Opinion Posts
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Can Virginia revamp its public transit systems? A new study may offer answers.
Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transportation is leading a new multi-year study to look at the state’s public transit systems with an eye towards making greater investments in fast, frequent, and affordable public transportation. Keep reading…
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Not tickled by TikTok? Try these urbanist entries
Learn about density, pedestrian safety, environmental racism and more with these urbanist TikToks. Keep reading…
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How can DC preserve history that’s more than a building?
DC’s historic preservation system is well set up to preserve historic buildings and properties, but ill prepared to formally recognize other types of history. A simple reform could go a long way to resolve that. Keep reading…
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Montgomery County budgets for bus improvements and continued free fares
Montgomery County’s bus system was hit hard by the pandemic, but next year’s budget offers some hope for getting back to normal and moving beyond it. Keep reading…
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DC residents create “Sidewalk Palooza” for pedestrian safety
A group of Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners and community leaders are hosting a series of pedestrian safety walks dubbed Sidewalk Palooza to draw attention to discrepancies in the District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) scheduled response times for potholes versus broken sidewalks and similar pedestrian needs. Keep reading…
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How one house explains zoning in Montgomery County
The history of Montgomery County zoning can be told in one house. The story starts in the 1930s, a few years after Montgomery County adopted its first zoning ordinance. A developer named George Sacks began to build on a large tract of land he owned just south of downtown Bethesda. Keep reading…
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On being Asian American in public spaces (and everywhere else)
Racist microaggressions happen to people every day, but GGWash’s Board Chair Tracy Hadden Loh reflects on how a particular incident forced her to connect the dots of her past with the long legacy of racism towards Asian Americans in the region and beyond. Keep reading…
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An “anti-NIMBY” bill will soon be law in Virginia. Will it have an impact on affordable housing?
In less than six weeks, Virginia will become just the third state in the nation to officially go on the books as saying no to NIMBYs. Keep reading…
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37,000 Ward 7 residents could benefit from the streetcar extension
In the summer of 2020, several councilmembers led an effort to defund the streetcar extension to the Benning Road Metro Station in Ward 7. In doing so, they made several statements on the record about the project and Ward 7. Many of them centering around who would benefit from a streetcar extension, and how. Michael Havlin argues that there thousands of residents who could benefit from the project and developers who want in on the action. Keep reading…
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Four Black men developed a Montgomery County suburb to provide a better life for some in their community. They received something very different in return.
In 1906, four African American men attempted to develop an elite suburb for African Americans along Wisconsin Avenue between Chevy Chase and Friendship Heights, Maryland. Despite facing intense hostility from adjacent white landowners, at least 28 people bought lots. However, their vision was ultimately undone using subtler methods, showing how nominally race-blind tools can serve racist ends. Keep reading…