District of Columbia
NYT Editorial Blasts House Transportation Bill
Calling it "uniquely terrible", the Times questions whether it will even survive a full floor vote in the House. The editorial lists three major problems with the bill, but notes there are many more.
New DC Zoning Code Goes Back to the Future
David Alpert provides a thorough analysis of the first third of Washington D.C.'s proposed new zoning code, and finds a return to kind of development patterns that formed the neighborhoods residents treasure today.
Successful DC Bikeshare Program Heading for the Suburbs
The runaway success of Washington D.C.'s bikeshare program, in less than two years of operation, has it poised to expand to the city's suburbs this year.
Return of Streetcars to D.C. Brings Nostalgia
Fifty years after they last plied its streets, Washington D.C. awaits the return of the city's streetcars in 2013 with nostalgia and hope.
The Future of Development in D.C.
Steven Pearlstein reads the tea leaves to predict the future development patterns in Washington, D.C. and finds that all signs point inwards to the city center and its closer-in suburbs.
Does Gentrification Need to be a Bad Word?
Gentrification has come to signify wealthier residents pushing lower-income residents out of a community, but gentrification also has some "undeniable upsides". Ward 8 in Washington D.C. offers a glimpse into how gentrification can aid a community.
D.C. is Tops in High-Earners and Highly Educated
Is it the presence of the federal government? Is it the smart people? And which came first? Derek Thompson dissects D.C., the nation's fastest growing, richest, and best-educated city.
Washington Navy Yard Projects Getting Dusted Off
Developers who held out through the recession are finally getting back to moving their projects for the Washington, DC Navy Yard. Jonathan O'Connell reports.
Congressional Transportation Committee Debates CA High Speed Rail
The stage moved to D.C. from Sacramento for the latest debate on the pros and cons of California's embattled HSR plan. The more vocal detractors from the Central Valley and Peninsula testified before the few members of the committee who attended.
Columbia Pike Streetcar is the Better Design
According to Miles Grant, "the streetcar is a relative bargain purely on the basis of direct cost per estimated user, not even including the external costs of sprawl and pollution that new and improved highways engender."
Washington DC Imagines Itself Without Transit
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is celebrating its 35th anniversary and is finding ways to ascertain exactly what the agency has brought to the region.
Rising Prices All Too Familar in D.C.
In Washington D.C., Michael Perkins explains that starting next July, Metro would be at a deficit of $120 million. They have come up with several ideas to raise a portion of that money through fares.
ASLA Seeks A More Sustainable D.C.
For Washington D.C., ASLA polled members to develop a new "comprehensive framework" connecting sustainability with economic development.
Occupy D.C.'s Urban Design Model
Evelio Contreras and Philip Kennicott film the Occupy movement transforming MacPherson Square into an urban hub, in one of Washington's central nodal points.
Landlords and Regulators Aren't Equipped to Handle Temporary Uses
Even a real estate market as strong as Washington, DC has vacant land and storefronts. Regulatory burdens and business customs make finding temporary tenants difficult, even though temporary uses can enliven dead spaces and spark entrepreneurship.
Mass Transit Projects' High Cost Give Minimal Results
Factors such as age, labor costs, real estate, and construction all factor into why cities are paying more money for transit projects, but are still getting less on their return, writes David Lepeska for The Atlantic Cities.
Redevelopment Along The Waterfront
In Washington, D.C., a huge parking lot that parallels the southwest waterfront is slowly being transformed into a 4.2-acre park. Developers and architects are "turning community input into actual park concepts and designs," said to The Dirt.
Union Station Undergoes A Facelift
Union Station in Washington, D.C. has "about 29 million people" pass through the station each year. An 18-month reconstruction project is in the works to improve walkability and safety for the massive number of visitors.
D.C. Programs Hope To Revitalize A Dying Waterway
Pollution has caused the Anacostia River to suffer, writes Ryan Donahue, and efforts to revitalize the area were put on hold just as the recession began. Since then, the District has implemented programs to help restore this neglected area.
DC Planning Office Seeks To Restrict Georgetown Enrollment
Washington DC's office of planning will begin restricting Georgetown's enrollment if the university does not manage to provide housing for 100% of its undergraduates by 2016.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
