Posts from July 2018
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Baltimore once had an elevated streetcar along Guilford Avenue
While Baltimore's streetcar network never included tunnels, from 1893 to 1950 the city did have an eight-block elevated trestle for streetcars, including several stations along Guilford Avenue. Keep reading…
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Why is Pennsylvania Avenue’s Freedom Plaza such a failure?
One of Freedom Plaza's designers, architect Denise Scott Brown, described the original design as “a lovely success” but said “I see the execution as a failure.” Keep reading…
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Metro Reasons: New safety inspection reports show slow but steady Metro progress
New federal track reports aren’t glowing news for Metro, but they do show that the beleaguered transit agency has made progress in safety over the past couple years. Inspectors continue to find issues small and large, but Metro is slowly but surely repairing them, according to two new months of track inspection data released on Friday, July 27. Keep reading…
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Why urbanists should be enthusiastic about urban agriculture
Urban agriculture aims to eradicate food insecurity in cities, foster community, and otherwise contribute to the well-being of residents — all things urbanists seek. There are a dozen or so farms and more than 100 school gardens in and around DC, and research indicates they can have a surprisingly large benefit to residents’ quality of life. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: “Lead in our water, lead in our air, Mayor Bowser, do you care?”
Activists want DC's mayor to delay demolishing and shutting down DC General until there are enough replacement shelters. Metro and its second-largest union have reached an agreement. Montgomery County is getting a new housing plan that puts affordable homes in affluent neighborhoods. Keep reading…
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Let’s bring 20,000 shared bikes to DC
DC has set a goal that by 2032, 25% of all commutes be walking or biking. Dockless bike and scooter programs can help us get to this goal, but we need to embrace an expansive vision of the system.
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Ask GGWash: Why are Metro’s 7000-series trains announcing that they’re 7000-series trains?
If you're a regular Metro rider and you've boarded a 7000-series new train recently, you may have noticed over the past few weeks that the automated train announcement has changed. Until recently, the automated announcement that played said, “This is a (color) line train to (terminus station).” Now the trains say, “This is a 7000-series train.” Keep reading…
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Events: Celebrate DC’s newest bus lane on Wednesday evening
There are several important meetings and gatherings this week that need your urbanist voice! Check out the details below and make space in your calendar to advocate for more buses and to speak up for open public space at the zoo. Keep reading…
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Here’s why developers seem to only build luxury housing
Stop me if you've heard this one before: “Developers in my city are only building luxury housing. They're not building anything that ordinary people can afford.” Here are five reasons you might see your local developers primarily building homes that you and your neighbors can't afford. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: How new local developments are accomodating cyclists
Trail-adjacent buildings in the area are getting infrastructure to accomodate cyclists. The life of an e-scooter can be brutish and short. Wheaton, Maryland is getting for an urban future. Keep reading…