Last week’s house party for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, featuring DDOT Director Gabe Klein, was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who attended! I really enjoyed meeting many Greater Greater Washington readers. ANC Commissioners, citizens’ association board members, recent Council candidates, zoning attorneys, planners for local governments, pedestrian advocates for seniors, Sierra Club leaders, Bicycle Advisory Council chairs, Arlington Commuter Services heads, and many more great folks also joined us.

Sean Robertson documented the event in pictures. Here are a few:

Gabe Klein continues to impress me even more each time I talk to him. He talked about the importance of having DDOT do more quickly, jokingly suggesting that his goal was to make as many mistakes as possible in the shortest time. This philosophy, of trying things quickly, possibly making mistakes, then correcting them, is the predominant philosophy at small startup companies, and is a refreshing change from the slow, lumbering process common to government agencies that often take years to do very little.

Mr. Klein talked about the importance of bicycle facilities, of a broad, citywide plan for streetcars, and briefly mentioned his hope that DC could follow the lead of San Francisco, New York and other cities in implementing a “Summer Streets” weekend closure. In November, I asked why can’t DC follow some of the many great strides New York took in Janette Sadik-Khan’s short tenure so far. It looks like, if Gabe Klein continues to be successful at DDOT, we sure can.