Recent Posts
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A penny-farthing for your thoughts in the Flickr Pool
Here are our favorite new images from the Greater and Lesser Washington Flickr pool, showcasing the best and worst of the Washington region. Keep reading…
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MDOT improving pedestrian safety in the wake of tragedy
After a recent tragedy where two young men were killed crossing Rockville Pike by the White Flint Metro, a friend of one of the families reached out to Maryland Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher (D-18) to create something positive come out of the terrible circumstances. The tragedy is a profound argument in favor of properly funding the smart growth-oriented White Flint Sector Plan. … Keep reading…
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Wal-Mart, urban design, Main Street, jobs, and eye care
Wal-Mart is planning four stores in the District, in areas varying in walkability from dense New Jersey and H Streets, NW to Brightwood and East Capitol to the very auto-oriented New York Avenue. Lydia DePillis has stayed on top of one question on the minds of many who care about walkable development: could these Wal-Marts be friendly to the urban landscape, or just more “Sprawl-Mart”? Keep reading…
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Demand a better Wal-Mart on city land
Wal-Mart is coming to DC, and residents who value vibrant urban places should worry. The Arkansas-based retailer is notorious for constructing large single-story boxes surrounded by oceans of surface parking. That format is antithetical to reviving neighborhoods and activating street life. But Wal-Mart’s entry into DC doesn’t have to… Keep reading…
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Why doesn’t the Committee of 100 adore the zoning update?
The Committee of 100 has relentlessly attacked the Office of Planning’s multiyear effort to update the DC zoning code to match the current Comprehensive Plan and the needs of a 21st-century city. The strange part is that based on their stated goals, the Committee ought to actually be thrilled with the zoning rewrite. In their letter opposing Harriet Tregoning and Gabe… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Bringing Metro online
Fix escalators, and federal benefit declining; Metro joins the blogosphere; 100 vs. 539 (and counting); Falkland Chase passes Planning Board; Increase RPP fees?; Merchants decry free parking; Indy privatizes parking meters; PEA Party? Planned enough already; And…. Keep reading…
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What’s That? #37: The Answers
Just one winner this week! Congratulations to Tom H. for getting all three answers to this week’s What’s That? Keep reading…
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Tregoning, Klein do represent what residents want
The Committee of 100 sent a letter today to DC Mayor-elect Vince Gray asking him to replace Harriet Tregoning and Gabe Klein as the heads of DC’s Office of Planning and the District Department of Transportation. They claim that the two don’t listen to to public input. But the truth is that they are hearing far more public input than ever before. That public input simply… Keep reading…
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Social supports, not time limits, will reduce poverty
Marion Barry is right: generational poverty endangers communities and families. However, enforcing a time limit for welfare benefits is not the way to build strong communities or support families. Councilmembers Marion Barry (Ward 8) and Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) recently introduced a bill to limit Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (also known as TANF and hereafter… Keep reading…
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Bus improvements coming soon
Electronic displays at bus stops, more dedicated bus lanes, bus priority at traffic signals, a new express bus route, and more improvements are all on the way, according to representatives from DDOT and WMATA. At a forum last week hosted by the Coalition for Smarter Growth, DDOT Associate Director for Policy, Planning and Sustainability Karina Ricks revealed a host of exciting… Keep reading…