Land Use
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Photo by jennifer yin licensed under Creative Commons
Greater Greater Washington writes about where we live, work, and play, why we make the location choices we do, and what forces shape these places.
Many people would like to live in safe, diverse, walkable neighborhoods with access to transit, stores, parks, good schools, and other amenities. While our region has more walkable urban places than most, the demand still exceeds available housing, making these places more expensive (and prices keep rising rapidly).
We must ensure that there are enough housing choices so everyone who wants to live in such a neighborhood can choose to do so. We should ensure that housing in desirable areas is available to people at many points along the income spectrum, and take action to fight segregation. And we can improve the vitality of all neighborhoods by encouraging new retail and amenities to improve the quality of life for all residents.
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DC’s parks are 5th best in the nation, says “Park Score”
DC is 4th on Transit Score, 6th on Bike Score (and 4th to Bicycling Magazine), 7th on Walk Score, 6th worst in traffic, and 2nd in tech job growth. The parks folks have decided to get into the headline-grabbing rankings business (successfully) with a new “Park Score,” and DC comes in 5th. The Trust for Public Land ranked the 40 largest US cities on 5 metrics: the… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: On the cheap
Yes, non-BRT is cheaper than decent BRT; Concrete not good enough; Hine shrinks; Food trucks a problem in Rosslyn?; Clang, clang, clang; School to townhouses; Rowhouses to retail; Not enough money for water; MoCo gets a little safer; Who are the worst drivers?. Keep reading…
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Amid scandal, don’t lose sight of Gray’s policy achievements
The charges filed yesterday against Vincent Gray’s former assistant campaign treasurer will surely reinforce the image in many voters’ minds of a scandal-plagued mayor who has accomplished nothing for the District. The scandals may be real, but his administration has also racked up some important achievements across the government. Instead of halting progress… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Guilty
Charges in Gray investigation; Barry’s improbable Monday; Where the murders were; Keep your balance, CaBi; 4th best bike city; Not loving the car; Fort Walkable; The cul-de-sac tower; Quality beats quantity in transit; And…. Keep reading…
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The other Schneider: Q Street builder’s murderous brother
No discussion or debate about DC’s Height Act is complete without mention of T.F. Schneider’s Cairo Apartment Building on Q Street NW. The 1894 construction of the gorgeous building was the catalyst for the building height restrictions we know and love today. It is fortuitous for Schneider that the building caused such an impression. He’s lucky that… Keep reading…
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Preservationists ask to shrink 3rd Church replacement
Historic preservation staff want to remove 2 floors from the proposed building that will replace the Brutalist Third Church of Christ, Scientist and the Christian Science Monitor building at 16th and I in downtown DC. Responding to pressure from preservation groups and the Historic Preservation Office (HPO), the owners shrank down their original proposal to one with very… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Download it
WiFi to VRE?; Ride On API on; Times are a changin’; Strip to mixed; Bollards unhelpful; Purple Line needs gas; Bike LA; And…. Keep reading…
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Weekend links: Bike on
Many biked to work; Mixing cars created problem?; Divorce case increases marriage; Tech jobs growing; What billions buys; Pay camera tickets; Pop under in Dupont; Studies say; Parking’s blight; And…. Keep reading…
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Planners are the new public health officials
Research has linked the growing obesity epidemic to inactivity caused by poor land-use and transportation choices. Transportation and planning professionals are now joining the ranks of public health professionals to find solutions. Across the region, local officials are taking this to heart. Obesity is a serious problem in the US. When planners shape… Keep reading…
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Live chat: Matt Yglesias, Wednesday at noon
Are the very policies intended to sustain neighborhoods and preserve affordable housing paradoxically the same ones pushing rents up and families out to the suburbs? That’s case Slate Moneybox economics writer Matt Yglesias makes in his e-book, The Rent is Too Damn High. On Wednesday at noon, Matt will join us to discuss the book and we hope you’ll help us get things… Keep reading…