Recent Posts
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What’s That? #24: The answers
Congratulations to Max D., Justin Storch, Teo, Dustin, Brendan, Adam F., F. Sheehan and Tim Westrich for getting all three answers to last week’s What’s That? Keep reading…
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Loudoun blindly pushing massive, senseless road widenings
Loudoun County is pushing a plan to widen huge numbers of roads across the county, but residents are fighting back. The plan is something right out of Robert Moses’ 1950s designs: Draw bigger and wider roads everywhere, at even spacing, and design completely around the needs of cars to the exclusion of people. My grandparents used to live in South Florida (like so many… Keep reading…
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How many barriers is too many?
The concrete planters around the Hirshhorn Museum helped slow a wayward truck that crashed into the museum last week. This crash was not a deliberate attempt to attack the building. It was a totally freak incident which had never happened before. Although this will probably spur efforts to increase the security measures around the building, it really should be… Keep reading…
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Live chat with Larry Beasley on DC’s height limit
Larry Beasley led the transformation of Vancouver into a walkable, vibrant city in large part through high-rise condos. Should DC relax its height limit and follow Vancouver’s path, or is the best way for DC a different one? Keep reading…
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Vancouver’s Beasley: Tinker with height limit very carefully
Last night, Vancouver planner Larry Beasley praised tall buildings, but also praised Washington’s lack of them. He argued it could benefit DC to allow height in narrowly circumscribed areas outside downtown, but cautioned DC to be very mindful of the consequent risk. Tall buildings transformed Vancouver into a world-class city, attracting tourists, knowledge workers… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Running to hit
Ehrlich would kill Purple, Red lines; Bam; Damn kids!; Red Line passenger expires; $40 million bus stop?; Francoise car-rier?; Stuff getting built with DC public money. Keep reading…
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Afternoon links: Assault and speeding
Assault a bicyclist, get caught; More bicycling = less obesity; Parking to parklet; Ambulance calming?; Don’t be insecure: speed!; Robocars use less pavement; PPPs not practically perfect plans. Keep reading…
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Is the federal transit benefit actually bad?
The federal government should discontinue the transit benefit. Now that I have your attention, hear me out. Federal employees in the national capital region get direct transportation up to $230 per month, which they can use to pay for transit or vanpool service. To qualify for the benefit, they have to give up parking privileges. While this policy encourages transit… Keep reading…
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Rhode Island Station will activate Metro entrance
Rhode Island Station will begin filling a major hole in the District’s urban fabric by turning the surface parking lot at Rhode Island Avenue Metro into a mixed-use project. However, the project also misses several key opportunities at the edges. With the assistance of $7 million in city funds, the project will build 274 apartments and 70,000 square feet of retail on… Keep reading…
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Soda tax would boost public health
Proposals to tax soda are looking likely to fail in Pennsylvania and New York. Will one pass in DC? Mary Cheh’s DC Healthy Schools Act proposes a tax of 1 cent per fluid ounce of sugary soft drinks. A 1 cent tax would add about $1.44 to the cost of a 12 pack of soda. Such a tax would generate about $16 million annual and provide the $6 million Cheh needs to implement school programs… Keep reading…