Posts tagged Repost
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Here’s how real estate professionals in 1948 perpetuated segregation in DC
It wasn’t that long ago that DC’s Real Estate Board told agents not to sell homes in white areas to black people. A 1948 report called Segregation in Washington put the discrimination into plain language. Keep reading…
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Here’s how the Washington & Old Dominion railroad created Northern Virginia’s suburbs
Today, the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) is a paved trail used for fun and commuting across Northern Virginia. Of course, originally the Washington & Old Dominion was a railroad — one with a long and convoluted history that helped form Dunn Loring, Reston, Herndon, Sterling, Ashburn, and other communities that still exist to this day. Keep reading…
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What if the Kennedy Center was part of downtown DC?
The Kennedy Center is a marble island cut off from downtown by highways. What if instead, it was the heart of a new urban neighborhood linking Georgetown and the National Mall? Keep reading…
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Environmentalists and development: a complex relationship in a hyperbolic election season
In election races in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, candidates are claiming they “support the environment” or “are for smart growth.” Some of those candidates also seem to be against most development while others are more supportive. It’s hard to make sense of all this. What’s the green view of growth? Keep reading…
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Tysons wants to transform into a bona-fide city. It won’t be easy.
What would you do if you were tasked with doubling the number of jobs and raising the number of residents from about 14,000 people to 100,000 in a city? Plus you need to add 113 million square feet of new construction (for reference, Tysons mall is two million square feet). And that city needs to be a bustling urban center at all hours. Keep reading…
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DC’s bicycle commuter movement was activated 51 years ago
People in Washington, DC have been biking to work, and for work, for more than a century, but the bicycle commuter movement in DC celebrates something of an anniversary this year. It was in 1969 that the District Council held the first hearing on bicycle commuting and the the District subsequently installed the first bicycle route for commuters. Keep reading…
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Advocates have pushed for a subway in DC since FDR and WWII
Between 1932, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected, and 1941, when the US entered the war, the District’s population rose by nearly 50%. This spike in population led to overloaded buses and streetcars, as well as severe automobile congestion. The city was in desparate need of transportation alternatives. Keep reading…
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Here are seven ways Montgomery County is changing
More than 50 years ago, Montgomery County created a grand vision for how it would grow, called On Wedges and Corridors. It laid out the basic structure of Montgomery County, with development clustering around the Red Line and I-270, a big network of parks and open spaces, and a large agricultural reserve beyond that. However, our county looks very different than it did back then. Keep reading…
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DC’s river tunnel is keeping billions of gallons of sewage out of the Anacostia
After years of work, the Anacostia River Tunnel is starting to see results. Since the end of construction on the massive tunnel project in March, it has already prevented billions of gallons of sewage from flowing into the Anacostia River. Keep reading…
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I said goodbye to my car a year ago. I don’t miss it.
I liked having the car, but it was far from a necessity. Here’s how I’ve gotten around without the car in the year since I watched it get taken away by a tow truck. Keep reading…