Surrounded by major government centers and large new public works projects, Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, is preparing to reveal a plan to redevelop its waterfront -- a revival effort many residents are wary of.
"The largest public works project on the East Coast, the rebuilding of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, is hurtling toward completion in the city's southeast corner. The new bridge, a key link in the nation's most heavily trafficked north-south corridor, raises the possibility that Old Town will become a stopping point along the way for even more vehicles. A network of conjoined bike trails will funnel hundreds of cyclists from Virginia to Maryland and back."
"And just across the Potomac River, on the Maryland side, a $2 billion hotel and convention project known as National Harbor is jutting ever larger into the sky, bristling with construction cranes. A battery of water taxis will ply the waters between the two shores, disgorging an estimated 500 to 1,000 tourists and conventioneers each day onto Alexandria's narrow streets."
"A major transformation is underway in this 258-year-old city of 135,000 residents. Longtime Alexandrians are starting to look across the river with a combination of concern and elation about how National Harbor might change their city's character. They are starting to wonder about the increased traffic, the additional parking and signage that will be needed, the capacity to handle the crowds and the possibility that long-established businesses will be pushed out to make way for a crush of tourists who want to buy tacky T-shirts and fudge."
FULL STORY: Alexandrians Gird For National Harbor

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

Paris Voters Approve More Car-Free Streets
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo says the city will develop a plan to close 500 streets to car traffic and add new bike and pedestrian infrastructure after a referendum on the proposal passed with 66 percent of the vote.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.
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