Recent Posts
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Parking takes up space
In March, The Straight Line showed the difference in scale between urban development and the infrastructure underlying suburban development by overlaying the I-270/I-370 interchange on top of Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle area. The amount of space we devote to moving cars is almost surreal at times. At Montrose Road, Interstate 270 is a whopping 14 lanes wide. At that… Keep reading…
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HPRB denies S Street addition
The Historic Preservation Review Board decided not to follow the Dupont Conservancy’s recommendations and will not allow the 3rd floor mansard roof at the corner of 15th and S Streets, NW. Keep reading…
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Preserve our buildings with conservation districts
DC should create a less restrictive form of historic district, in many places called a conservation district, for its historic row house neighborhoods and other areas with historic value but which aren’t interested in becoming full historic districts. Residents of neighborhoods recently considered for historic review have expressed much trepidation about the designation… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: DC’s contentious processes
Solar panels not historic; Rezoning the bear; The VA debate continues; Bike sharing stations not dense enough?; LaRecap of LaHood; Working around broken escalators; New York safety; Red card for driving. Keep reading…
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Should urbanists be nervous about Vince Gray? Part 2: Getting things done
One thing that’s evident from talking to Chairman Gray is that he’s one of the smartest people in the room. He really knows most areas of DC policy inside and out. For me, who thinks about policy a lot, that’s a big plus. But would Gray also get things done? That’s a question on my and many other people’s minds. After speaking with Gray and his campaign… Keep reading…
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LaHood, Black, Fox and Alpert, live from Las Vegas
At 1:30 (10:30 Pacific), I’m moderating a panel at Netroots Nation with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, blogger Duncan Black (“Atrios”), and Radhika Fox of PolicyLink. Keep reading…
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7000 series designs sacrifice capacity for vague safety
The team working on the 7000 series, the next generation of Metrorail railcars, has chosen to keep the current “transverse” seating instead of switching to a “longitudinal” arrangement based on unquantifiable safety benefits. In doing so, they’ve given up the opportunity to substantially increase Metro’s capacity as overcrowding gets… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Keeping it moving
Metro’s misfortunes; Blue Bus becomes Circulator 9/1; Bus stop consolidation very tough politically; BRAC imminent; Security sprawl; Washington Monument competition too modern?; Repeat after me. Keep reading…
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Historic committee favors addition atop historic rowhouse
Additional floors on top of historic rowhouses, sometimes called “pop-ups,” are one of the most reviled modifications outside historic districts. And for good reason: they’re typically ugly, cheap, and stick out like sore thumbs not just for their height but for the use of materials totally incompatible with the old houses. Meanwhile, local historic… Keep reading…