Posts by Dan Malouff — Editorial Board
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Can CityCenter and Gallery Place become one retail district?
Construction of CityCenter DC, the massive mixed-use complex slated to replace the parking lot where the old convention center used to stand, will finally start construction in April, the Post reported. When CityCenter opens it will bring about 225,000 square feet of new retail with it. For comparison, the Gallery Place development has about 250,000 square feet, including… Keep reading…
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Proposed Tysons Metro station names are still a little dull
Throughout the planning stages of the Silver Line, the four Metro stations in Tysons Corner have been designated by purely descriptive names, like “Tysons Central 123”. Now that construction is well under way, it’s time to consider what those stations should permanently be called. Metro station names have a way of defining their neighborhoods, so it’s… Keep reading…
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We speak, the Post listens
Last week the Washington Post’s Ashley Halsey asked readers to identify the worst intersections in the region, so we asked you to submit examples of intersections that are bad for pedestrians instead of just for cars. It seems our message was received. The Post published a follow-up piece on Sunday with quotes from 11 individuals. Out of the 11 total responses, 8 mentioned… Keep reading…
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Tell Ashley Halsey cars aren’t the only users of our streets
The Washington Post’s Ashley Halsey poses this question to readers: The Washington region is notorious for congested traffic. Is one intersection worse than all the rest? If you know of one, tell us in two sentences, where it is and what makes it the worst. Send your reply to: transportation@washpost.com The biggest problem intersections I experience are those… Keep reading…
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Let’s convert Scott Circle into Scott Square
Scott Circle is the worst of downtown’s five main roundabouts. The roads are a hostile mess that pedestrians avoid at all costs, and the green spaces are chopped into such small and disconnected fragments that there’s not a useful park among them. There isn’t even a single marked crosswalk leading in to the circle itself. In its current form Scott Circle is… Keep reading…
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Autumn streets: 16th Street
Over the next few weeks I’ll be taking advantage of the reasonable temperatures, blue skies, and low humidity of autumn to prepare a series of photo essays on some of Washington’s more famous or interesting streets. 16th Street from Mount Pleasant to the White House is the first installment. Keep reading…
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Historic train stations abound in Washington region
Train stations are the perfect nexus of transit and architecture geekdom. They’re monuments to all the things that urbanists hold dear. Luckily, the Washington area is full of wonderful examples of historic depots, big and small. Just about everyone is familiar with Union Station, but have you seen Point of Rocks? Fredericksburg? Gaithersburg? Here are some pictures of particularly… Keep reading…
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Could Southwest become DC’s second downtown?
The Southwest Waterfront master plan, released yesterday, adds to an impressive collection of plans and development that could collectively transform the way we think about the area south of the National Mall. One day, not too many decades from now, Southwest (and Near Southeast) could become a second downtown for DC, as large as the existing downtown area. Consider… Keep reading…
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Arlington plans to increase capacity at Rosslyn Metro
Metro Center has four main entrances. Gallery Place and L’Enfant Plaza each have three. Union Station, Silver Spring, Dupont Circle, and countless others have two. Rosslyn, the highest-ridership station in Virginia, has but one. One entrance with one set of long, slow escalators and one often-broken elevator, to serve all 36,000 daily passengers who enter and exit… Keep reading…
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Metro isn’t always the best option for transit expansion
When local leaders start thinking about adding new rapid transit to the region, usually the conversation centers around Metrorail. Metro has been so transformative for the Washington region that it’s hard to think in other terms. Unfortunately, that can lead to inefficient spending. Consider the example of the Silver Line. Phase One of the line, to Tysons Corner,… Keep reading…