Comments on What should be the federal interest in urban design? - Greater Greater Washington

Comment by Thayer-D

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:12:09 EDT

The whole boxy horizontal skyline vs. the increased height will lead to interesting archtiecture is bs. There's no guarantee that another 2-4 story increase in the height limit will make developers do interesting tops. Maybe with setbacks similar to the 1917 zoning in NYC that led to those interesting deco towers, but simply allowing more floors will make for taller boxes, not more interesting ones. Also, any look at a city like Paris or Rome will show that you can have very attractive streets and constant skylines as long as you have architects trained to create beautiful structures. This isn't a call for more style arguments as any style can be rendered beautifully, it's just an acknowledgement that it's not the height limit that impedes beauty, it's the archtiect's imagination.

Comment by drumz

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:30:58 EDT

Would it not be easier to have the NCPC kind of sort of change its mission to reflect their design standards for all federal buildings (whether in Washington or in Wichita) and leave the rest of the zoning standards and decisions to DPZ and the council? That way NCPC can control the actual buildings that are federal in nature while DC can figure out how to make it work with the other needs the city has (like transportation/environmental whatever).

That way NCPC doesn't nitpick and DPZ can actually focus on the whole city which has more than federal buildings to worry about but the entire city.

And the sidewalks do need to be wider in georgetown but that's unrelated.

Comment by AWalkerInTheCity

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:27:34 EDT

if some bureaucrat decides to skip the bollards to make things prettier, or to ease the security checks to make it easier for the PEOPLE to get in the buildings, and something BAD happens, then the congress critters, the elected representatives of the PEOPLE, will haul said bureaucrat over the proverbial coals, and express the rage of the PEOPLE at the incompetence and neglect that endangered life and property.

I'm sorry, the security BS IS democracy at work, for the most part.

Democracy means putting up with BS, because the BS nondemocracies have is warse.

Comment by Jasper

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:04:07 EDT

I get so tired of the security BS argument. A government that is supposed to be for the people, by the people should not be withdrawing in fortified buildings.

Comment by iaom

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:51:05 EDT

@GWalum But let's leave the banal highrises, barren private plazas and useless/lifeless setbacks to other cities.

Absolutely, I disagree with the slogan "It sure would be great if DC were full of banal highrises, barren private plazas, and useless/lifeless setbacks" that's up there at the top of every GGW page. Oh wait, that's not actually what GGW wants, is it.

Comment by Steve S.

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:42:50 EDT

Wouldn't the city becoming unaffordable for federal employees (because of housing scarcity, in part, due to the height limit) be a federal interest too?

Comment by GWalum

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:19:27 EDT

Why does Washington,DC have to look like other cities? It is special, the nation's capital. I woulnd't mind slightly higher buildings downtown and in other appropriate locations. But let's leave the banal highrises, barren private plazas and useless/lifeless setbacks to other cities.