It's being called 'the Monstrosity' and a 'middle finger to taste and scale', but you'd be wrong if you called it illegal. The three story 'pop-up' a developer has added to a two-story DC rowhouse has engendered a spirited debate amid a growing city.
"For months, the Prince of Petworth blog has been documenting a Virginia developer’s progress in turning the small, 1890 single-family rowhouse into three condos," writes Petula Dvorak. "And with each entry, there’s a new round of chatter. There’s talk about density, growth, new money, demographics, gentrification — and where, exactly, are the thousand or so new residents pouring into the District every month going to live?"
"Population growth aside, just about everyone who lays eyes on the five-story weed springing out of a squat field of two-story homes asks one question: How can this be legal?"
FULL STORY: Addition to D.C. rowhouse on V Street NW is ugly but should that matter?
Chicago Tour Highlights 'Ugly Architecture'
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D.C. Adds New Safety Requirement in Wake of Recent Collapses
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D.C. Auditor Reveals Blight Enforcement Shortcomings
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Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
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Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
