A relative lack of conversions from office to residential—the adaptive reuse model driving the housing market in many urban areas—makes the Washington, D.C. region a perfect place to study the factors that make or break an adaptive reuse proposal.
Cities around the country have spent recent years converting old office buildings into residential uses. The wave of adaptive reuse projects in some local cases could be credited with creating entirely new residential neighborhoods.
"Yet despite considerable media coverage, office conversion has been comparatively limited in greater Washington," according to Payton Chung.
Chung cites research from a 2016 report by Jones Lang LaSalle that counted only 26 conversion projects in Washington, D.C.; Montgomery County, Fairfax County, and Arlington County combined. The whole D.C. region has completed "scarcely more" office conversions than the city of Baltimore alone.
According to Chung, the reasons for D.C.'s resistance to office conversions fit into two broad categories: a relatively healthier office market and a lack of specific incentives adaptive reuse. That could be about to change, however, as "Fairfax County and Montgomery County have recently commissioned studies to investigate office building adaptive reuse." In studying the issue, a couple of useful themes have emerged that can help determine the feasibility of adaptive reuse in other contexts, namely, location, price, and layout.
Chung's article goes into a lot more detail on each of those three considerations.
FULL STORY: Not every obsolete office building is cut out to become apartments
ADU Results Fall Short of Intentions in D.C. Region
Accessory dwelling unit regulations vary but results are consistently underwhelming in the D.C. region.
Office Conversion Sees No Sign of Slowing
The adaptive reuse of office buildings for residential and other uses will grow by as much as 63 percent in 2024 over last year.
5 Office Conversions Making Waves in 2024
Adaptive reuse projects are transforming underutilized office space into mixed-use hubs of housing and commerce.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
A Troubling Trend of Backlash to Bike Lanes
Some cities are going so far as to rip out protected bike infrastructure that took years of advocacy to build.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Parks for All: LA Looks to Residents to Help Shape Park Equity and Access
Los Angeles is launching a citywide park needs assessment to gather resident input on improving its park system, addressing inequities in access, and making the case for increased funding and long-term investments.
Trump Administration Takes Aim at Transportation Research
Researchers warn of a “chilling environment” as studies examining road safety and other topics are killed off and layoffs hit federal agencies.
LA’s Trees Absorb More Carbon Than Expected, But Can’t Do It Alone
A USC study finds that Los Angeles’ urban trees absorb more carbon than expected, but while they provide crucial environmental benefits, they cannot replace the urgent need for systemic emissions reductions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Roaring Fork Transportation Authority
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research