Posts tagged Dc
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The NoMa BID wrote an open letter about homeless encampments. What do you think of it?
On Wednesday, August 21 the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) released an open letter expressing frustration about underpass encampments in the area. People walking or otherwise traveling from east to west sides of the neighborhood have to go under these underpasses. They’re a common spot for people experiencing homelessness to sleep and camp. Keep reading…
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DC is hosting its first Open Streets event this fall. What’s Open Streets?
Mayor Murial Bowser recently announced that a three-mile section of Georgia Avenue will be closed to automobile traffic for several hours in October for the District’s inaugural Open Streets event. Open Streets is a worldwide program that temporarily pedestrianizes streets. Keep reading…
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GGWash sandbox: Widen the 15th Street bikeway?
15th Street is DC’s first protected bikeway, and it gets heavy use. It may be time to widen it to four lanes, two in each direction, for bikes, e-bikes, scooters, and more. Keep reading…
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Ward 2 council candidates respond to Jack Evans’ bullying WMATA officials
News broke from the Washington Post last week that Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans threatened WMATA officials in order to hide the results of their investigation into his ethics violations. This comes after previous revelations that Evans leveraged his political positions to gain personal consulting gigs. Keep reading…
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Why “paving” is the greenest option for the Palisades Trolley Trail
The Palisades Trolley Trail runs along the Potomac River from the Palisades neighborhood to Georgetown. The only issue? Right now it’s not much of a trail at all. The former Glen Echo Trolley line corridor is overgrown and few people use it, so DC is looking at various options to revitalize it. Keep reading…
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These ‘magic school buses’ give kids safe, fun, and healthy walking routes to class
It’s back to school time for kids across the Washington region, and some families are already puzzling over the first practical exercise: How to get them there. A “walking schoolbus” could be the solution: It gets several kids to walk to school together, escorted by one or more adults. All it takes is a little organization, a route people can follow, and showing up. Keep reading…
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Events: Try your hand at sketching to better connect with your city
Are you looking for a new way to connect with your built environment? The place-shaping professionals behind “Sketching The District” are holding a special sketching tour on Wednesday, September 18, for the GGWash community. This urbanism-themed sketching meet-up will focus on DC’s NoMa neigbhorhood. We welcome all skill levels to join in this unique activity. Keep reading…
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In the 1970s, the National Mall was a literal parking lot
These photos from the 1970s show block after block of parking, inside the National Mall. Keep reading…
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Jack Evans threatened Metro officials to keep his corruption secret, and two board members helped him
DC Councilmember Jack Evans (ward 2) not only allegedly tried to help companies paying him as a lobbyist while chair of the WMATA board, but threatened two top WMATA staff members to try to keep it quiet, according to a bombshell revelation from Robert McCartney in the Washington Post. Keep reading…
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Have you ever wondered why this federal building is missing a corner?
The Department of Agriculture South Building an archetypal federal building: big, beige, and boxy. But it’s missing a corner. Why? The L’Enfant Plan and a street that no longer exists. Keep reading…
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11 sports venues you can get to on transit
Nothing brings together a city much like its sports teams, and DC is fortunate to be represented by all five major sports leagues as well as lesser known leagues and a wealth of college teams. Happily for those of us who don’t drive, most of them are pretty accessible by transit, too. Keep reading…
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These new development rules are made for walking
Construction and fire codes ensure that a new building won’t be the seed of a 19th-century-style urban conflagration. Inclusionary zoning ensures that at least some space will be set aside for economically-excluded residents. And now, a new suite of requirements will ensure that new buildings improve the walkability of the neighborhoods that surround them. Keep reading…
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Meet the five challengers to Ward 2 councilmember Jack Evans
The 2020 race for the Ward 2 council seat has kicked off in earnest: The first campaign filing deadline was July 7, and all five challengers—John Fanning, Jordan Grossman, Patrick Kennedy, Daniel Hernandez, and Kishan Putta—are officially in the race. Keep reading…
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Ellen Jones will be DDOT’s new Chief Project Delivery Officer
When Sam Zimbabwe left to head Seattle’s Department of Transportation, he left some big shoes to fill. That position will now go to Ellen Jones, who is currently Deputy Executive Director of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District and previously headed up the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. Keep reading…
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As climate change intensifies, how can the region adapt to extreme heat?
How will the Washington region be affected by extreme heat as the planet continues to heat up, and how can we adapt? That’s the topic national and local experts discussed in an event held jointly by the Urban Land Institute and Greater Greater Washington on Thursday, August 8. Keep reading…
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Grassroots groups and growers east of the Anacostia defy the ‘food desert’ label
There’s been a lot of discussion about the lack of grocery stores in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River in DC in the past few years. But it hasn’t always been this way, and there are a lot of people working to ensure their neighborhoods have access to high-quality, affordable food again. Keep reading…
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Send our kids back to school with a safer K Street NE
DC traffic engineers say that a K Street NE safety project, which eliminates a rush hour driving lane and adds curb extensions and bicycle lanes, will be complete just in time for the start of the school year. Kids, parents, and other neighbors will be able to bike more safely on K Street, breathe cleaner air, and cross the street without fearing for their lives. Keep reading…
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Events: Learn how to advocate for better planning policy on Capitol Hill
Activate your advocacy by attending the American Plannning Association’s (APA) 2019 Policy and Advocacy Conference on September 23–25 in Washington, DC. You’ll come away with knowledge and tools to equip you to influence federal and state planning policy.
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See the difference density makes in these two parts of the District
Ward 3 and Ward 6 both include some of the most highly-valued residential neighborhoods in the District. Both are predominately composed of single-family homes, as shown in the maps above, yet the look and feel of each ward is strikingly different. Keep reading…
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How can dockless scooters make transportation more equitable in DC?
Over the past year or so dockless bicycles and scooters have cropped up all over the District, though they tend to concentrate downtown. How could these “micromobility” services make it easier for residents to get around in historically underinvested areas? One company has some ideas. Keep reading…