Recent Posts
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DDOT brain drain no more: Sam Zimbabwe to head planning
DDOT has made a very exciting choice in hiring a new Associate Director for Planning, Policy and Sustainability. Sam Zimbabwe, the director of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development at Reconnecting America, will fill the hole left when Karina Ricks departed in May. Ricks is also staying in Washington: She’s been hired by transportation consulting firm Nelson\Nygaard,… Keep reading…
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WMATA should be a leader in transit planning
Tomorrow, the WMATA Board will make some key decisions that could shape the future of transit and planning in the Washington region: Should the agency lead the way in conceiving the future of travel, or just take a back seat to disparate and disconnected local planning? The board should choose to make their agency a leader, letting it set out a vision for the next generation of transit… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Suburban moods
Tysons, a transit and walking wasteland; Arlington isn’t going anywhere; Toll builders pay to play; Georgetown v. neighbors v. Post; AdMo streetscape not pleasing all; Cost of housing up; NVTC still waiting for capital money; And…. Keep reading…
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Online common application may help DC specialized high schools compete for top students
In an effort to be more competitive and user-friendly, DC Public Schools has created a new online application process for applying to its specialized high schools. The new common application will mean less work for parents and a more streamlined process for all, but DCPS will need to take care not to exclude students with limited access to the Internet. DC’s specialized… Keep reading…
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Virginia turns back toward the 1950s by weakening road connection standards, neglecting populated areas
Virginia took a huge step forward in 2009 to make its sure its new suburban areas included the connected street networks that made older suburbs less congested, safer to walk and bike, and cheaper for local governments to maintain. But it’s making a U-turn as the Commonwealth Transportation Board threw out the new standards at a meeting last week. This step is just one of… Keep reading…
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Boundary stones: The oldest monuments in the District
The boundary stones that surround the District are some of the oldest (and least known) monuments in the country. But they have survived the test of time, with no small role played by volunteer caretakers. “People ask me, ‘Who is buried there?’ and I tell them nobody. It’s one of the boundary stones,” a Mt. Rainer resident said as a group of volunteers… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: The road ahead
Transportation policy running on empty; Should DC get its own park rules?; Do riders win or lose with Dyke?; PG seeks more speed cameras; What to do about Bethesda’s escalators?; Preservation parcels; Suggest your own CaBi locations; And…. Keep reading…
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“Wedges and Corridors” still shapes Montgomery
Wedges and Corridors is the name of Montgomery County’s governing master plan. While it was updated in 1992, the basic framework is the same. Revered by many, forgotten by few who were active during that time, the General Plan, as it is also known, has stood the test of time. It is important to put this landmark Wedges & Corridors Plan in context. It was developed in the… Keep reading…
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Can the Ontario Theatre be saved?
The Ontario Theatre at 17th Street and Columbia Road NW has been neglected, abused even, for many years, and it hasn’t functioned as a movie theater in more than two decades. Although it takes some imagination to see what its possibilities are, one thing is certain: the theater has a long cultural legacy that will be lost if the building is demolished. As I recently detailed… Keep reading…
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Rail~Volution shows the way to a greater region
Last week, transportation planners and advocates came to DC for Rail~Volution, a conference committed to “Building Livable Communities with Transit.” DC was lauded for its general walkability throughout the 4-day conference, along with 34 other places around the region, many of which have grown up around Metro stations. Panels, charettes, and mobile workshops… Keep reading…