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.
-
Brunch links: Silly governments and parking
Bad economy means parking lot; Not what we mean by maximums; Smarter parker; Metro needs fixing, still safest; OK, we preserved enough?; “Tarnished my respect for the police a bit”; The Martians of PG don’t mind. Keep reading…
-
Shoveling hall of shame: Dick Durbin and NPS
Dick Durbin has joined the ranks of Congressmen who pick on DC for its inability to instantly, magically melt several feet of snow that smashed the all-time record. But Durbin might want to look a little closer to home for the source of some problems. Along Pennsylvania Avenue, for example, the worst job clearing snow came from the National Park Service, part of the federal… Keep reading…
-
Breakfast links: Good luck getting there
Help Zipcar, make a few bucks; One more on Red, Orange; What happens in a storm; Privatization is magic!; Cities, ewwww(ing); Just 1 foot left for 3-foot passing; Walkable, photographable New York. Keep reading…
-
Preservation shouldn’t stop future history at Falkland Chase
“Whenever there is a project plan that involves a historic property, designated or not, we will testify against the project,” said Mary Reardon of the Silver Spring Historical Society. It’s not surprising that an organization devoted to preserving the history of Downtown Silver Spring would fight to save historic landmarks. In the case of Falkland Chase,… Keep reading…
-
Potomac Yard Metro: “We can see the finish line”
At last Thursday’s Potomac Yard Planning Advisory Group (PYPAG) meeting, Alexandria’s Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning Jeff Farner joked that this will “probably” be the last one, which drew a few tentative chuckles from the group. The planning of Potomac Yard seems to have gone on for years if not decades. The goal for the product of over a year… Keep reading…
-
Breakfast links: MoSnow and MoCo
More snowy stuff; Forestry above and beyond; Maryland hearing bag bill; Better(-sounding) design for Falkland Chase; Lights, camera, zoning; Lots of bike parking or not that much?; Down in Atlanta. Keep reading…
-
Breakfast links: White stuff
It snowed; Fight for the fountain; Parking makes even counselors angry; Bag fee refined; Why four stations at Tysons?; Vacant or blighted?; Privatization makes street fairs costly; Tokyo molded itself well. Keep reading…
-
Breakfast links: Build more in the east
Build in Capitol Heights, not Westphalia; Preserve UMD history and add the Purple Line; Big Chair big news; Those stylish reusable bags; Sex parties are not “residential”; Ride On a little longer; Real-time Arlington. Keep reading…