Accommodating D.C.'s Rapid Growth; Heat Map Shows Permits and Construction

Pulling data from the District of Columbia Data Catalogue, blog Map Attacks has created a map showing every active building permit in the city, as of January 10, 2014. The visualization is useful in projecting the future of the nation's capital, which is drawing a large influx of new residents.

Dan Reed provides some local insight about the patterns visible on the map: “there's a lot of construction occurring in downtown DC, though there's also a significant amount of building taking place near U Street. H Street and Columbia Heights are no slouch, as well as Fort Totten, where a new Walmart is under construction.” Reed describes the orientation of construction permits by referencing some of the political dynamics at play in the development climate of the capital: “[the bulk of new construction occurring east of Rock Creek Park is] a good thing after decades of disinvestment, but it also illustrates how resistance to new development west of the park has pushed demand further east.”

One caveat about the heat map and its dataset from Map Attacks: “This dataset captures large construction projects like the O Street Market development in Shaw, as well as someone renovating their bathroom in Georgetown.”