Recent Posts

  • Can job training work?

    One of Mayor-elect Gray’s top priorities is improving job training to reduce unemployment that has reached crisis levels in Wards 7 and 8.  Gray will hold a Jobs Summit on Dec 13 to gather ideas on training. Momentum appears to be building for greater investments in training.  Councilmember Marion Barry’s proposal to cut off TANF benefits after 5 years…  Keep reading…

  • How can Obama really do more for DC?

    Yesterday, President Obama and Mayor-Elect Gray met for lunch. According to Gray, Obama said he “wants to do more for the city.” How can he do more? Obviously there are a number of federal programs that give out funding, whether discretionary or formula, and Obama could push for DC in many areas of the federal budget. But the President is very concerned about the deficit,…  Keep reading…

  • Arlington plan will define streets for people

    Arlington’s almost-complete Master Transportation Plan has the capability to reshape the county foremost by recognizing that streets need to serve people on all modes of transportation, not just cars. For the past several years, Arlington County has been working on a new comprehensive Master Transportation Plan.  Arlington first adopted its goals and policies…  Keep reading…

  • Breakfast links: Tensions on and off the bike

    Enforce bike parking rules; Conflict is the bike story; Tensions in Hill East; Questions surround Big K site in Anacostia; A glimpse at MLK Memorial; More NoMA park responses; Raise my taxes, please; Toronto surrenders (to cars); And….  Keep reading…

  • Make North Capitol Street a true gateway

    North Capitol Street, framed by the Capitol dome and used by hundreds of commuters and visitors, stands as an oft-overlooked example of a highway mentality misapplied to an urban setting. To rectify this longstanding gash in the city’s fabric, DDOT should look into reshaping of the less appealing highway-like portions of North Capitol Street around Rhode Island and New York…  Keep reading…

  • Got any big ideas for the DDOT budget?

    DC faces huge budget gaps, and every agency is being asked to make cuts, most of which take a little from everything. For DDOT, do you have any ideas for bigger cuts that should be considered, or revenue increases to look into? The DC Council held a marathon hearing yesterday to listen to feedback on closing DC’s massive budget gap. Most of the witnesses just asked for specific…  Keep reading…

  • Bookstores create public places

    What do downtown Silver Spring and Portland have in common? They both know the power of a good bookstore. It’s not just about literacy and education and having places for teenagers to hang out after school. It’s also about making urban space a little brighter and more interesting.   Keep reading…

  • College students deserve a voice in local government

    In a city as disenfranchised as DC, it seems especially important to make sure that all residents have the opportunity to cast a vote. But one group is systematically denied a voice in local decision-making: college students. It’s true that students at schools like Georgetown, Howard, and Catholic are, in a sense, not permanent residents, and many of them may be unfamiliar…  Keep reading…

  • Breakfast links: Big steps for Metro

    Metro recommends Red Line fix; Metrobus changes coming; More open data in DC; Evans wants to bring ‘Skins back; Fairfax ponders road takeover; Federal pay freeze would add up in DC; Alternate Metro map poster for sale; DC owed millions in property taxes; And….  Keep reading…

  • Lost Washington: Childs fast food restaurants

    On Massachusetts Avenue at North Capitol Street NW, close to Union Station, stands a rather striking SunTrust bank building. How did this stately little building with its big windows and rough, pumice-like walls land on this corner, and why is it put to such nondescript use? It’s lived a number of lives through the years. Designed as a restaurant, cheery and inviting, it…  Keep reading…

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