Posts tagged Urban Renewal
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These three DC neighborhoods almost became freeway-oriented suburbia
Planners in the 1950s wanted to replace large swaths of central Washington with freeways. Canceling those plans saved the city not just from the freeways themselves, but also from an equally stunning plan to demolish thousands more blocks alongside said freeways and “renew” them with a suburban landscape of strip malls, office campuses, and apartment towers. Keep reading…
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Here’s how U Street almost became strip malls and office parks
Planners in the 1950s wanted to replace large swaths of central Washington with freeways. Canceling those plans saved the city not just from the freeways themselves, but also from an equally stunning plan to demolish thousands more blocks alongside said freeways and “renew” them with a suburban landscape of strip malls, office campuses, and apartment towers. Keep reading…
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How public housing was destined to fail
While the US public housing system may have started off with the intention of providing quality homes to low income and vulnerable populations, those efforts were quickly dashed by how the program was created and managed. Keep reading…
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How public housing was destined to fail
While the US public housing system may have started off with the intention of providing quality homes to low income and vulnerable populations, those efforts were quickly dashed by how the program was created and managed. Keep reading…
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How Southwest’s Waterside Mall, Waterfront Station, and the Wharf connect with displacement fears for Greenleaf public housing residents
This is the fourth article in our series exploring Greenleaf Gardens, a public housing community in Southwest that’s slated for redevelopment. We’re now taking a look at the 21st century evolution of the area surrounding Greenleaf Gardens, as leaders attempt to fix problems that urban renewal caused and accomplish some of the concept’s earlier goals. Keep reading…
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These historic aerials show the disappearance of Southwest
HistoricAerials.com is a Google Maps-like page featuring aerial imagery from decades past. Its database includes images of Washington from several years. The earliest aerials they have of the area are from 1949. It’s a fascinating way to watch neighborhoods change decade-to-decade. Keep reading…
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Greenleaf Gardens was part of the birth of DC’s urban renewal projects
The DC Housing Authority’s current plan to raze and replace the Greenleaf Gardens public housing community with a mixed-income development is the most recent in a series of efforts over the decades to reinvent the Southwest neighborhood for a new class of residents. 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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Building of the Week: Wheat Row
This week’s Building of the Week is Wheat Row – a Southwest DC series of row houses that are the oldest structures of this type in the District. Southwest Washington DC is dominated by the legacy of mid-20th Century urban renewal projects and new developments such as the Wharf. Keep reading…
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U Street almost became strip malls and office parks — here’s how
Planners in the 1950s wanted to replace large swaths of central Washington with freeways. Canceling those plans saved the city not just from the freeways themselves, but also from an equally stunning plan to demolish thousands more blocks alongside said freeways and “renew” them with a suburban landscape of strip malls, office campuses, and apartment towers. Keep reading…