Profs and Pints Northern Virginia presents: “How the Metro Made Washington,” on the history, impact, and future of our region’s rapid transit system, with Zachary Schrag, professor of history at George Mason University and author of The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro.
The 128-mile rapid transit system serving Washington, DC, and its suburbs has long been a major shaper of life in the region. Developers continue to clamor to build in station areas as local governments use new lines and stations to attract residents and jobs. The relationship between the transit system and local residents has always been a complicated one, however, and in many respects Metro reflects the region’s challenges every bit has much as it has served to solve them.
Gain an in-depth understanding of our transit system, the politics surrounding it, and the many often-hidden ways in which it has affected our communities and lives with Zachary Schrag, an award-winning urban historian who devoted an entire book to the subject. He'll explain the vision behind Metro, the evolution of its iconic station architecture, and the planning of station areas in Washington and the suburbs.
You’ll learn how the Metro’s creators envisioned it as a means to revitalize central Washington, connect the city and its suburbs, and avoid destructive highway building. They also sought to have it welcome visitors from around the world to the national capital and provide architecturally magnificent surroundings for all who ride.
In practice, Metro has often fallen short of those goals. Washington remains a region divided with a wealthier west and a poorer east, and the majority of the region's residents depend on automobiles for commutes and daily transportation. Metro itself has struggled with declining service and patronage and deteriorating structures and equipment.
Dr. Schrag will close by discussing the decision to expand Metro’s reach to Dulles and the challenges of maintaining an aging system. Attending his talk at the Hilton Fairfax won’t get you anywhere any faster, but it will at least enrich your understanding of what you see and experience on your journeys. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: A train departs McPherson Square Station in 2012. Photo by Ralf Roletschek / Wikimedia Commons