Columnist Roger K. Lewis says Washington D.C. has a lot to learn from New York City in terms of reusing old and outdated infrastructure.
Lewis argues that D.C. needs to look at the success of New York City's High Line park as it tries to repurpose its closed-off trolley tunnels.
"Most cities, including Washington, have defunct infrastructure leftovers. The District recently issued a Request for Proposals to develop new uses for 3,000 linear feet of abandoned trolley car tunnels built in 1948 below Dupont Circle and alongside the Connecticut Avenue NW underpass. Trolley operations ended in 1962, and the tunnels were sealed in 1964.
This is not the first attempt at revitalizing the Dupont Circle trolley tunnel. In 1995-96, the city leased tunnel space to a developer who tried to make a go of an underground food court. It went out of business in a year. With dozens of aboveground cafes and restaurants in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, this was no surprise. Why descend into a sunless tunnel to dine?"
FULL STORY: D.C. could learn a lot from N.Y. on transforming obsolete infrastructure
High Line-Moynihan Connector Opens in New York City
Two footbridges now link the High Line park to the most recent expansion of the Penn Station complex, the Moynihan Train Hall.
Rebuilding From the Failures of Vision Zero
Vision Zero pledges in New York City and Washington, D.C. have failed to slow the carnage on streets and roads—traffic fatalities are only increasing. It's time to start over.
Two Boring Co. Projects Appear to Bite the Dust
References to the Dugout Loop, in Los Angeles, and the Baltimore-to-Washington Loop have been removed from the Boring Company's website.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie