Posts tagged Race
-
Historic housing policies segregated DC and hurt black residents. How do we do better now?
The District has a history of inequitable land use and housing policies that have resulted patterns of segregation that persist to this day. As the District seeks to update its Comprehensive Plan, a planning document which lays out how the city will develop in the years to come, it seeks to address these wrongs. Keep reading…
-
US cities were segregated by design. This video shows how we’re still affected.
Generations of housing segregation in the United States has had lasting effects on social issues such as crime, education, achievement, and the environment. Many of the factors that led to the segregated housing situation in America and its subsequent wealth gaps stemmed from policies, often at the federal level, enacted to keep white Americans away from people of color, particularly African Americans. Keep reading…
-
Gentrification is beneficial on average, studies say. That doesn’t mean it’s not painful for some.
Newly-released research found that gentrification produces mostly positive effects for original lower-income residents, but that doesn’t mean there are no losers. Rather, neighborhood change is far more complex than the typical narratives let on, and there are a lot of ways to decipher and judge its effects on individuals. Keep reading…
-
Trump may be more overtly racist, but Maryland politicians have s*** on Baltimore, too
Anyone with a moral center is rightly outraged by recent tweets from President Donald Trump, where he referred to the Baltimore-area district of Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) as “a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” Let’s not forget, though, that there are other poilticians who affirmatively make it harder for Baltimore to rise out of its current problems. Keep reading…
-
Sex workers struggle to find housing in DC. A bill to decriminalize their job can help.
Sex workers face stigma, legal penalties, and police violence in the District, and one of the impacts is that many have trouble finding a place to live. That’s one of the reasons why a coalition of DC sex workers and supporters are pushing a bill to reduce criminal penalties for consensually exchanging sex for money. Keep reading…
-
The Post published an anti-accessory apartment letter with racist & classist claims
On Sunday, June 16, the Washington Post published a letter to the editor from Gaithersburg resident Katherine Gugulis that is riddled with racist and classist assertions. Gugulis was protesting the county’s proposed plan to loosen restrictions on building accessory apartments (also known as Accessory Dwelling Units, Auxiliary Dwelling Units, or ADUs). Keep reading…
-
A former ANC commissioner is fighting bus shelters in Georgetown
A former ANC commissioner is attempting to wage a war against the installation of a bus shelter in Georgetown. Grace Bateman, who served as Chair of the commission in the early 90s, is attempting to thwart the installation of a new bus shelter on 35th Street, across from Dent Place. Keep reading…
-
Why we’re going to keep writing about racial and gender equity even if some commenters really hate it
When we write about race, gender, and similar issues on GGWash, we often get more irate comments than the typical article, even a controversial one. I'd like to say a few things about that based on one highlight of the 2018 YIMBYtown conference in Boston last year, a workshop on inclusion by Angela Park. Keep reading…
-
Urbanist Villain of the Week: The Shay resident who killed go-go music in Shaw
A MetroPCS store at 7th Street and Florida Avenue NW in DC has been playing go-go music on outdoor speakers since 1995. Now, it's stopped after a resident of a new, fancy apartment building complained. Keep reading…
-
City planners need to talk about race. The lives of our residents depend on it.
Historic discriminatory urban design practices, such as redlining and restrictive zoning, continue to degrade the health of communities of color. In order to build more equitable communities, planners must better understand and acknowledge this legacy of discrimination—and actively work to undo its persisting effects. Keep reading…