infrastructure and services. Transportation decisions are made in collaboration and in participation with the community DDOT serves, to establish a system that is safe, accessible, affordable, reliable and sustainable. Focused attention is given to historically under-resourced communities in order to overcome existing disparities and achieve transportation equity that include, but are not limited to:
- People of color
- People with low-income
- People living with disabilities
- LGBTQ+ people
- Individuals who identify as female
- Youth; Older adults
- Residents at risk of displacement
- People experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity
- Immigrant and refugee communities
- People with limited English proficiency and literacy