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The great challenge for this generation is the transition of our auto-dependent regions into something more livable, affordable and sustainable. The good news is that it’s already happening – and the next few Price Tags will illustrate some of what’s going on out there.
We begin in Washington, D.C. – the city and the region. Thanks to one of the world’s great Metros, Washington has great examples of changing suburban development, whether traditional streetcar subdivisions or reurbanizing centres.
In this issue: Cleveland Park and Columbia Heights.
With Cleveland Park being an “intact” streetcar suburb, do you think that there will be resistance to future densification (as is happening at Columbia Heights)? The aerial shot seems to show a main commercial street with lower densities – the kind of neighbourhood strip that would spur nimbys to oppose any change.
BTW – I understand that Target has a number of urban locations, showing that big box stores can fit into an urban scheme (like the department stores of yesteryear).
Wow! I live in DC, and this is one of the best articles about the history of DC transit and the impact of the modern metro I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe its from a website based in British Columbia. Thank you!
To answer the question from above, he is right about the nimbyism in existing and already intact neighborhoods in the more affluent parts of DC. In those areas, such as Cleveland Park, there would be resistance to increasing the density beyond current limits, though there have been some well-designed projects just north of the main “village” that have been built in recent years.
An example where things aren’t going as well, though still moving forward, is Tenley (which is two metro stops further out from Cleveland Park. There a core group of long-time residents have fought every attempt to add more density to the hub of the metro stop. Projects have move foward, however, but it is a much more delicate dance. Areas such as Columbia Heights, which were hungry for development from the existing neighborhoods, while eyed warily have still enjoyed much greater community support.
DC does get much greater recognition now than it used to – and still has great challenges. But I still find it a hidden gem of US cities. Any visitor we’ve had, including my own parents who have never lived in a large city, has been blown away that the city and surrounding burbs / town centers are so much nicer than they ever imagined.
Thanks again for highlighting DC, and for creating such an accurate and detailed overview of the efforts here.