Kaid Benfield laments the capital's "blah"-inspiring National Mall, and discusses three design competitions underway that could give it a second life.
Amidst the grand, civic monumentality of Washington, D.C., Benfield opines, the stark plainness of the National Mall stands in sharp relief. "It's like being on your random, poorly maintained high school football field when there's no game going on (albeit with a major federal building or two in the distance)."
Surrounded on all sides by major national landmarks, perhaps its one saving grace is the way it looks from a distance: "from an airplane, maybe, or from the top of the Washington Monument or the steps of the Lincoln Memorial." But on the ground, the human-scale experience of the park can't hold a match to truly great urban parks, like those found in London.
Luckily for Benfield, the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall is holding three international design competitions, each for a different portion of the Mall: Constitution Gardens, the Sylvan Theatre, and Union Square. As discussed in The Dirt, "The competition is fierce because all the design proposals offer elegant, exciting, innovative ideas for solving sticky ecological, security, and public space design challenges. Each proposal may reflect a $100,000 or more of conceptual and design work."
But with an anticipated $700 million in public and private funds on the line, the transformation in store for the National Mall may well put its image back in line with the majestic character of the city.
FULL STORY: Can the National Mall be re-imagined as a place for people?

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.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.

What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.

Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie