District of Columbia

Sharing Transit Costs Produces Shared Benefits in D.C.'s NoMa Neighborhood

Jay Corbalis profiles NoMa (short for “North of Massachusetts Avenue”), Washington D.C.'s fastest growing neighborhood, where a building boom has been propelled by an innovative transit funding partnership between the public and private sectors.

June 4, 2013 - Smart Growth America

Trend Watch: Swapping Gasoline Excise Taxes for Wholesale Sales Taxes

The D.C. Council is going the way of neighbors Virginia and Maryland by approving new wholesale sales taxes on gasoline and diesel. In it's budget approved on May 22, the council swapped the current 23.5-cent excise tax for a new 8.3% fuel tax.

May 30, 2013 - The Washington Post - D.C. Politics

To Pop or Not? Hirshhorn 'Bubble' Puts Museum at a Crossroads

Designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro, the Hirshhorn "Bubble" would cost $12.5 million and operate two months out of the year, creating performance and additional gallery space for the museum on the National Mall. If it actually gets built, that is.

May 25, 2013 - New York Times

The Ups and Downs of the Bike Sharing Economy

What makes Capital Bikeshare, the largest such program in the U.S. with nearly 2000 bikes, a success? What are its shortcomings? Mohana Ravindranath investigates.

May 22, 2013 - The Washington Post

Discussion on Increasing D.C. Height Limits Becomes One-Sided Debate

A public presentation by the D.C. Office of Planning on the potential for amending the city's controversial height limits revealed residents' many concerns, and little support, for the Congressionally mandated review.

May 16, 2013 - Washington City Paper

D.C. Suburbs Squeezed by Federal Budget Cuts

After a decade of phenomenal growth driven by security and stimulus spending, recent cuts to the federal government's budget are being felt throughout D.C. As office vacancies fall nationwide, they're rising in the Washington area.

May 15, 2013 - The Wall Street Journal

In Battle for Disposable Income, Dining Out Devours the Competition

For Americans under 34, the amount of money spent dining out has increased by more than 20% over the last decade; as the recording industry has been in a tailspin. In the battle to earn urbanites' dollars, food purveyors are the new rock stars.

May 14, 2013 - The Washington Post

In D.C., Nearby Projects Reveal Advantages of Effective Outreach

The divergent routes to approvals for two apartment complex developments just a mile apart show how important it is to engage both government and the surrounding community early in the process.

May 1, 2013 - The Washington Post

Gas Stations Get Guzzled as D.C.'s Suburbs Densify

Reflecting a nationwide trend, gas stations across the Washington D.C. metro area are disappearing, as rising land values and shrinking margins have station owners eager to sell.

April 29, 2013 - The Washington Post

To Discern D.C.'s Haves and Have-Nots, Look to the Trees

In Washington D.C., double the amount of residents in affluent areas live among plentiful green spaces. Lessening the disparity will require the cooperation of private property owners, not all of whom see more trees as a good thing.

April 29, 2013 - The Washington Post

Competition Yields Radically Different Visions for Prime D.C. Site

The General Services Administration, which is looking for ways to fund a new FBI campus, has more ideas at its fingertips with three tantalizing proposals for redeveloping the Hoover Building in downtown Washington, D.C., writes Jonathan O'Connell.

April 24, 2013 - The Washington Post

Maryland Suburb Fights Sidewalks

The DC metropolitan area has a largely suburban character inherited from an era when cars were the only conceivable form of transportation. Efforts to expand sidewalk infrastructure are meeting resistance, especially in University Hill.

April 18, 2013 - Washington Post

Hoping to Land Public Housing in D.C.? Be Ready to Wait 39 Years

On Friday, the D.C. Housing Authority mercifully closed its insultingly long public housing waiting list. With the average rent at $1,759/month for a one-bedroom apartment, the need for affordable housing in the city is tremendous.

April 14, 2013 - The Washington Post

D.C. Subway Makeover Plans Court Controversy

For the first time since the system was opened in 1976, Washington D.C.'s iconic subway stations are getting a substantial redesign. Preservationists and historians are questioning the appropriateness of the changes.

April 12, 2013 - The Washington Post

Transformation of D.C. Area Commute On Track for This Year

With construction of the D.C. subway system's newest extension 90 percent complete, the Silver Line is set to transform the region's transportation patterns, and Northern Virginia's in particular.

April 8, 2013 - The Washington Post

D.C.'s Displacement Woes Spread to the Suburbs

D.C.'s decade of prosperity and growth has been accompanied by a wave of development and displacement that is now threatening to submerge its inner-ring suburbs. Robert McCartney examines the consequences.

April 6, 2013 - The Washington Post

Cracking Beneath the Surface: America's Invisibly Eroding Roadways

In need of an underground overhaul, the Capital Beltway exemplifies the deteriorating conditions of 1/3 of the nation's roadways.

April 3, 2013 - The Washington Post

D.C. Mustn't Look Far to Find Lessons for Reducing the Nation's Worst Congestion

Washington D.C. holds the dubious distinction as the nation's most congested city. As D.C. seeks ways to reduce its traffic, Arlington County, in suburban Virginia, has made great strides in convincing commuters to ditch their cars.

March 27, 2013 - Transportation Nation

On-Site Parking Requirements Stifle D.C. Redevelopment

Business owners, city leaders, and community members would love to see the struggling Anacostia neighborhood transformed into a bustling retail zone. But onerous parking requirements in DC's outdated zoning code are stifling the city's own ambitions.

March 21, 2013 - Washington City Paper

Gehry's Controversial Eisenhower Memorial Comes Under Congressional Attack

On Tuesday, several members of Congress overseeing the approval of Frank Gehry's design and the budgetary requirements for the Eisenhower Memorial expressed their disapproval at a subcommittee hearing.

March 21, 2013 - Architectural Record

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.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.