DrUrbanPolicy

Here is a development situation that is unfolding in real time: Dimensions Healthcare System, Prince George’s County, Md officials and the University of Maryland Medical System are meeting on Thursday to discuss the location of the new regional hospital that will replace the problematic Prince George’s Hospital Center . There are four prospective sites, all in the central area of the county near interchanges on I-495, the Capital Beltway. County officials' shortsightedness may cause the hospital to be built in a location that seems optimal at a glance, but won't serve residents best - this is a perfect opportunity to use a hospital as an anchor for transit-oriented development.

On Sunday, I watched Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Meet the Press - He and the and other department secretaries are on the morning shows discussing sequestration. His department's example is a $1 billion cut from DOT, including $600 million from the FAA. This once unlikely scenario has become the likely policy outcome, and lessons from policy school have come back to me as this unfolds. 1: The "do-nothing" option is chosen most of the time because it's usually the easiest option, and 2: Once a policy has been adopted, that becomes the new standard.