Posts by Payton Chung — Board of Directors
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We’re #3: Has the DC-Baltimore region’s population surpassed Chicago’s?
Greater Washington may already be the country's third-most-populous region, according to new population projections from the Census Bureau. Under the bureau's broadest definition of a metropolitan area, called a “Combined Statistical Area,” the Washington-Baltimore area was just shy of the Chicago region as of July 2017. Keep reading…
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(Not) long ago and (not) far away, jobs boomed but housing prices didn’t
The buzz around the region about the prospect of a colossal corporate relocation has many local residents worried about the “prosperity bomb” that could result if the corporation brings 50,000 jobs over ten years. In particular, many are concerned about even-higher housing costs. Keep reading…
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“No vacancy” is a problem when people need homes
“Now Leasing” signs seem to be ubiquitous on apartment buildings across the region, from the eerily dark new high-rises downtown to well-worn mid-century garden apartments with colorful banners out front. Yet at the same time, experts agree that the area has a housing shortage. What gives? Keep reading…
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U Street almost became strip malls and office parks — here’s how
Planners in the 1950s wanted to replace large swaths of central Washington with freeways. Canceling those plans saved the city not just from the freeways themselves, but also from an equally stunning plan to demolish thousands more blocks alongside said freeways and “renew” them with a suburban landscape of strip malls, office campuses, and apartment towers. Keep reading…
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A tale of two 20003s: high rises or high rents
The near southeast quadrant of the District, from the Capitol dome down to the banks of the Anacostia river, has one ZIP code split in half by I-695, better known as the Southeast Freeway. Although these two areas look incredibly different at first glance, upon closer inspection they form a curious natural experiment. Keep reading…
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The attached triangle: a solution to a neglected triangle park near you
Nearly 300 small parks scattered around the District of Columbia are owned, and often neglected, by the National Park Service. Dozens of these are little more than traffic islands, remnants left over amidst the many complicated multi-leg intersections along angled streets — a legacy that dates back to the L'Enfant Plan. Keep reading…
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DC’s big “carbon neutral” pledge will require big changes around town
The District of Columbia will be carbon-neutral and climate resilient by 2050, under a pledge that Mayor Muriel Bowser made while attending the North American Climate Summit in Chicago last December. This ambitious pledge is just the start of a long journey ahead. Keep reading…
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One million Washingtonians is a future to embrace, not to fear
The new Comprehensive Plan is DC's chance to pivot away from exclusion and denial, and towards a future of inclusive growth. To get there requires acknowledging and understanding that places, like people, grow and change. Keep reading…
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Don’t want to venture outdoors? Take cover in one of these indoor shortcuts.
Stepping off Metro and want to avoid chilly winter winds for a few more moments? There might be an indoor shortcut along your route that could shave some distance off your walk, or at least let you enjoy a few moments of extra climate-control en route. Keep reading…
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Should this long-vacant lot atop Waterfront Metro keep waiting for offices?
Ten years ago, the 30-acre superblock between 3rd, 6th, I, and M streets in Southwest Waterfront was largely filled with the Waterside Mall, one of DC's least memorable planning failures. Now the parcels could be developed with hundreds of apartments atop retail and small offices, or they could remain empty in hopes of a future large office complex. Keep reading…