Photo by afagen on Flickr.

There’s one week to go until Thanksgiving, and Greater Washington has some exciting events to pass the time:

Evaluating the Significance of Modern Structures: The DCPL is sponsoring a panel discussion tonight about modern buildings. I’ll be there. I’m hoping that when they say “evaluating the significance” they really mean “evaluating whether something is significant” instead of just “convincing people of the significance”. Some modern structures are significant; others are not. Appropriately, the event takes place in one of my favorite modern buildings, the Pan American Health Organization at 525 23rd St, NW (at E Street). 6:30-8, $20.

Poplar Point Planning Powwow: Also tonight is a community meeting to discuss the Small Area Plan for Poplar Point. And Now, Anacostia strongly urges you to provide feedback for “the largest development in the city’s history” (since it was first developed, of course). 6-9 at Birney Elementary School, 2501 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, SE.

Walk for Charlie’s Place: Dupont Circle homeless services organization Charlie’s Place desperately needs walkers for its Saturday walkathon. It’s just

55 35 walkers short of qualifying for a big Fannie Mae grant. Marc Fisher writes today about the huge savings DC realized in emergency room visits from moving homeless people into their own housing. But that program’s expansion met the sharp end of the Council’s budget axe, making other homeless services all the more important. You can even walk for free and the Dupont Circle Citizens’ Association will sponsor you, to get Charlie’s Place to the 55 35 it needs.

One more Purple Line hearing: The last of the four is Saturday, at the Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, Falcon Hall, 7600 Takoma Avenue. Open house 12:30, hearing 1:00.

Rapidly learn about rapid buses: Get home rapidly after Thanksgiving and come to the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s rapid bus forum on Monday, December 1. The event will feature WMATA General Manager John Catoe, Maryland State Highway Administrator Neil Pedersen, and WMATA Chairman Chris Zimmerman of Arlington. They’ll talk about WMATA’s Priority Bus plan and try to get Pedersen to commit to signal priority and dedicated lanes for express buses. 6-8 pm, RSVP required.