Posts about Development
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As DC has grown, so has its racial prosperity gap
DC’s economy has grown substantially since the Great Recession, but the number of residents below the poverty line is actually higher than it was in 2007, and people of color aren’t making more money. That’s according to US Census Bureau data that came out last week. Keep reading…
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Zoning: The hidden trillion dollar tax
Zoning in cities like DC is starting to get expensive. Maybe trillions of dollars too expensive. Economists Enrico Moretti and Chang-Tai Hsieh find that if we lowered restrictions that keep people from building new housing in just three cities (New York, San Jose, and San Francisco) to the level of the median American city, US GDP would have been 9.7% higher in 2009— about… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Life’s a Beach
Bye bye Beach Drive; Still oppose SunTrust; The state of the commute; Making the rent less damn high; Salary history a thing of the past; A new shape for Fairfax; It’s Car-Free Day; Test the waters; And…. Keep reading…
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When the Metro first arrived in Shaw and Columbia Heights, they were far different than they are today
During rush hour, northbound Yellow Line trains need to reverse direction at Mount Vernon Square because there isn’t enough capacity for all of them to run to Greenbelt. That’s because when Metro designed the Yellow Line, it was hard to imagine neighborhoods like Shaw and U Street developing as rapidly as they did. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Too much security for Cemetery?
Monumental security enhancements; Late fee limits for renters; Fix270Now; An ominous extension; Turncloak on tax breaks; Crystal clear urban plans; A deadline for Anacostia restaurant; And…. Keep reading…
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This graph shows which parts of our region are walkable, affordable, and equitable
The Washington region is blessed with many walkable places. But with more and more people hoping to live and work in them, some are more affordable and accessible to a wide variety of people than others. A nifty analysis from GWU looks at which walkable areas in the region are the most affordable and equitable over a wide variety of factors. Keep reading…
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How can we know if DC is building enough housing?
DC could reach almost a million people in 30 years. What does that mean for the amount of housing DC needs? Or the amount you might pay to rent or buy a place to live? Current population forecasts still don’t answer a few key questions that have to be answered to plan for the future. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: The hunt for affordable housing solutions
Streetcar daily and more frequent; White is the new Orange; When the train stops talking; Poverty grows in DC; Keep that suburban vibe?; Pricey fix for Potomac sewage; Homeless camps kicked out; September surge; DC history on display; And…; $100M for affordable housing; The affordability struggle is real; Old condo problems; What’s in a neighborhood’s name?; Fewer red-light fatalities; NIH will still call Bethesda home; Changes for Confederate symbols; MoCo’s liquor showdown. Keep reading…
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National links: Ancient ruins that nobody visits
There are ancient ruins in the United States but people don’t treat them as tourist destinations like they do ones in other countries. Also, not everyone gets to weigh in on how their city is planned, and Ford Motor Company is trying out a different transportation strategy. Check out what’s going on in the world of housing, transportation, and cities around the globe. Keep reading…
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DC’s TOPA law lets tenants buy their buildings before anyone else can, but it also helps renters stay put
DC has a law that lets tenants buy their building if their landlord wants to sell it. Under the law, the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA), tenants can work out a deal directly with their landlord, or more commonly, they can refuse a contracted sale the landlord arranges with a third party and purchase the building instead for the same price. Although TOPA is a right… Keep reading…