The discussion on Friday’s post about the West End has been very interesting. One major theme jumped out of many comments: the West End has no community because it has no families, and it has no families because it’s all tall buildings and small condos. Is that true?

Let’s put aside the debate about whether the neighborhood should comprise tall buildings. That’s a settled question: it does. It’s also a good idea: clearly, based on high prices for condos in the West End, there is significant demand for condos in a dense area, and DC should satisfy that demand just as it should also satisfy demand for townhouses. We’ve long ago made a policy decision that the West End will be a high density neighborhood; its proximity to downtown makes it an ideal place for it.

But does that have to mean no community, a place where “there’s no there there”? What’s different about the West End compared to other areas? We can turn around the argument from the comments into two questions: Can we have community without families? And can we make a West End families want to live in?

Community without families

Gay neighborhoods have few families, yet usually have a strong sense of community. Still, Dupont had some families even in the days when it was not as nice a neighborhood as now. Would Dupont have had as much community without the families?

Still, the West End is not as much a gay neighborhood. Can we have community if the residents are mostly young singles and couples? Adams Morgan has a large number of single younger people as well. So does the Penn Quarter. Do they have a good sense of community? Or is the community there mostly a result of the more established and older residents?

I think it’s clear that families contribute to a sense of community and young, transient residents weave less community fabric per person than those who have put down roots, whether they are families or not. The built environment also contributes to the lack of community in the West End by lacking a retail corridor or good public spaces.

The neighborhood vision document suggests making Washington Circle into more of a community space, as Dupont Circle is or even Logan Circle. The library could also provide such a function, especially if its design thinks more broadly than just about books.

Families in the West End

Certainly there are places with many families and tall buildings. For example, Manhattan. However, DC is very different, and families have many nearby alternative places to live where they can get more space for less money.

Schools are certainly part of the equation. Why live in the West End in an expensive, smaller condo when the schools aren’t good? At least on the Upper West Side there is decent public education. But New York families can go to the suburbs too, where the schools are often better, and many don’t.

To create an environment appealing to at least some families, we need the kinds of amenities that are attractive to families. A library is certainly one, as are good parks to play in with the kids. What else?

It’d also help to have larger condos suitable for families, with two or three bedrooms and separate living and dining rooms. The market isn’t providing that right now. Is it worth regulating condo size to some extent?

Right now, though, good public spaces clearly would help the neighborhood sense of community. Families would like them, and so would young people; they would build community among existing residents and attract new ones who are interested in staying longer. Good public spaces are good for everyone.

What do you think? Can the West End have families and tall buildings at the same time? Can it have community without families? Would a good library help? A better Washington Circle? Or something else?

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.