For those accustom to my usual topics about urbanism and D.C., permit me a brief digression about a University of Michigan “leadership” society with a controversial history, that recently re-named themselves from Michigamua to The Order of Angell. The Ann Arbor blog Left Behind in the Fishbowl has posted what appears to be a copy […]
Describing D.C.’s ‘National Security Sprawl’
To Deborah Natsios, the September 11, 2001 attack on Washington ushered in a new epoch of national security sprawl. She traces the evolution of “war sprawl” in the region: the city’s circumferential Civil War forts, suburban WWII facilities, Cold War beltway and missile placements, and exurban defense industry office campuses. In Natsios’ account, the September […]
Interesting Freeway Interchanges of the Capital Region
American taxpayers have spent trillions of dollars building freeways since the passage of the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956. This network of freeways has re-shaped American cities, and arguably impacted the economy and culture of the country. While some enthusiasts find interest in the highway system’s endless strips of asphalt, for most […]
Pedestrian Promenade Proposed For 17th Street
My friend John pointed me towards a grassroots campaign advocating 17th Street NW between Massachusetts and New Hampshire Avenue be converted into a pedestrian-only street. While I am not generally an advocate of such streets and think there’s a whole host of measures that can be taken short of completely closing streets to traffic (medians, […]
The Curious Case of Washington’s Exploding Manholes
A commenter recently pointed out I neglected to mention manhole explosions in my previous post on the manhole covers of Washington, D.C. While I came across reports of these explosions in my research, I dismissed them as isolated incidents. It appears I was wrong. As explained by the website Howstuffworks, manhole cover explosions are caused […]
Rapid Bus Service Starts on Georgia Avenue
Today marks the end of the second week of service of WMATA’s new Metro Extra line on Georgia Avenue. To my knowledge the project is the second Bus Rapid Transit line developed in the region, and the first express bus to operate almost exclusively inside the District. The service, officially Metro Extra Route 79, currently […]
Bike Station Coming to Washington
District officials hope to break ground this summer on a “bike station” at Union Station, located just steps from both the Metro station entrance and the future route of the Metropolitan Branch Trail. The station will offer bike parking (for an estimated $1 a day, or $100 a year), rentals, repairs, accessories, a changing room, […]