The National Capital Planning Commission invites the public to weigh-in on five proposals for improvements to the Ellipse, the large public park between White House and the National Mall.
Writer Suzanne LaBarre calls the current design "fascist", and says that while the new proposals are "a valiant effort to pretty up a high-security stretch of the Capitol", she believes the park's problems cannot be fixed with landscaping:
"They [the proposals] feature shady trees and public promenades and aspirational names (for instance, "Democracy's Front Porch"). It's like putting a lace doily on an anvil.
It seems likely that government goons will end up doing whatever they want."
National security issues are putting severe constraints on the project, says LaBarre.
The design proposals are online at the NCPC website.
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