District of Columbia

Transformation of D.C. Area Commute On Track for This Year

With construction of the D.C. subway system's newest extension 90 percent complete, the Silver Line is set to transform the region's transportation patterns, and Northern Virginia's in particular.

April 8, 2013 - The Washington Post

D.C.'s Displacement Woes Spread to the Suburbs

D.C.'s decade of prosperity and growth has been accompanied by a wave of development and displacement that is now threatening to submerge its inner-ring suburbs. Robert McCartney examines the consequences.

April 6, 2013 - The Washington Post

Cracking Beneath the Surface: America's Invisibly Eroding Roadways

In need of an underground overhaul, the Capital Beltway exemplifies the deteriorating conditions of 1/3 of the nation's roadways.

April 3, 2013 - The Washington Post

D.C. Mustn't Look Far to Find Lessons for Reducing the Nation's Worst Congestion

Washington D.C. holds the dubious distinction as the nation's most congested city. As D.C. seeks ways to reduce its traffic, Arlington County, in suburban Virginia, has made great strides in convincing commuters to ditch their cars.

March 27, 2013 - Transportation Nation

On-Site Parking Requirements Stifle D.C. Redevelopment

Business owners, city leaders, and community members would love to see the struggling Anacostia neighborhood transformed into a bustling retail zone. But onerous parking requirements in DC's outdated zoning code are stifling the city's own ambitions.

March 21, 2013 - Washington City Paper

Gehry's Controversial Eisenhower Memorial Comes Under Congressional Attack

On Tuesday, several members of Congress overseeing the approval of Frank Gehry's design and the budgetary requirements for the Eisenhower Memorial expressed their disapproval at a subcommittee hearing.

March 21, 2013 - Architectural Record

Design and Construction Errors Render New D.C. Area Transit Center Unusable

A long-awaited report on the problems preventing the opening of a longer-awaited $112 million bus-and-train hub in the D.C. suburb of Silver Spring has revealed design and construction failures that will prevent it from opening indefinitely.

March 21, 2013 - The Washington Post

Friday Funny: The True Story Behind D.C.'s Plastic Bag Tax

For American University's Eco-Comedy Film Competition, the DC-based comedy crew Dunk Your Bagel have produced a humorous take on a serious challenge facing cities across America: how to persuade residents to reduce their use of plastic bags.

March 15, 2013 - DCist

Should D.C. Leave Parking to Developers?

AAA has been outspoken in their opposition to the parking reforms being debated in Washington D.C. For Matthew Iglesias, parking is a "privilege," not a right.

March 10, 2013 - Slate

BRT Comes to D.C.

The first bus rapid transit route in the D.C. metro area will start serving passengers in Northern Virginia as early as Spring 2014.

March 6, 2013 - The Washington Post

Trend Alert: Church-Oriented Development

A mixed-use development being proposed for the First Baptist Church's property in downtown Silver Spring is just the latest in a series of similar projects across the D.C. suburbs that are pitting congregations against preservationists.

February 26, 2013 - Greater Greater Washington

Is it Time to Ditch Zoning?

As mixed-use development increasingly supersedes single-use development, Roger K. Lewis argues that we should retire the word "zoning" and its outdated "characterization of how we plan and shape growth."

February 21, 2013 - The Washington Post

Can D.C. Become America's 'Healthiest, Greenest and Most Livable' City?

With the release of his new "Sustainable D.C." plan, Mayor Vincent Gray has outlined dozens of initiatives "that he hopes will vastly change how residents and visitors experience and travel across the city," reports Tim Craig.

February 20, 2013 - The Washington Post

Nightlife in Tel Aviv

Enliven Nightlife to Attract Millenials

Montgomery County wants to be the life of the party. To do so, it's establishing a special taskforce to boost its nighttime economy and attract millenials, reports Bill Turque.

February 18, 2013 - The Washington Post

Another D.C. Suburb Aims to Densify

The D.C. suburbs seem to be fertile ground for some of the nation's most ambitious retrofit projects. The latest plan to be made public would transform a 1950's era apartment and retail complex in Silver Spring, reports Jonathan O'Connell.

February 15, 2013 - The Washington Post

D.C.'s new HOT Lanes off to a Slow Start

Recent financial disclosures from the company that operates the Capital Beltway's new high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in northern Virginia show that the lanes lost $11.3 million in their first six weeks of operation with fewer users than expected.

February 11, 2013 - The Washington Examiner

The Man Who Would Plan Washington

The blog Greater Greater Washington has been instrumental in furthering the discussion of land use in D.C. Rachel Weiner profiles its controversial founder, David Alpert, whose lack of formal planning experience is no impediment to his ambitions.

February 11, 2013 - The Washington Post

What's Next for Alexandria's Waterfront?

The pending sale of historic industrial buildings in Alexandria is seen as crucial to spurring the Virginia city's waterfront redevelopment, and "fulfilling a new vision for the area."

February 7, 2013 - The Washington Post

District of Columbia Challenges Feds on Climate Action

The District of Columbia is challenging the federal government on climate action, with lawmakers proposing to outlaw a local coal-burning power plant that powers Congress.

February 7, 2013 - The Washington Post

Creating a Defined Urban Core Just Outside the Nation's Capitol

Montgomery County planner John Marcolin details the ongoing creation of an urban core in Silver Spring, Maryland, the thriving unincorporated area just northeast of Washington, D.C.

February 2, 2013 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built + Natural Environments

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