Tim Craig explores one developer's efforts to start the ball rolling on the capital's new 20-year sustainability goals.
City officials in Washington released an ambitious plan on Tuesday to green the city over the next 20 years. Dubbed Vision for a Sustainable D.C., the plan outlines "goals to slash emissions and fossil fuel usage, plant new trees, clean up the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, and capture three-fourths of rainwater for reuse locally," Craig writes.
Sean C. Cahill, a local developer, intends to lead the charge with a cluster of new buildings along I-395 that will boast rooftop farms – one of the many goals described in the plan. With 2.2 million square feet of primarily office space, Capitol Crossing could host restaurants hoping to emulate the success of Founding Farmers, a farm-to-table eatery that has earned a place among "the city's most popular restaurants."
"We got 30 acres of vegetative roofs in D.C. already," said D.C. Planning Director Harriet Tregoning. "Let's rethink this idea of the green roof and create the kind of environment where we can produce that."
Read the full story: D.C. farms could rise above I-395
Philadelphia lawmakers fight to save 'Chinatown Stitch' from Trump cuts
The freeway cap project, approved and funded under the Biden administration, is now in jeopardy after the federal government rescinded all but $8 million in funding.
Milwaukee mayor abandons highway removal plan
Mayor Johnson spoke in opposition to a proposed plan to turn part of I-794 into an at-grade boulevard, expressing concerns about traffic.
Santa Monica gets $2M grant to study I-10 freeway cap
City officials want to explore capping or even removing a portion of the freeway in the Pico neighborhood.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Mass. votes against statewide minimum lot size for single-family homes
Over 2 million residents voted on Question 7; it was decided by just over 30,000 votes.
Maryland’s $15 billion bridge project gains key approval
The Maryland Transit Authority said the project will create over 60,000 jobs and add $23 billion to the local economy.
‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds
Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello