Just outside of D.C., the Capitol Heights Metro station sits among empty parcels with brown grass and tall weeds, as the economic development that was to accompany the station never materialized. Will a proposed Wall-Mart come to the area's rescue?
Luz Lazo profiles the plight of Capitol Heights, in Prince George's County, Maryland, where "[t]he aging single-family homes and auto-repair shops just steps from the
station are signs of how little Metro has brought to the town."
With planners unable to leverage the Metro station, which opened in 1980, to catalyze development, plans to build a Wal-Mart, along with office, retail and residential space, on a 10-parcel just across the border in D.C. are raising hopes for the long-delayed boom.
"For years," says Lazo, "county and local officials have talked about such plans for
mixed-use development in Capitol Heights. None has materialized. The
area's lower income levels and its reputation as a hub for crime have made it harder to attract developers."
"'In Prince George's County, when you leave the Metro station, you go
into a parking lot, whereas in other counties, you go straight into a
shopping center,' said James Wright, a daily Metro user who lives in
nearby Seat Pleasant and is president of the Seat Pleasant Citizens
Association. 'People are kind of tired of being relegated to
second-class status in terms of economic development projects.'"
FULL STORY: In Capitol Heights, little change in spite of ‘a whole lot of planning’ around the Metro
'Transit-Oriented Communities': A New Agenda For L.A. Metro
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is implementing a new vision for "transit-oriented communities."
Too Much TOD Set to Strain D.C.'s Subway
New development is poised to add thousands of riders to D.C.'s Metro, but rush hour trains are often packed already. Though Metro has proposed $6 billion in fixes, some see better land use planning across the area as the key to solving the problem.
Dream of Suburban D.C. Light Rail a Nightmare to Local Residents
At an open house organized to update the public on plans to build a 16-mile light rail line linking spurs of D.C.'s subway system in suburban Maryland, planners' visions of smart growth where seen as a developer-driven nightmare by local residents.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
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