Upending the adage that nothing gets done in D.C. these days, last week the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) released their long range plans for remaking the Southwest area of the capital, capping two years of intense debate.
"Designed to undo the worst damage of the massive 'urban renewal'
projects inflicted on L'Enfant neighborhood over the past decades," the long range Southwest Eco-District plan intends to, "transform the spooky, almost pedestrian-free area just south
of the Mall into a highly sustainable, people-friendly cultural and
business destination," reports the ASLA's The Dirt blog. Guided by landscape architect Elizabeth Miller, ASLA, the "110-acre,
15-square block project is meant to showcase 'high performance buildings
and landscapes' while creating space for 19,000 new federal workers and
solving some of the worst pedestrian access problems."
"Miller outlined a vision for an Eco-District that provokes the
imagination, at least among sustainable designers. She said the new
District will 'capture, manage, and reuse water, energy, and waste' and
work beyond a single building, leveraging clusters of buildings to
create a new system. At the same time, the plan will take aim at the
incredible lack of public access - the barriers, the highways, and grade
changes - that keep people away, except for the federal workers that
have to go there for work."
The plan's green goals are ambitious, aiming for a "zero-net energy district as measured in carbon," reducing potable water use by 70%, managing all stormwater on site, reusing 75% of construction materials for the new buildings, and diverting 80% everyday waste from landfills.
FULL STORY: In D.C., New Eco-District Plans Unveiled

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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