Posts by Bob Ward — Contributor
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The DC Council should insist on a true multi-modal design for Connecticut Avenue, or defund the project
It’s not just the missing bike lane: the District Department of Transportation’s revised plans for Connecticut Avenue are worse all around. The Council shouldn’t let the Mayor toy with $26 million. Keep reading…
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New exhibit shows how redlining affected DC and beyond, and what we can do about it today
Racially restrictive covenants and other policies known as “redlining” forced Black residents out of the neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park, denying them the ability to create generational wealth through homeownership and segregating communities in the District for decades. A traveling exhibit currently housed at the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library explores those legacies, and considers what can be done about it today. Keep reading…
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Historic districts may be preserving racial segregation in DC
Unpacking the “historic preservation”…of segregation: Historic districts in DC are 62 percent white and 15 percent Black. Outside of historic districts, the District’s population is 49 percent black and 31 percent white. Keep reading…
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Stop yesterday from stealing tomorrow’s housing on Connecticut Avenue
DC’s elected leaders have chosen to enable more housing and affordable housing in high-opportunity areas like Cleveland Park and Woodley Park. But overcoming preservationist blockades is not a sure thing. Keep reading…
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How Cleveland Park’s getting its groove back
The activists, business owners, and neighbors who have worked for years to make Cleveland Park a truly urban neighborhood take a well-deserved victory lap for the release of design guidelines for it. Keep reading…
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DC’s historic districts may be preserving racial segregation
All but three of DC’s historic districts are majority white, and analysis of Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park suggests that historic district designation may be contributing to the displacement of Black residents from those neighborhoods. Keep reading…