Will Urban Revitalization Work In Downtown D.C.?

With the opening of Washington's new convention center this spring, the site of the old convention center has become the target of a flurry of redevelopment plans. Mayor Anthony A. Williams has publicly stated he envisions a focal point for the city, with housing, retail and commerial space, and cultural facilities. "[However], making the huge, tremendously complex project come off will not be easy, as D.C. development officials readily concede. In cities around the world are examples of huge, expensive urban renewal projects that were utter disasters, as cities and private developers spent hundreds of millions of dollars building spaces that are now urban wasteland. So, in a decision-making process that has massive stakes for the future of Washington's downtown, D.C. officials are trying to learn from the places that have made urban revitalization work -- and those that have not."

Thanks to Christian Peralta