District of Columbia

Return of Streetcars to D.C. Brings Nostalgia

Fifty years after they last plied its streets, Washington D.C. awaits the return of the city's streetcars in 2013 with nostalgia and hope.

January 30, 2012 - The Washington Post

The Future of Development in D.C.

Steven Pearlstein reads the tea leaves to predict the future development patterns in Washington, D.C. and finds that all signs point inwards to the city center and its closer-in suburbs.

January 19, 2012 - The Washington Post

Does Gentrification Need to be a Bad Word?

Gentrification has come to signify wealthier residents pushing lower-income residents out of a community, but gentrification also has some "undeniable upsides". Ward 8 in Washington D.C. offers a glimpse into how gentrification can aid a community.

December 28, 2011 - Salon.com

D.C. is Tops in High-Earners and Highly Educated

Is it the presence of the federal government? Is it the smart people? And which came first? Derek Thompson dissects D.C., the nation's fastest growing, richest, and best-educated city.

December 26, 2011 - The Atlantic

Washington Navy Yard Projects Getting Dusted Off

Developers who held out through the recession are finally getting back to moving their projects for the Washington, DC Navy Yard. Jonathan O'Connell reports.

December 18, 2011 - The Washington Post

Congressional Transportation Committee Debates CA High Speed Rail

The stage moved to D.C. from Sacramento for the latest debate on the pros and cons of California's embattled HSR plan. The more vocal detractors from the Central Valley and Peninsula testified before the few members of the committee who attended.

December 18, 2011 - The Sacramento Bee - Transportation

Columbia Pike Streetcar is the Better Design

According to Miles Grant, "the streetcar is a relative bargain purely on the basis of direct cost per estimated user, not even including the external costs of sprawl and pollution that new and improved highways engender."

December 15, 2011 - Greater Greater Washington

Washington DC Imagines Itself Without Transit

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is celebrating its 35th anniversary and is finding ways to ascertain exactly what the agency has brought to the region.

December 12, 2011 - The Atlantic

Rising Prices All Too Familar in D.C.

In Washington D.C., Michael Perkins explains that starting next July, Metro would be at a deficit of $120 million. They have come up with several ideas to raise a portion of that money through fares.

December 8, 2011 - Greater Greater Washington

ASLA Seeks A More Sustainable D.C.

For Washington D.C., ASLA polled members to develop a new "comprehensive framework" connecting sustainability with economic development.

November 16, 2011 - American Society of Lanscape Architects

Occupy D.C.'s Urban Design Model

Evelio Contreras and Philip Kennicott film the Occupy movement transforming MacPherson Square into an urban hub, in one of Washington's central nodal points.

November 11, 2011 - The Washington Post

Landlords and Regulators Aren't Equipped to Handle Temporary Uses

Even a real estate market as strong as Washington, DC has vacant land and storefronts. Regulatory burdens and business customs make finding temporary tenants difficult, even though temporary uses can enliven dead spaces and spark entrepreneurship.

November 10, 2011 - Greater Greater Washington

Mass Transit Projects' High Cost Give Minimal Results

Factors such as age, labor costs, real estate, and construction all factor into why cities are paying more money for transit projects, but are still getting less on their return, writes David Lepeska for The Atlantic Cities.

November 9, 2011 - The Atlantic Cities

Redevelopment Along The Waterfront

In Washington, D.C., a huge parking lot that parallels the southwest waterfront is slowly being transformed into a 4.2-acre park. Developers and architects are "turning community input into actual park concepts and designs," said to The Dirt.

November 2, 2011 - THE DIRT

Union Station Undergoes A Facelift

Union Station in Washington, D.C. has "about 29 million people" pass through the station each year. An 18-month reconstruction project is in the works to improve walkability and safety for the massive number of visitors.

November 1, 2011 - City Parks Blog

D.C. Programs Hope To Revitalize A Dying Waterway

Pollution has caused the Anacostia River to suffer, writes Ryan Donahue, and efforts to revitalize the area were put on hold just as the recession began. Since then, the District has implemented programs to help restore this neglected area.

October 26, 2011 - City Parks Blog

DC Planning Office Seeks To Restrict Georgetown Enrollment

Washington DC's office of planning will begin restricting Georgetown's enrollment if the university does not manage to provide housing for 100% of its undergraduates by 2016.

October 25, 2011 - The Washington Post

The Roof as Living Room

Washington, D.C. residents are getting creative with their green roofs, writes Sarah Meehan, from keeping bees on them to hosting league bocce games. Even those without roof access might get lucky and have a view of one that's artfully designed.

October 19, 2011 - The Miami Herald

First Community To Offer Government-Sponsored Bike Sharing System

In Washington, D.C., Capital Bikeshare just celebrated its "1st Birthday Bash" according to Coleen Gentles.

October 5, 2011 - City Parks Blog

Smaller Can Be Better When it Comes to Traffic Solutions

With the worst traffic in the country (see previous story), Washington has big problems. But Stewart Schwartz suggests that big problems don't necessarily call for big solutions.

September 27, 2011 - Greater Greater Washington

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