Advertise on podcast: Think Regionally

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. 

Climate change is happening, so as we work towards our goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promote environmental stewardship, our region must also prepare for an increase in extreme weather intensified by global warming. Recent storms have served as a warning that our transportation network, utilities, and neighborhoods must all adapt to withstand any number of unprecedented weather events for the region–including flooding, drought, high winds, and more. In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney speaks with DC Water VP Salil Kharkar, WMATA Climate Resilience Program Manager Mark Nystrom, and Charles County Resilience Authority Executive Director Stacy Schaefer on cross-sector strategies to build climate resilience to protect our communities and infrastructure.

In December 2022, the COG Board selected Clark Mercer as the organization's new Executive Director, the sixth chief executive since COG’s founding in 1957. Mercer began serving in his official capacity at COG in January 2023, during what is already shaping up to be a pivotal time for the region.  In this special episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney sits down with Mercer to discuss his background as Chief of Staff to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, and the roles he sees COG playing as area leaders tackle some big issues on the horizon: including Metro funding, housing, equity, and the region’s post-COVID economy.

The United States trails behind similarly industrialized countries when it comes to preventing roadway fatalities and serious injuries, and the metropolitan Washington region is no exception. Leaders in our region are looking to change that.  In this episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney hears from guests on region-wide efforts to improve roadway safety, including redesigning streets so that all users co-exist safely within our transportation networks, using equity to target historically underserved areas, and increasing public outreach and education on the shared responsibility of safety. 

In 2022, area officials on the COG Board of Directors outlined bold priorities in COG's Region United: Metropolitan Planning Framework for 2030, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating housing production, creating transit-oriented communities, and advancing racial equity. On this special episode of Think Regionally, host Robert McCartney talks with newly elected COG Board Chair and Montgomery County Councilmember Kate Stewart on her vision for the region's work in 2023, which includes building momentum on the priorities outlined in Region United, plus other issues like advancing mental health initiatives, supporting region-wide economic development, and focusing on Metro’s long-term success.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in metropolitan Washington has been steadily declining thanks to innovative programs to house those in need. Despite this progress, area leaders stress that in our large, expensive, and growing region, there's still more work to do. In this episode, host Robert McCartney talks with some of the region's biggest champions for housing and homeless services about the progress made over the last few years and key actions and strategies to prevent and end homelessness.

For the past two years, the region has seen an increase in area governments, businesses, and non-profits recognizing and committing to address the economic inequities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the national reckoning on race. Regional leaders understand that each sector has a part to play in the journey to make metropolitan Washington a more equitable region for all residents to work, live, and play.

Data shows life expectancy across the metropolitan Washington region can differ drastically within a single city or county, from neighborhood to neighborhood. Health experts Dr. Reuben Varghese and Dr. Steven Woolf join host Robert McCartney to diagnose factors that lead to different health outcomes and explore solutions.

Metropolitan Washington is home to a very highly educated workforce and attracts investment from some of the largest technology companies in the world, competing with similar metro regions like Silicon Valley and New York. The region also faces many of the same challenges as its competitors such as high-priced housing, traffic congestion, and widening inequality.