Image by Peter Dovak used with permission.

Zoning laws shape the buildings that surround us, leaving some land with tall office buildings and other places with only single-family houses. The size and height of a building, where exactly it can go, and what activities can go on within it all fall under zoning laws. Few people know much about the details of zoning, so we've created Game of Zones, a fun way to learn about some of the rules that distinguish places in DC from one another.

Keeping in the spirit of March, we've used the DC's Office of Zoning's “Get to Know a Zone” feature from its fascinating Twitter feed to devise a bracket of 16 zoning districts from across the city (DC has a total of 101 zoning districts). Find out what makes each zone special, vote for your favorites, and root for your team in the comments!

Today's four matches pit zones found (at least in part) in the Northwest and Southwest quadrants of DC.

Northwest Quadrant

D-7 vs. MU-5A

Image by District of Columbia Office of Zoning used with permission.

D-7 zoning covers just a few blocks of DC. But while it lacks breadth, it more than makes up for that with skyscraping (by DC standards) building heights! It encompasses the Metro Center area and Pennsylvania Avenue from the Treasury Department to the FBI. Thanks to a special Height Act exception, some D-7 buildings are a “dizzying” 160 feet tall.

Image by District of Columbia Office of Zoning used with permission.

MU-5A zoning is what Madam's Organ, Costco, and the Fannie Mae headquarters all have in common. It covers several patches of medium-density, mixed commercial development across the District, with two being 18th Street and Columbia Road through the heart of Adams Morgan and 14th Street as it climbs out of the bowl from Florida to Columbia.

Vote for one!

RA-5 vs. ARTS

Image by District of Columbia Office of Zoning used with permission.

RA-5 zones are found mostly around Foggy Bottom and Logan Circle and is DC's highest-density residential-only zoning district. The Office of Zoning's description says “all types” of residences are allowed, since zoning typically allows all buildings smaller than the maximum size and this zone allows the biggest buildings of any residential zone.

Image by District of Columbia Office of Zoning used with permission.

The four ARTS zoning districts line 14th and U Streets east to 7th. This is the lively core of what planners call the Uptown Arts District; the zoning makes building frontages more pedestrian-friendly, limits bars and restaurants, and encourages theaters, shops, and art-related businesses.

Vote for one!

Southwest Quadrant

RA-4 vs. D-4

Image by District of Columbia Office of Zoning used with permission.

RA-4 zoning permits high-rise apartments at a medium-high density. Examples include many of the high-rises in Southwest Waterfront, the clusters of high-rise apartments lining Connecticut Avenue and 16th Street NW, and much of Fort Lincoln New Town's residences.

Image by District of Columbia Office of Zoning used with permission.

D-4 zoning includes 90' tall buildings at the edges of downtown, most of them federal offices. It covers half of the Federal Center SW area, many large court buildings around Judiciary Square, and Capitol Crossing. The area around L'Enfant Plaza was recently rezoned from D-4 to D-8 to encourage higher-density redevelopment.

Vote for one!

RA-2 vs. R-3

Image by District of Columbia Office of Zoning used with permission.

RA-2 zoning allows low-rise apartments and rowhouses subdivided into flats, generally 3-4 stories tall. Examples include Langston Terrace, the houses fronting Logan Circle, most side streets between Kalorama and Columbia Heights, the blocks around Cardozo High, Capitol Quarter and Ellen Wilson Place, and several blocks of Fairlawn.

Image by District of Columbia Office of Zoning used with permission.

R-3 zoning includes small rowhouses and semi-detached houses. You'll find R-3 across much of Petworth, Glover Park, Marshall Heights, and River Terrace, on the hillsides above Historic Anacostia, around Sheridan Circle on Embassy Row, and applied to the townhouses between Southwest Waterfront's high-rises.

Vote for one!

If you have thoughts on a specific zone and how it impacts the District, share them in the comments! And come back on Friday to vote on the Northeast and Southeast quadrants in Game of Zones!

Payton Chung, LEED AP ND, CNUa, sees the promises and perils of planning every day as a resident of the Southwest Urban Renewal Area. He first addressed a city council about smart growth in 1996, accidentally authored Chicago’s inclusionary housing law, and blogs at west north. He currently serves as treasurer of GGWash's Board of Directors.