Angie Schmitt explains why the debate over removing Washington DC's famous height regulations depends on the city's transportation plans.
Currently, DC buildings are limited to a height of approximately 10 stories (the height of the Washington Monument). However, according to Schmitt, "right now, DC is in the enviable position of having high demand for downtown office space, but there's a limited amount of land available for development."
DC has three options, says Yonah Freemark of the Transport Politic:
"1) Make no new investments in transportation, in which case there would likely be growth in residential development near downtown, a la Chicago high rises. 2) Invest in expanding its highway system and see its downtown overrun by parking lots, in the way of Houston. 3) Invest in improving the transit system, which would boost the accessibility of downtown and enable more jobs to be located there."
FULL STORY: Condos, Parking Lots, and Transit: DC's Transportation Crossroads

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

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

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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