I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about manhole covers recently. I was reminded of the topic at a recent lecture by Dr. Timothy Beatly during a lecture about urban placemaking. He was speaking about ways European and Australian cities create distinctive urban environments. European cities, generally much denser and with higher foot traffic […]
Re-Imagining The Watha T. Daniel Library
Could the site of the closed Watha T. Daniel library in Shaw become home to not only to a new library, but also housing and perhaps even a small store? That’s what Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, is suggesting in a provocative proposal being circulated in the community, that I […]
U.S. Transit Ridership Highest Since 1957
I thought this USA Today story I spotted on Planetizen today was interesting. In 2006, U.S. transit ridership in topped 10 billion trips, the highest level of use seen since 1957. Of course, this is puny compared to the historical peak of 23.4 billion trips in 1946, but it’s also much higher than the postwar […]
Shaw’s Buried Stream
Regular visitors to D.C.’s Shaw-Howard University Metro Station will be familiar with the water. Year-round, a soft trickling sound can be heard in the damp station, and sometimes the water visibly flows over the southbound rail bed. In the photo to the right, the flow has slowed leaving a series of puddles. Although the station […]
Catholic City, University Rises in Florida
Ave Maria, Florida is a lot of things. To its developer, it will be a “compact, walkable, self-sustaining” city of 30,000 people. To Ave Maria University, it is home to their new campus, the first major Catholic university constructed in the U.S. in 40 years. To its founder Tom Monaghan, it will be a conservative […]
Announcing Planetizen’s Interchange
All too often when I tell people I am studying urban planning, my statement is met by a blank stare. Some will mumble something about a city they’ve been to, or admit they don’t know much about it. Urban planning’s lack of visibility extends to the web, where there is a depressing lack of good […]
Analyzing Washington’s Block 450
For a recent assignment for a class in urban design I am taking, I analyzed a block in downtown Washington, D.C. The block is located at Mount Vernon Square, bounded by New York Avenue NW, 7th Street NW, and L Street NW. The block is part of the original L’Enfant plan, square 0450 in modern […]