District of Columbia

Transportation Journalism Suffers Losses in 2015

Transportation readers who prefer reading a less auto-centric perspective of issues will see losses this year, as budgetary constraints at Streetsblog caused the layoff of Tanya Snyder of Streetsblog USA and the temporary loss of Streetsblog Chicago.

January 14, 2015 - StreetsBlog NYC

Washington D.C. Hires a New Director of Planning

Washington D.C. made a high-profile hire to run its Office of Planning: the former director of community and economic development of Salt Lake City, Eric Shaw.

January 7, 2015 - Greater Greater Washington

Washington D.C. Announces 'parkDC'—Value Pricing—for Downtown

Washington D.C. is ready for a change in parking policy. The District Department of Transportation announced plans, so far mostly conceptual, to launch the parkDC value pricing system next summer.

December 21, 2014 - The Washington Post

Exploring Creek 'Daylighting' Projects in Washington D.C.

Writing for National Geographic, Brian Clark Howard examines the "[innovative] techniques that mimic nature help restore open waterways, prevent pollution, and create habitats for animals."

December 14, 2014 - National Geographic

Bike Parking Minimums Updated in Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. recently revised bike parking requirements for new or rehabilitated residential buildings, building on precedents first set in 2007.

December 12, 2014 - Wash Cycle

Former D.C. Mayor Reminds Cities to Retain a Sense of Place

Anthony Williams, who served two terms as D.C. mayor and is credited with the city's turnaround, spoke about creating great neighborhoods at a panel event held by local media company Elevation DC. Cities, he said, need to retain their sense of place.

December 10, 2014 - Elevation DC

Review: Smithsonian South Mall Master Plan

Writing for The Dirt, Jared Green takes a critical eye to the proposed master plan for the Smithsonian's South Mall campus, designed by high-profile Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group.

November 24, 2014 - ASLA The Dirt

Capital Bikeshare

A Planning Career to Help People Share—Bikes, of Course

The following interview, as published in the 4th Edition of the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs, features Kimberly Lucas, bicycle program specialist for the District Department of Transportation.

November 20, 2014 - Kimberly Lucas

How D.C.'s Historic Buildings—Some in Danger—Enrich its Neighborhoods

Historic buildings add character to neighborhoods. When torn down, pieces of history are also stripped from the city; when restored, they can act as catalysts for revitalization.

November 19, 2014 - Elevation DC

Urban Churches Adapt to a Changing City

In Washington, D.C., residents, shops and restaurants come and go, often moving from neighborhood to neighborhood. But churches remain. They anchor the community as it changes, and often find themselves changing with it.

November 18, 2014 - Elevation DC

Leinberger Op-Ed Supports Streetcars as Economic Development Tool

"Opposing streetcars and light rail today would be like opposing the building of freeways, the Beltway and Metrorail in the 20th century," writes Chris Leinberger in an op-ed for the Washington Post.

November 17, 2014 - The Washington Post - Opinions

'Ridescore' Rates the Hired Driver Regulations for 50 Cities

The Ridescore system grades cities for their regulatory friendliness to hired drivers—transportation network companies, taxis, and limos. Washington D.C. offers the most friendly regulations for hired drivers, Las Vegas the least.

November 12, 2014 - R Street Institute Press Release

Cities Passing Up Opportunity to Amass Uber's Valuable Data

The legalization (or illegalization) process of Uber throughout the country allows city governments to leverage a data exchange with the company, but too many municipalities are passing up this momentous opportunity.

October 31, 2014 - The Washington Post

Tolls vs Taxes and the State of the American Highway

Making up only seven percent of U.S. interstate miles, the future of toll roads is bright according to Brooking's Robert Puentes and Diane Rehm's other guests in a 52-minute, wide ranging discussion on gas taxes, toll roads, and privatization.

October 27, 2014 - WAMU

Old DC Transit

D.C. Officials Dramatically Scale Back Streetcar System

In a recent move, officials from Mayor Vincent C. Gray's administration shortened DC's streetcar system to a much-shorter eight miles.

October 26, 2014 - The Washington Post

Two-Year 'Action Plan' to Support Early Implementation of 'moveDC' Long Range Plan

The District Department of Transportation released its moveDC "Action Plan" this week. While the moveDC plan sets a 25-year agenda, the Action Plan identifies 36 specific actions for implementation in the next two years.

October 22, 2014 - Greater Greater Washington

Plans to Close D.C. Homeless Shelter Relies on the Generosity of Landlords

Can a $52 million plan to close the D.C. General emergency shelter rely on the generosity of landlords in providing houses for the homeless?

October 21, 2014 - The Washington Post

Transit Oriented Development

The New Transit User Fee: Real Estate Rent

Driven by a need to meet growing costs amid unstable federal subsidies, metropolitan transit agencies are eying their properties, particularly parking lots, as money makers from new residential and commercial development.

October 20, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

How D.C.'s 11th Street Bridge Will Transform Infrastructure into Civic Space

Across the US, cities increasingly view waterfronts as opportunities for green space. Once tied to industrial uses, river fronts now offer a chance to repurpose existing infrastructure for public use.

October 17, 2014 - The Planning Report

Tysons Corner

D.C.'s New Metro Line Already Influencing the Suburbs

The Silver Line opened two and a half months ago. Already, with strong ridership in both directions, some businesses are seeing new opportunities.

October 15, 2014 - Elevation DC

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.