Discussion Questions: Washington D.C. History Matters

Downtown Metro Construction

How did Metro's critics make their cases? What were they asking for? What forms of evidence did they use to persuade their readers?
How did WMATA officials and Congressman Gude respond to citizen complaints? What, in their minds, constituted fair treatment of people whose lives might be disrupted by Metro?
Which elements of this debate were unique to transit construction, and which shared common themes with debates over city building detailed in other modules on this site?