Deciding when aging and decaying buildings in history-rich Washington D.C. merit preservation raises many questions.
"Two modern but aging and problem-plagued works of architecture in downtown Washington -- the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and the Third Church of Christ Scientist -- pose a thorny question likely to arise much more frequently in the future: What should be the fate of such buildings in the face of mounting pressures to modify, modernize or demolish them?"
"Thanks to increased public awareness, the answer likewise comes easily for buildings considered to be cultural and architectural icons: Preserve, restore and, when appropriate, adaptively reuse them."
"But Washington, like all cities, is full of aging 20th-century buildings that possess architectural value and, though deficient functionally, technically and economically, are not completely obsolete."
"Such buildings may no longer satisfy needs because of structural and spatial limitations. Many are under-insulated and energy-inefficient, with mechanical and electrical systems in need of upgrade or replacement. Exterior materials may be at the end of their useful life."
"Can a troubled building be restored or transformed at a reasonable cost? Can that be financed? Can it accommodate new uses? How much of the original architecture should be preserved, or how extensively should it be transformed?"
FULL STORY: Deciding the Fate of Modern Buildings That Don't Age Gracefully

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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