District of Columbia

Urban Setting

Tax Abatements Could Spur Adaptive Reuse in Washington, D.C.

Faced with commercial vacancies around 11 percent and the prospect of new office supply coming online soon, D.C. stakeholders are pushing for a bill that would provide incentives for conversions of office buildings into residential units.

January 18, 2018 - The New York Times

14th Street Traffic

A Growing D.C. Corridor Gets Badly Needed Bus Service

The new 59 bus route down 14th Street in Washington, D.C. represents a major win for transit advocates.

January 16, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Georgetown

Rent Down 3.9% for Apartments in the Nation's Capital

After years of rising rents D.C., 2017 brought a bump in new apartment supply and a dip in apartment rents around the city.

January 16, 2018 - Bisnow

Greensboro Station on Metro's Silver line near Tyson's Corner

D.C. Metro Considering Privatization of Operations and Maintenance on New Silver Line

A proposal to privatize operations and maintenance of stations and track on the Silver Line has taken an initial, tentative step forward.

January 12, 2018 - The Washington Post

Train Running Late? This Refund's for You

D.C. Metro is considering a new "Rush-Hour Promise"—if you're train is running 15 minutes later or more, your fare will be refunded.

January 10, 2018 - The Washington Post

Gas Station

The Law Favors Gas Stations Over Redevelopment in Washington, D.C.

A lawsuit challenges a law in Washington, D.C. that prevents the conversion of full-service gas stations into any other kind of commercial or residential land use.

January 9, 2018 - WAMU

Metro Bus

D.C. Bus Ridership is Down. Time for a Redesign?

Bus ridership is down in the nation's capital. Some see the issue as an opportunity to better design the service to make dollars go further.

January 9, 2018 - Washington Post

Multi-Family Building

Fair Housing Act May Cover Renters with Criminal Records

The largest private landlord in the U.S. faces a discrimination suit for refusing to rent to people with criminal records.

January 4, 2018 - Center for Investigative Reporting

Empty Subway

No Free Rides on D.C. Metro for New Year's Eve 2018

The D.C. Metro system's extended New Year's Eves hours will be cut a little short this year, and there will be no free rides.

December 28, 2017 - The Washington Post

Winter Storm

Study Ranks the 'Traffic Resilience' of Urban Road Systems

The inefficiencies of daily commutes set aside, the road systems of some cities are not prepared to deal with unexpected events that disrupt the transportation system.

December 28, 2017 - WTOP

D.C. Metro Bus

How Bikes Exploded onto the D.C. Scene

A trio of local experts offers insight into how Washington, D.C. tripled bike mode share in a decade.

December 28, 2017 - CityLab

Beltway Commute

How Baltimore Figures in to Washington D.C. Commuting Patterns

Despite significant and expected cross-county commuting within the Washington D.C. metro, relatively few people commute from Baltimore, despite good transportation connections and relatively less expensive housing.

December 26, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Commit No Nuisance sign

Alley Dwellings Looking More Attractive

Examining the growing demand for alley homes in Washington, D.C.—where alleys were once considered "evil."

December 20, 2017 - The Washington Post

Washington D.C.

D.C.'s Wharf Makes the City's Housing Problems Worse

Did The Wharf, a new mixed use mega project in Washington, D.C., deliver enough public benefit to warrant its large public subsidy?

December 19, 2017 - Jerrod A. Laber

Apartment Construction

D.C. Steps in to Buy At-Risk Affordable Housing

In the interest of preserving affordable supply, the District can purchase apartment buildings that would otherwise sell to private developers.

December 19, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Washington, D.C.

Shared Street Mixes Pedestrians and Cars—Truly Radical

A new development in Washington, D.C. features the largest "shared space" in the United States.

December 12, 2017 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

Texas Townhomes

'Missing Middle' Housing and the Expected Millennial Exodus

The Washington Post examines "missing middle" housing as a solution for retaining millennials in cities and interior suburbs. There is still some question, however, about whether millennials are actually leaving urban areas.

December 12, 2017 - The Washington Post

Arlington Virginia

Arlington County Reduces Parking Requirements for Multi-Family Developments on Metro Corridors

In addition to reducing parking requirements to 0.2 to 0.6 spaces per unit for developments "approved by special exception," the board went a step further by requiring mitigations if developers provide more than 1.65 spaces per unit.

November 30, 2017 - The Washington Post

Washington, D.C. Apartment

Toward a System of Adaptive Reuse Feasibility

A relative lack of conversions from office to residential—the adaptive reuse model driving the housing market in many urban areas—makes the Washington, D.C. region a perfect place to study the factors that make or break an adaptive reuse proposal.

November 21, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Uber Lyft Departure

More Cities Replacing Parking With Drop-Off Zones for Ride-Hailing Companies

More than one city has ditched parking in response to the congestion and conflicts created by ride-hailing pick-ups and drop-offs .

November 21, 2017 - CNN

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.