Posts from October 2019
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The Comp Plan guides DC’s growth. Here’s what proposed updates say about housing.
When Mayor Muriel Bowser and Office of Planning (OP) Director Andrew Trueblood released citywide targets for affordable housing production by neighborhood planning area, they also made public amendments to the rest of the Comprehensive Plan—all 24 chapters of it. The Comp Plan guides how the city will grow in the years to come. Keep reading…
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Here are all @CouncilOfDC’s World Series tweets mocking Houston’s lack of zoning
The Nats won the World Series! WAAHOOOOOOO! And now, ever on-watch for the urbanist angle to a story, GGWash is here to shamelessly embed all of the mocking tweets the DC Council’s Twitter account posted about Houston’s zoning during the World Series. Keep reading…
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Many of DC’s playground surfaces contain lead. How dangerous is this, and what should be done?
There is lead — according to four DC agencies, reaching “actionable levels” — on the surfaces of at least 17 DC playgrounds. This, understandably, has alarmed many parents and residents already concerned about reports about lead on play surfaces that come from rubber. It’s unfortunately also difficult to find clear science telling us exactly how much of a danger this poses. Keep reading…
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Happy Halloween! Stay safe on these scary roads around the region.
While donning a costume and gorging on candy is pretty sweet, Halloween can be a scary time to navigate streets on foot or bicycle. Since more people are commuting in the dark, fatality rates for vulnerable road users tend to go up as days become shorter and when daylight saving time ends (this year, that’s on November 3). Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: The Nats win the World Series, a first for the franchise
The Nats win the World Series. A new program in DC helps teachers and school staff buy a home. Visit one of the District’s haunted houses. Keep reading…
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Reston’s Campus Commons project, next to the Silver Line, moves foward
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave the final okay for a project that provoked a new wave of organization against long planned changes in Reston. It is the latest in a rash of approvals for redevelopment of many of Reston’s Office parks close to the Silver Line. Keep reading…
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Take a peek at DC’s first streetcar opening in 1862
DC’s first streetcar system opened in the middle of the Civil War after taking only six months to build. It ran horse-drawn streetcars along Pennsylvania Avenue, and was an instant hit. Keep reading…
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In just 5 hours, volunteers collected over 300 bike lane violations in Arlington
On October 17, 40 volunteers and I spread out across bike lanes in Crystal City, Rosslyn, and Ballston to see just how many drivers stop in or otherwise block bicycle lanes. We collected more than 300 bike lane violations in just five hours! Keep reading…
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Re-elect Patrick Wojahn for Mayor of College Park
Unlike many of its fellow towns which host flagship state universities, College Park has not quite known what it wanted to be. Should it be a quintessential college town with a downtown area catering to students? Or was it more of a strip mall suburb where people drive to and from a somewhat commuter-oriented state school? Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: An Obama-era DOT official has been nominated to replace Evans on the Metro board
Mendelson announced his nomination for the Metro Board. No need to be scared of some of the region’s ghost roads. By 2050, many coastal cities worldwide will be destroyed by rising sea levels, according to a new report. Keep reading…