Land Use
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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Breakfast links: Fewer trains, more cars
Longer trains on Red Line; Women’s History Museum moves forward; Scrambling in Northern Virginia; More bike lanes, not in Chevy Chase; Convention Center hotel in Shaw; Clean the Anacostia; Hooking up on P Street; Taking on Buy America. Keep reading…
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Weekend links: Change in Maryland
New Bethesda entrance; WABA offers bike valet for dueling rallies; Maryland cycling laws changing October 1; Energy for kayaking; Please forgive my distraction; Freight rail concerns stall High Speed Rail; Parking ticket and a little yoga; Sleeping in a bubble; Scaffolding beautification. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Wide shoulders
I-66 shoulders could become lanes; Connecticut Ave bad for pedestrians; GSA getting creative; From ballpark to snowball park; Planning for homeless in winter; VRE will leave you behind; DC behind in energy efficiency; Is IZ too complicated?. Keep reading…
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Streetcars are historic preservation in Georgetown
All Georgetowners want to see the historic character of Georgetown preserved. Few initiatives have the potential to impact Georgetown’s historic character as profoundly as the DC Streetcar project. Streetcars are obviously a central feature of Georgetown’s historic landscape. What may be less obvious are the benefits streetcars would… Keep reading…
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Lunch links: Food fights
The powerful vs. the food trucks; Eat more, drink less; Shaw/Bloomingdale will get a sit down restaurant; Why no bike sharing on the Mall?; Security might not always trump public access; Museum bubble takes shape; Preservation meets race in Alexandria; New New Carrollton; More car-free, less traffic. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Is the Park Service serving us?
They control the parks, but won’t tell you which; Rosslyn boathouse may happen; The savage Mall; Please help pedestrians at RI Ave; Will Mayor Gray kill Smart Growth?; Wireless streetcars from Japan; Pentagon Metro won’t be so bad; Using trees to slow traffic. Keep reading…
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Lost Washington: The “Notorious” Sterling Hotel
The Sterling Hotel, originally the Hotel Johnson, once stood on the southeast corner of 13th and E Streets, NW, a corner that now fronts on Freedom Plaza and is just north of Pennsylvania Avenue. This was never one of Washington’s great hostelries, but it was listed as one of the 30 “principal hotels” of Washington in Rand McNally’s Pictorial Guide to… Keep reading…
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Keep inclusionary zoning housing affordable
Inclusionary zoning, a new affordable housing tool in DC, has a long and successful track record in other (and adjacent) communities to create mixed income housing. However, pockets of resistance to DC’s inclusionary zoning (IZ) law remain. In a recent Washington Post Capital Business commentary, Manna, Inc., a non-profit housing developer and the D.C. Building… Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Go free
Car Free Day is today; Metro ridership up; San Francisco transit chief to WMATA?; Thinking outside the big box; Bag tax seems successful; Parking karma; O’Malley unveils light rail spending; Rent control, landlords a challenge. Keep reading…
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Breakfast links: Fewer taxes, longer names
Union Station tax break back?; More Metro station name creep; Maryland marks lowest turnout ever; Arlington County struggles with parking garage; Debating HOT Lanes; What to do with little parks; Prefab rowhouses don’t cut it; Cracking through pavement. Keep reading…