District of Columbia

The History of the American House, In Five Rooms

Amanda Kolson Hurley reviews the ambitious exhibit House and Home, on view at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C.

May 31, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Should D.C. Break From Its Architectural Tradition?

Perhaps no American city is as defined by a single architectural style as Washington D.C. is by classically inspired architecture. Roger K. Lewis argues why the nation's capital needs to break from its historical antecedents.

May 30, 2012 - The Washington Post

D.C.'s Popularity Brings Growing Pains

Jonathan O’Connell looks at Washington's remarkable growth over the past decade, as the city has become a magnet for young professionals, and wonders if the city will be able to retain those residents as they become parents.

May 29, 2012 - The Washington Post

The Value of Walkability

In an opinion piece for The New York Times, Christopher B. Leinberger summarizes a new report he's co-authored for the Brookings Institution that demonstrates the correlation between walkability and real estate value.

May 26, 2012 - The New York Times

Has Our Crush on Cars Run Its Course?

Ashley Halsey III probes the end of America's monogamous love affair with the automobile, as a younger generation experiments with alternative transportation lifestyles.

May 23, 2012 - The Washington Post

Will Gehry Revisions Placate Memorial Critics?

Frank Gehry unveiled revisions to his controversial design for a proposed memorial honoring Dwight D. Eisenhower this week, in an effort to appease a chorus of critics that includes Ike's own family, reports Lonnae O'Neal Parker.

May 18, 2012 - The Washington Post

D.C.'s Rapidly Disappearing Affordable Housing

In a city that survived the recession better than most, efforts to meet the demand for upscale housing will "change the face of the city for decades to come," reports Annys Shin.

May 7, 2012 - The Washington Post

Can LivingSocial Help Establish D.C. as a Tech Hub?

Ken Archer opines on whether proposed tax incentives being offered by D.C. to retain the corporate offices of website LivingSocial are a smart trade-off amongst a backdrop of sparse public resources.

April 30, 2012 - Greater Greater Washington

D.C.'s Proposed Palace Courts Controversy

Justin Jouvenal tells of plans for a 25,424-square-foot mansion modeled on the Palace of Versailles, to be built in a Washington D.C. suburb, that's causing a collision between "new and old ideas about the way Washington expresses its success."

April 29, 2012 - The Washington Post

D.C. Makes Plans to Go Green, Starting With Rooftop Farms

Tim Craig explores one developer's efforts to start the ball rolling on the capital's new 20-year sustainability goals.

April 27, 2012 - The Wahington Post

Temporary Projects Seek to Inspire Long-Term Change in DC

Lydia DePillis spotlights a host of temporary projects in D.C., from a shipping container fairgrounds to a three-month-long arts event, which have residents, leaders, and organizers seeing vacancy as an opportunity, and permanence as optional.

April 26, 2012 - Washington City Paper

A Facelift for the Nation's Front Lawn

Kaid Benfield laments the capital's "blah"-inspiring National Mall, and discusses three design competitions underway that could give it a second life.

April 20, 2012 - Switchboard

Are DC's Strict Height Limits and Arbitrary Planning Rules Hurting the City?

Two commentaries pick up on the recent push to loosen Washington D.C.'s notoriously conservative height limits, and argue that such controversial changes are overdue and, in fact, don't go far enough.

April 19, 2012 - The Atlantic

Push to Loosen D.C. Height Limits Gains Momentum

Tim Craig reports on a new push by federal and city officials to relax Washington D.C.'s building height restrictions, reopening decades-old debates about the look, feel and character of the city.

April 13, 2012 - The Washington Post

Design Guidelines for Creating More Equitable Cities

Kim O'Connell reports on a new set of design guidelines, produced by Gallaudet University, the nation’s leading institution for the deaf and hard of hearing, that recognize space is an essential part of how people with hearing challenges communicate.

March 31, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Are Bikes Becoming Too Popular in DC?

Katie Rogers reports on Washington D.C.'s struggles with a burgeoning bicycle culture, as incidents of accidents, harassment, and intimidation rise.

March 22, 2012 - The Washington Post

The Challenges of Memorializing

In light of the recent controversy surrounding the Eisenhower Memorial in Washington DC, and observations from a recent trip to Japan, Christopher Hawthorne pens an opinion piece on memorials - the "eternally fraught corner of design practice.

March 21, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

On the Growing Controversy Over Gehry's Eisenhower Memorial

Amanda Hurley examines the furor that has developed in the four months since a design by Frank Gehry for a memorial to President Dwight Eisenhower, destined for a four-acre site just off the National Mall in Washington D.C., was made public.

March 20, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

In D.C., an Attempt at Crowdsourcing Real Estate Shows Promise

Emily Badger writes of the traditional process by which developers identify what kinds of new development a neighborhood needs (i.e. by not asking anyone in said neighborhood), and a web tool in unveiled in December aimed at changing this.

March 12, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

The Force Behind a Push to Reshape DC

Lydia DePillis profiles Washington D.C.'s planning director, Harriet Tregoning, and her efforts to reshape the city along smart growth principles.

March 9, 2012 - Washington City Paper

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.