Fearful City

A hodge podge of security installations and congestion from street closures, are damaging the local economic and moral health of the nation's capitol.

1 minute read

November 21, 2001, 8:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"The number of visitors to Washington, D.C. has dropped off considerably since the terrorist attacks, but those who do come to the Nation's Capital are met by closed streets and a jumble of temporary security measures. The need for safety measures is evident, but there are ways to mitigate the impact. The National Capital Planning Commission released a report proposing that "security measures in the monumental core of the city be drawn from a common vocabulary of security-enhancing benches, planters, bollards and other barriers. Besides making the city look less under siege, such coordination could actually make it safe....The meticulous planning that made Washington a graceful capital ought not to be undone by an onslaught of unplanned security measures."

Thanks to Marybeth Murphy

Architecture District of Columbia

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