The proposed elevated park across the Anacostia would be a first for D.C. The group backing it has launched a national design competition to design a bridge that fosters economic development, promotes community health, and cleans the river.
The project started as a crazy idea just over two years ago. The 11th Street bridge connecting D.C.'s Navy Yard to Anacostia was (and is) being rebuilt. The old piers for the outdated span remain in the water.
What if, then-planning director Harriet Tregoning asked Scott Kratz, then an employee of the National Building Museum, over breakfast, what if we reused the old pillars to create a new park?
The park would cross the Anacostia adjacent to the new, car-and-bike-and-pedestrian-transporting span. It would link booming Navy Yard with historic Anacostia, perhaps bringing some of the amenities found west of the river to the east. It would be D.C.'s High Line, the city's own example of taking out-of-date infrastructure and turning it into something useful.
"[Tregoning] had this idea, and asked if I was interested in helping," Kratz said Tuesday. "Maybe I should have had another cup of coffee, and said, 'Wait a minute,' but I said 'Sure, you bet.'"
FULL STORY: "D.C.'s High Line" could transform banks of the Anacostia
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
Berkeley Approves ‘Middle Housing’ Ordinance
The city that invented single-family zoning is finally reckoning with its history of exclusion.
SEPTA Budget Slashes Service by 45 Percent
The Philadelphia-area transit agency is legally tasked with maintaining a balanced budget. Officials hope the state will come to the rescue with additional funding.
Connecticut Governor Vetoes Housing Bill
Gov. Lamont reversed his view on a controversial affordable housing bill that would have required municipalities to zone for set amounts of affordable housing to receive state funding.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)