Posts by Conor Shaw — Guest Contributor
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Why we should increase the number of Ward 5 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions
The DC Council will soon take a final vote on new ward boundaries, setting the stage for part two of the process: redistricting Advisory Neighborhood Commissions. Keep reading…
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Reflections on “fixing” Dave Thomas Circle
Earlier this month, DDOT released its “final” design for the intersection known as Dave Thomas Circle. With construction slated to begin next summer, one longtime advocate for the renovation takes stock of the progress advocates made, explains where we fell short and identifies lessons for future projects. Keep reading…
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A vision for an affordable and accessible Eckington deferred
It has been four years since many of Eckington’s residents and its Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners came together to craft a vision for how we want growth to happen in our neighborhood in the next 10 years. But despite countless hours spent over these four years to define and advocate for an affordable future for Eckington through amendments we wrote to the 2006 Comprehensive Plan, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson is pushing to override our neighborhood’s wishes in one stroke of his pen. Keep reading…
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How DC can reduce traffic deaths and make real progress on Vision Zero
Six years in, DC’s Vision Zero program can only be described as a failure. While there have been some marginal improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure, it has been nowhere near enough to slow the number of deaths on our streets — in fact, they’ve been increasing. If we are going to engage in a genuine effort to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries, we need bold, system-wide solutions that tackle the District’s biggest safety concerns. We must disrupt an inequitable, environmentally unsound, and car-centered status quo. Keep reading…
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After six years of failure, it’s time to start over on Vision Zero
Six years after Mayor Muriel Bowser committed DC to the goal of ensuring that “no lives are lost on our streets or at our intersections,” DC is on pace for its deadliest year of traffic violence in over a decade. Keep reading…
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This DC neighborhood has a plan for more housing. So why isn’t the District on board with it?
Mid City (which includes Eckington) needs 4,210 new housing units, 1,010 of which should be affordable units, in the next five years to meet the Mayor’s goals. The good news is that Eckington offered map amendments to meet that housing challenge. No “shaming” necessary. So why were changes that would allow for more dense housing in Eckington rejected? Keep reading…
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To fix Dave Thomas Circle, prioritize public space & safety over through traffic, say experts
The intersection of Florida and New York Avenue, or “Dave Thomas Circle” as it is colloquially known, is dangerous and confounding to all who use it. An Urban Land Institute (ULI) panel report reimagines the intersection as a safe, public space that connects neighborhoods rather than dividing them. Keep reading…
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An Eckington bikeshare debate goes off the trail(s)
The ANC 5E meeting on June 18 was a lesson in how ANCs can put one commissioner’s personal preferences ahead of the concerns and safety of the community. After nearly three and a half hours of meeting to discuss an agenda that was supposed to last two hours, the ANC shut down debate and voted to write a letter of opposition to a new bikeshare station. Keep reading…