Posts with the tag Paris. http://greatergreaterwashington.org/tag/Paris/ en-us http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17480/weekend-video-can-you-outrun-the-train/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/syates/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Steven Yates</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">We've all probably run to catch a train at one time or another. But have you ever gotten off a train, and then ran to meet it at its next stop? One man in Paris attempted to do just that. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><iframe width="500" height="281" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R_FArbZ9HNY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">He is running between <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/01/stunt-day-can-guy-get-train-one-metro-stop-and-catch-it-next/4486/', '17480')" href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2013/01/stunt-day-can-guy-get-train-one-metro-stop-and-catch-it-next/4486/" style="color: black">Cluny-La Sorbonne and Odéon</a> trying to catch the same westbound Paris Metro 10 train he just got of off. Despite having to cross a busy road and even falling down at one point, he manages to catch the train. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Are there any Metro station pairs that one could make this trip?<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17480/weekend-video-can-you-outrun-the-train/#comments">21 comments</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8941/what-metro-could-be-in-2100-if-our-priorities-were-different/ style="color: black">What Metro could be in 2100, if our priorities were different</a> <span class="nw">(Jan 23, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15150/how-will-rush-plus-affect-blue-line-commuters/ style="color: black">How will Rush Plus affect Blue Line commuters?</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 13, 2012)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/13465/more-details-could-improve-metros-trip-planner-itineraries/ style="color: black">More details could improve Metro's trip planner itineraries</a> <span class="nw">(Feb 3, 2012)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1368/testing-the-invisible-tunnel/ style="color: black">Testing the "Invisible Tunnel"</a> <span class="nw">(Oct 30, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16388/columbus-day-transit-open-thread/ style="color: black">Columbus Day transit open thread</a> <span class="nw">(Oct 8, 2012)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=17480 Sat, 26 Jan 2013 12:49:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17428/and/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/syates/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Steven Yates</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Think your place is small? Check out this <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/17/169655378/miniscule-parisian-apartment-housed-man-for-15-years', '17428')" href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/17/169655378/miniscule-parisian-apartment-housed-man-for-15-years" style="color: black">17 sq. ft. Paris apartment</a>, rented out for $442 a month. (NPR, Steve S.) ... One Seattle website wants users to <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://crosscut.com/2013/01/16/transportation/112490/fix-crosscuts-new-design-review-board-needs-you/', '17428')" href="http://crosscut.com/2013/01/16/transportation/112490/fix-crosscuts-new-design-review-board-needs-you/" style="color: black">redesign the light rail map.</a> Sound <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://mapcontest.greatergreaterwashington.org/', '17428')" href="http://mapcontest.greatergreaterwashington.org/" style="color: black">familiar?</a> (Crosscut) ... One Michigan group has (jokingly) found the answer to all the state's ills: <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/01/18/the-brilliant-satirical-campaign-for-more-parking-in-michigan/', '17428')" href="http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/01/18/the-brilliant-satirical-campaign-for-more-parking-in-michigan/" style="color: black">more parking</a>. (Streetsblog)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/17428/and/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/10281/amtrak-celebrates-40-years-today/ style="color: black">Amtrak celebrates 40 years today</a> <span class="nw">(May 1, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7000/seattles-orca-passes-show-what-metro-passes-could-be/ style="color: black">Seattle's ORCA passes show what Metro passes could be</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 3, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/933/bush-threatening-veto-of-amtrak-funding/ style="color: black">Bush threatening veto of Amtrak funding</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 10, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/266/wmata-expansion-plans/ style="color: black">WMATA expansion plans</a> <span class="nw">(Jan 21, 2006)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=17428 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:26:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16461/and/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/syates/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Steven Yates</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The C&O Canal towpath is <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.wtop.com/41/3078081/Hikers-and-bikers-rejoice-with-Big-Slackwater-completion', '16461')" href="http://www.wtop.com/41/3078081/Hikers-and-bikers-rejoice-with-Big-Slackwater-completion" style="color: black">now complete</a> between Cumberland and Georgetown. (WTOP) ... The proposed Tenleytown building with no parking <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/10/12/this-is-how-much-people-care-about-parking/', '16461')" href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/10/12/this-is-how-much-people-care-about-parking/" style="color: black">made some residents really angry</a>. (City Paper) ... Silver Spring's transit center <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/silver-spring-transit-center-has-new-opening-date--again--but-will-it-be-ready/2012/10/13/c11c74a2-1413-11e2-ba83-a7a396e6b2a7_story.html', '16461')" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/silver-spring-transit-center-has-new-opening-date--again--but-will-it-be-ready/2012/10/13/c11c74a2-1413-11e2-ba83-a7a396e6b2a7_story.html" style="color: black">may open next September</a>. (Post) ... Paris only has <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fauto.rtl.fr%2Farticle%2Fil-n-y-a-qu-un-seul-panneau-stop-dans-les-rues-de-paris-7753131666&act=url', '16461')" href="http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=fr&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fauto.rtl.fr%2Farticle%2Fil-n-y-a-qu-un-seul-panneau-stop-dans-les-rues-de-paris-7753131666&act=url" style="color: black">one single stop sign within its borders</a>. (RTL Auto via Twelve Mile Circle)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16461/and/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7600/lets-convert-scott-circle-into-scott-square/ style="color: black">Let's convert Scott Circle into Scott Square</a> <span class="nw">(Oct 13, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/616/lauriol-parking-improvement-district/ style="color: black">Lauriol Parking Improvement District?</a> <span class="nw">(Feb 15, 2008)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=16461 Mon, 15 Oct 2012 08:30:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16374/the-train-of-versailles/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/syates/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Steven Yates</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">One Paris rapid transit train is now decorated to <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/10/worlds-most-luxurious-subway-ride/3496/', '16374')" href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/10/worlds-most-luxurious-subway-ride/3496/" style="color: black">look like the Palace of Versailles</a>, giving riders a luxury experience. What would you decorate a Metro train to look like? (Atlantic Cities)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16374/the-train-of-versailles/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=16374 Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:29:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16258/paris-wants-genuine-residents/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/tbell/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Thaddeus Bell</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Parisians <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/09/housing-crisis-paris-blame-foreigners/3386/', '16258')" href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/09/housing-crisis-paris-blame-foreigners/3386/" style="color: black">blame foreign buyers who use their apartments as short-term rentals</a> for the housing shortage in Paris. France has passed a new tax on vacant apartments in an effort to improve the market. (Atlantic Cities)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/16258/paris-wants-genuine-residents/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1222/grand-vitesse/ style="color: black">Grand Vitesse</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 22, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/12117/housing-is-more-than-supply-and-demand/ style="color: black">Housing is more than supply and demand</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 21, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8941/what-metro-could-be-in-2100-if-our-priorities-were-different/ style="color: black">What Metro could be in 2100, if our priorities were different</a> <span class="nw">(Jan 23, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/986/burtonsville-residents-debate-mixed-use-and-undesirables/ style="color: black">Burtonsville residents debate mixed-use and "undesirables"</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 23, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15055/condos-are-missing-from-fairfax-countys-revitalization-story/ style="color: black">Condos are missing from Fairfax County's revitalization story</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 6, 2012)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=16258 Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:28:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15850/fewer-cars-on-the-seine/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/syates/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Steven Yates</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Paris is working on <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/02/paris-seine-riverside-expressway-pedestrian', '15850')" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/02/paris-seine-riverside-expressway-pedestrian" style="color: black">making the area around the Seine more pedestrian-friendly</a> by narrowing what now is a 2-lane urban highway and even closing some areas to cars entirely. (Guardian)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15850/fewer-cars-on-the-seine/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=15850 Mon, 13 Aug 2012 11:16:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15656/paris-bike-share-turns-five/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/tbell/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Thaddeus Bell</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Paris' Velib bike-share <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-5th-birthday-paris-velib-bicycle.html', '15656')" href="http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2012/07/happy-5th-birthday-paris-velib-bicycle.html" style="color: black">is now five years old.</a> The Velib was one of the first bike-shares to draw world-wide attention, and around 10% of Parisians are now members. (RPUS)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15656/paris-bike-share-turns-five/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/10717/weekend-video-worlds-biggest-bike-share/ style="color: black">Weekend video: World's biggest bike share</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 5, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/4204/bicycling-growing-in-the-eternal-city/ style="color: black">Bicycling growing in the Eternal City</a> <span class="nw">(Dec 2, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1759/lets-stimulate-with-a-major-bike-sharing-program/ style="color: black">Let's stimulate with a major bike sharing program</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 6, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1546/sustainable-streets-can-dc-match-the-excellence-of-paris/ style="color: black">Sustainable streets: Can DC match the excellence of Paris?</a> <span class="nw">(Dec 30, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1259/take-a-gander-at-this-its-sure-not-paris/ style="color: black">Take a Gander at this: it's sure not Paris</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 20, 2008)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=15656 Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:17:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/13646/and/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/dedmondson/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Edmondson</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Foreign investors like DC <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/02/07/foreign-investors-like-the-height-limit-too/', '13646')" href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/02/07/foreign-investors-like-the-height-limit-too/" style="color: black">because of the height limit</a>. (City Paper) ... LA's mayor says they <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/mayor-antonio-villaraigosa-future-la', '13646')" href="http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/mayor-antonio-villaraigosa-future-la" style="color: black">can't keep building freeways</a>. (NPR) ... Paris <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9067129/Paris-cyclists-given-right-to-break-traffic-laws.html', '13646')" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9067129/Paris-cyclists-given-right-to-break-traffic-laws.html" style="color: black">legalizes the Idaho Stop</a> (or as they call it, "griller les feux"). (Telegraph) ... The Post <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/09/idUS111454968820120209', '13646')" href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/09/idUS111454968820120209" style="color: black">will shrink its news staff</a>. (Reuters)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/13646/and/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/695/donatelli-builds-what-investors-will-fund/ style="color: black">Donatelli builds what investors will fund</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 10, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8496/added-height-with-design-review-proposed-for-union-station-railyards-lower-barracks-row/ style="color: black">Added height with design review proposed for Union Station railyards, Lower Barracks Row</a> <span class="nw">(Dec 14, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5661/would-a-residential-height-bonus-improve-downtown/ style="color: black">Would a residential height bonus improve downtown?</a> <span class="nw">(Apr 28, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8313/noma-has-no-parks-thanks-to-flawed-upzoning/ style="color: black">NoMA has no parks thanks to flawed upzoning</a> <span class="nw">(Nov 29, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8159/ggw-debates-the-height-act/ style="color: black">GGW debates: the Height Act</a> <span class="nw">(Nov 23, 2010)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=13646 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:22:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/12348/and/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/ericfidler/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Eric Fidler</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Urban trees bring a lot of <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://dirt.asla.org/2011/10/05/urban-forests-cleaner-cooler-air/', '12348')" href="http://dirt.asla.org/2011/10/05/urban-forests-cleaner-cooler-air/" style="color: black">environmental, health, and economic benefits</a>. (The Dirt) ... Good transit planning and walkability <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/virginia/2011/10/arlington-portland-east-scores-high', '12348')" href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/virginia/2011/10/arlington-portland-east-scores-high" style="color: black">attract residents to Arlington</a>. (Examiner) ... David Catania says the District <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/2011/10/councilman-dc-driving-out-its-small-business-owners', '12348')" href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/2011/10/councilman-dc-driving-out-its-small-business-owners" style="color: black">stacks the deck against</a> its small businesses. (Examiner) ... Paris has a "<a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thepolisblog.org/2011/10/night-and-day.html', '12348')" href="http://www.thepolisblog.org/2011/10/night-and-day.html" style="color: black">deputy mayor of the night</a>." (Polis, Stephen Miller)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/12348/and/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/2544/arlingtons-smart-growth-journey-affordability/ style="color: black">Arlington's Smart Growth Journey: Affordability</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 15, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1060/huge-deck-over-i-66/ style="color: black">Huge deck over I-66</a> <span class="nw">(Jul 21, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7104/arlington-explains-smart-growth/ style="color: black">Arlington explains Smart Growth</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 12, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/12056/wells-catania-organize-parking-day-on-pennsylvania-ave/ style="color: black">Wells, Catania organize Park(ing) Day on Pennsylvania Ave</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 15, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7194/capital-bikeshare-launching-today-will-change-everything/ style="color: black">Capital Bikeshare, launching today, will change everything</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 20, 2010)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=12348 Sun, 09 Oct 2011 09:12:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/12306/bikeshare-style-car-sharing-launches-in-paris/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Paris <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/10/paris-launches-one-way-car-sharing/235/', '12306')" href="http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/10/paris-launches-one-way-car-sharing/235/" style="color: black">launched "one-way car sharing,"</a> which works like bike sharing but for electric cars. Will "dockblocking" be a problem? (Atlantic Cities) ... Meanwhile, what's going on with <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/11364/', '12306')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/11364/" style="color: black">car2go's coming to DC</a>?<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/12306/bikeshare-style-car-sharing-launches-in-paris/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/11364/innovative-flexible-car-sharing-coming-to-dc-with-car2go/ style="color: black">Innovative, flexible car sharing coming to DC with car2go</a> <span class="nw">(Jul 20, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/4204/bicycling-growing-in-the-eternal-city/ style="color: black">Bicycling growing in the Eternal City</a> <span class="nw">(Dec 2, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1759/lets-stimulate-with-a-major-bike-sharing-program/ style="color: black">Let's stimulate with a major bike sharing program</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 6, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1546/sustainable-streets-can-dc-match-the-excellence-of-paris/ style="color: black">Sustainable streets: Can DC match the excellence of Paris?</a> <span class="nw">(Dec 30, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1259/take-a-gander-at-this-its-sure-not-paris/ style="color: black">Take a Gander at this: it's sure not Paris</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 20, 2008)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=12306 Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:58:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/10986/metro-sprawl-misses-better-opportunities-in-the-core/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/ericfidler/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Eric Fidler</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">WMATA planners have been studying <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/10965/metro-planners-contemplate-systems-second-generation/', '10986')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/10965/metro-planners-contemplate-systems-second-generation/" style="color: black">possibilities for system expansion</a>, from lines in the center to extensions at the ends of lines. While every Metro enthusiast has fantasized about dozens of Metro lines running out nearly to West Virginia, this "transit sprawl" overlooks better opportunities to strengthen the system's core. <div class="blog_image_right" style="width: 199px; float: right; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.flickr.com/photos/justindc/269332108/', '')" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/justindc/269332108/" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/201106/221304.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>Photo by justindc on Flickr.</div><p style="margin-top: 1em">Adding a line in Arlington is more useful than adding a line to Front Royal. The existing land uses closer in are more conducive to higher ridership because they have higher densities, lower rates of car ownership, and, because of their proximity to existing business districts, enjoy shorter travel distances and times. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Furthermore, closer-in lines improve transit networks, expanding service north, south, east, and west. Far-out lines only provide linear service, that is, north and south <em>or</em> east and west, but not all four. As such, the lines far out are less useful to the people they serve. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Ultimately, far-out extensions end up exacerbating Metro's dual and conflicting mandates to provide long-haul service and short-haul service on the same railroad. The argument for 4-minute rush-hour headways inside the Beltway is much stronger than the argument for 4-minute rush-hour headways all the way out to Frederick. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Modern rail systems like our Metro, San Francisco's BART, and Atlanta's MARTA try to combine long-haul and short-haul services into the same systems. Other cities have wisely divided the two. <p style="margin-top: 1em">New York has express subway trains, the Long Island Railroad, and Metro North for long-haul service and the regular subways for local service. These serve different markets with different service frequencies and provide better regional mobility. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Commuters from Long Island are spared the suffering of having to stop 100 times in Brooklyn and Queens just to get to business districts in Manhattan. <p style="margin-top: 1em">At the same time, residents in Brooklyn and Queens get decent service within their own boroughs and to Manhattan. This separation improves the practicality of transit for everyone. <p style="margin-top: 1em">If Metro lines were to extend to the far exurbs, the ride to the area's business districts would still be long and would discourage ridership. These areas are by definition only peripherally connected to the regional economy and residents would already have less reason to take jobs and commute 20 miles in the first place. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Our geography in Washington, however, is more like that of Paris than New York. Both Washington and Paris are interior cities that just happen to have a river or two running through them. We can expand in all directions, whereas New York, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco are bounded by harbors, bays, oceans, or lakes. <p style="margin-top: 1em">There are some interesting charts in Steve Belmont's book <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.amazon.com/Cities-Full-Steve-Belmont/dp/1884829538', '10986')" href="http://www.amazon.com/Cities-Full-Steve-Belmont/dp/1884829538" style="color: black">Cities in Full</a> that illustrate how different cities' transit systems are spatially laid out. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Draw a circle with a 5-mile radius from Metro Center and the circle will more or less fit just inside the bounds of the DC-Arlington diamond. In that circle, we have 51 stations. Outside of that we have lines reaching as far as Shady Grove, a full 17 miles from Metro Center as the crow flies. The system will reach 26 miles to Loudoun County when the Silver Line is complete. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=201106/212310.png&ref=10986" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/201106/212310-1.png" style="border: 0"></a><br>Map by the author.</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Now draw the same 5-mile circle for Paris with the Châtelet hub as the center point and you will notice that nearly the entire Métro system fits inside the circle. The RER commuter trains, not mapped, extend far beyond. Parisians enjoy 240 stations in that circle by Belmont's count. <p style="margin-top: 1em">The distance from Châtelet to Créteil-Préfecture, the farthest station, is only 7.5 miles as the crow flies. In contrast, the Silver Line extension merely <em>begins</em> 8.5 miles from Metro Center. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=201106/212311.png&ref=10986" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/201106/212311-1.png" style="border: 0"></a><br>Map by the author.</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Not only that, the network they have built makes it practical to take the Métro anywhere in the circle since your travel journey will not stray too far off of a straight line drawn between two points. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Yes, Paris's densities are much higher than DC's, but our densities are rising since the population is rising. As we plan for the transit system we will need in 2040, we will need to think big. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Far out extensions provide a modicum of very high quality transit to a small population whereas strengthening transit within the existing circle, that is, to people who are more likely to use transit anyway and who are more likely to use it for non-commuting trips, should produce a greater return on the transit investment. <p style="margin-top: 1em">We have to prioritize because transportation funding, like funding for everything, is limited. Sure it would be nice to have Metro service to Gainesville. However, such extension fantasies should not come at the cost of providing service to areas closer in where people are more likely to use the service in the first place. <p style="margin-top: 1em">While enthusiasts and politicians tout outward expansion with a pioneer's zeal, they miss the better opportunities to strengthen the network and construct new lines in the core. Strengthening the core will provide a greater returns on our transportation investment.<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/10986/metro-sprawl-misses-better-opportunities-in-the-core/#comments">129 comments</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/10965/metro-planners-contemplate-systems-second-generation/ style="color: black">Metro planners contemplate system's second generation</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 21, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1709/the-metro-express/ style="color: black">The Metro Express</a> <span class="nw">(Feb 19, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/9742/will-the-silver-line-produce-sprawl-like-highways-do/ style="color: black">Will the Silver Line produce sprawl like highways do?</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 20, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/9232/metros-future-rides-on-saturday-night/ style="color: black">Metro's future rides on Saturday night</a> <span class="nw">(Feb 14, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/9546/metro-aiming-to-start-yellow-and-orange-line-service-increase-in-june-2012-without-new-color/ style="color: black">Metro aiming to start "Yellow and Orange Line service increase" in June 2012, without new color</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 7, 2011)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=10986 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 10:37:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8941/what-metro-could-be-in-2100-if-our-priorities-were-different/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Reader thisisbossi created <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisbossi/5374196051/', '8941')" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisbossi/5374196051/" style="color: black">a fantasy Metro map</a> with a LOT of lines: <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisbossi/5374196051/', '8941')" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thisisbossi/5374196051/" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/201101/221805.jpg" style="border: 0"></a></div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">He writes,<blockquote><i>Yes, this is an absolute pipedream... hence the [title "DC 2100"]. While I laid these out to be at least somewhat technically feasible, everything shown would still require immense amounts of funding, right-of-way, and political will.</i></blockquote>That's true, though this map also brings to mind another heavy rail system that does exist: <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://speedymole.com/Tubes/Paris/paris-metro-map-plan-karte.html', '8941')" href="http://speedymole.com/Tubes/Paris/paris-metro-map-plan-karte.html" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/201101/parismetro.jpg" style="border: 0"></a></div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Paris has more lines than even thisisbossi's map, and in a smaller space, too. It's just that there, the political will exists to build some of the best transit in the world in a nation's capital city, while here, at least a significant part of one major political party would spend absolutely nothing on transit or the capital city.<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8941/what-metro-could-be-in-2100-if-our-priorities-were-different/#comments">84 comments</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6079/fun-with-fantasy-maps/ style="color: black">Fun with fantasy maps</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 6, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/668/sci-fi-coast-to-coast-high-speed-rail-network/ style="color: black">Sci-fi coast to coast high speed rail network</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 3, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/644/greater-baltimore-washington-transit-future-version-2/ style="color: black">Greater Baltimore & Washington Transit Future version 2</a> <span class="nw">(Feb 25, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/728/beyonddcs-map/ style="color: black">BeyondDC's map</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 26, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/634/even-more-fantastic-wmata-fantasy-map/ style="color: black">Even more fantastic WMATA fantasy map</a> <span class="nw">(Feb 19, 2008)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=8941 Sun, 23 Jan 2011 10:05:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8227/paris-loosens-height-limit/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/erikw/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Erik Weber</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Paris has <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/newly-freed-from-height-limits-paris-skyline-ready-to-rise.php', '8227')" href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/newly-freed-from-height-limits-paris-skyline-ready-to-rise.php" style="color: black">vastly increased its height cap</a> for new construction in an effort to increase density inside the city limits. Before this sparks a new round of <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2010/10/21/shorter-height-act/', '8227')" href="http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2010/10/21/shorter-height-act/" style="color: black">Malouff v. Avent v. Yglesias</a>, it's worth noting that the increase only applies to the city's outer <i>arrondissements</i>. (Treehugger, Bradley Soule)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8227/paris-loosens-height-limit/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=8227 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:31:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7574/whats-the-right-bikeshare-density/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">What is <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/10/cabi-and-density.html', '7574')" href="http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/10/cabi-and-density.html" style="color: black">the optimal density</a> for Capital Bikeshare stations? DC is spacing them wider than Montreal or Paris (or Crystal City), but its residential and commercial density is lower too. Are DC's stations too far apart or just right? WashCycle continues the debate that's been going on in <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.theurbancountry.com/2010/09/dc-capital-bikeshare-falls-short.html', '7574')" href="http://www.theurbancountry.com/2010/09/dc-capital-bikeshare-falls-short.html" style="color: black">other blogs</a> and <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7536/#comment-72466', '7574')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7536/#comment-72466" style="color: black">our comments</a>.<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7574/whats-the-right-bikeshare-density/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7194/capital-bikeshare-launching-today-will-change-everything/ style="color: black">Capital Bikeshare, launching today, will change everything</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 20, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1759/lets-stimulate-with-a-major-bike-sharing-program/ style="color: black">Let's stimulate with a major bike sharing program</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 6, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7169/even-bike-owners-will-benefit-from-joining-capital-bikeshare/ style="color: black">Even bike owners will benefit from joining Capital Bikeshare</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 16, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6602/ddot-selects-capital-bikeshare-locations/ style="color: black">DDOT selects Capital Bikeshare locations</a> <span class="nw">(Jul 20, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/717/kojo-on-density/ style="color: black">Kojo on density</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 20, 2008)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=7574 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:21:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7531/the-art-of-bikeshare-redistribution/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">How does CaBi <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://thecityfix.com/from-periphery-to-center-does-bike-redistribution-work/', '7531')" href="http://thecityfix.com/from-periphery-to-center-does-bike-redistribution-work/" style="color: black">redistribute bikes</a> when a station gets full or empty? Alta's contract requires keeping no station full or empty more than 3 hours, though that's still a long time. The best solution is many stations close together. Paris also created an extra incentive to drop bikes at the tops of hills, where they were suffering from too many one-way trips. (TheCityFix)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7531/the-art-of-bikeshare-redistribution/#comments">Comment</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7169/even-bike-owners-will-benefit-from-joining-capital-bikeshare/ style="color: black">Even bike owners will benefit from joining Capital Bikeshare</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 16, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7194/capital-bikeshare-launching-today-will-change-everything/ style="color: black">Capital Bikeshare, launching today, will change everything</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 20, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7295/use-your-phone-to-find-cabi/ style="color: black">Use your phone to find CaBi</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 27, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6215/tell-ddot-where-you-want-a-capital-bikeshare-location/ style="color: black">Tell DDOT where you want a Capital Bikeshare location</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 17, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7380/lincoln-park-cabi-station-canceled-after-complaints/ style="color: black">Lincoln Park CaBi station canceled after complaints</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 30, 2010)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=7531 Sun, 10 Oct 2010 09:34:32 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7463/le-capital-bikeshare/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/ericfidler/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Eric Fidler</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">A Lincoln Park neighbor <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/10/lincoln-park-bikeshare-opposition.html', '7463')" href="http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/10/lincoln-park-bikeshare-opposition.html" style="color: black">explains the opposition</a> to a station in the small triangle <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7380/', '7463')" href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7380/" style="color: black">originally planned</a> ... Each year in France, bikesharing <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/10/cabi-off-to-a-good-start.html', '7463')" href="http://www.thewashcycle.com/2010/10/cabi-off-to-a-good-start.html" style="color: black">replaces</a> 700,000 car trips in Lyon and 2,160,000 car trips in Paris. Can CaBi similarly reduce car traffic pressure in L'Enfant's city? (TheWashCycle)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7463/le-capital-bikeshare/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=7463 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:26:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7058/transit-strikes-in-london-paris/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/erikw/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Erik Weber</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">On French and British sides of the English Channel, strikes are crippling the transportation networks of the capitol cities. In London <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/07/londoners-tube-strike-buses-boats-bikes', '7058')" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/sep/07/londoners-tube-strike-buses-boats-bikes" style="color: black">transit workers are protesting lost jobs</a> while <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7984463/France-strike-disrupts-flights-and-rail-services.html', '7058')" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7984463/France-strike-disrupts-flights-and-rail-services.html" style="color: black">broader strikes in France</a> are affecting Paris Metro as well as a SNCF rail service and air traffic. (The Guardian, Telegraph, charlie)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7058/transit-strikes-in-london-paris/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=7058 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:20:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6679/changing-behavior-in-paris-without-government/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Drivers on a Paris bus line <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://bus38.online.fr/indexeng.html', '6679')" href="http://bus38.online.fr/indexeng.html" style="color: black">created a Web site</a> for people to get to know them and what their job is like (Le Bus 38) ... Groups of private citizens, like the Bad Behavior Brigade, <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.city-journal.org/2010/eon0723pr.html', '6679')" href="http://www.city-journal.org/2010/eon0723pr.html" style="color: black">try to change social norms</a> including littering, public urination and more in Paris and New Delhi. (City Journal) <br> <p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6679/changing-behavior-in-paris-without-government/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=6679 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 08:42:37 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6583/weekend-reading-taking-my-talents-to-south-beach/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alexblock/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Alex Block</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The inescapable news in the sports world last week was LeBron James' <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/08/AR2010070806865.html', '6583')" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/08/AR2010070806865.html" style="color: black">decision on where to play</a> professional basketball. James spurned his current (and hometown) team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in favor of joining forces with multiple, talented free agent players in Miami. <div class="blog_image_right" style="width: 199px; float: right; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.flickr.com/photos/x_mrswarhol/3692242661/', '')" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/x_mrswarhol/3692242661/" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/201007/171633.jpg" style="border: 0"></a><br>"We are all witnesses." Photo by partie traumatic on Flickr.</div><p style="margin-top: 1em"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/2434/', '6583')" href="http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/2434/" style="color: black">The hoopla</a>, as well as James' decision to leave his hometown for greener pastures raises several interesting points about sports, place, labor mobility, and the economic benefits from professional sports and athletes. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><strong>Talent migration</strong>: <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2010/07/13/lebrons-location-decision/', '6583')" href="http://www.creativeclass.com/creative_class/2010/07/13/lebrons-location-decision/" style="color: black">Richard Florida takes note</a> of how LeBron and his compatriots took control of their situation in picking a new location to showcase their talents, framing the decision as an entrepreneurial coup in the controlled world of professional sports. The decision, he argues, isn't all that different than the ones that many talented and skilled workers go through<wbr>&mdash;<wbr>minus the media circus.<blockquote><i>Most people attempt to optimize their interests within the constraints imposed by their existing environment<wbr>&mdash;<wbr>what the great economist Joseph Schumpeter dubbed the typical "adaptive response." But at critical junctures, certain kinds of entrepreneurs step outside the bounds of what is given and undertake to shape and actively construct an new environment of their own<wbr>&mdash;<wbr>what Schumpeter called the "<a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.jstor.org/pss/2113338', '6583')" href="http://www.jstor.org/pss/2113338" style="color: black">creative response</a>." <p style="margin-top: 1em">Miami offered the best place where these three savvy, talented, and surpassingly entrepreneurial young men could create their own kind of space<wbr>&mdash;<wbr>a more open-ended space, where they could realize their ambitions and dreams.</i></blockquote> <p style="margin-top: 1em"><strong>Teams tied to place: </strong>Florida's argument, however, doesn't do much to dispute the common criticisms of LeBron's decision (including <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10cavaliers.html', '6583')" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10cavaliers.html" style="color: black">one from the Cavaliers owner</a>) that it was selfish and about ego more than anything else. While professional athletes may be individuals free to chose between teams, the teams themselves are rooted in place. Teams profit from their connection and emotional bonds with local fans. It's no surprise that fans see this as a <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.cleveland.com/sportsnetwork/index.ssf/2010/07/cleveland_bloggers_react_to_le.html', '6583')" href="http://www.cleveland.com/sportsnetwork/index.ssf/2010/07/cleveland_bloggers_react_to_le.html" style="color: black">direct insult</a> to their <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10rhoden.html', '6583')" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10rhoden.html" style="color: black">sense of place</a>. In Richard Florida's context, they are the ones attempting to optimize their interests within given constraints. <p style="margin-top: 1em">The narrative that ties teams and cities together is extraordinarily strong. The recent passing of New York Yankees owner <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Steinbrenner', '6583')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Steinbrenner" style="color: black">George Steinbrenner</a> offered a chance to <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/nyregion/14about.html', '6583')" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/nyregion/14about.html" style="color: black">reflect on that complex connection</a> between city, fans, team, and players:<blockquote><i>The life of George Steinbrenner is a ramp across modern New York, a bridge that spans the whirlpool of one man's spinning psyche and the transformation of America's biggest, baddest city... He championed ordinary New Yorkers, then took them for every last penny... <p style="margin-top: 1em">He remembered the elation of the city when the Yankees won the World Series in 1978, a troubled time. "We put the trophy in the rotunda at City Hall," [<a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Koch', '6583')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Koch" style="color: black">former Mayor</a> Ed] Koch said. "I knew, as the Romans knew, that the people require circuses and theatrics."</i></blockquote><strong>Economic impacts:</strong> Perhaps George Steinbrenner's crowning achievement as owner of the Yankees has been the creation of <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Stadium', '6583')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_Stadium" style="color: black">New Yankee Stadium</a>, on the backs of substantial public subsidy. Plenty of economists consistently argue that stadium subsidies are <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://americancity.org/columns/entry/2394/', '6583')" href="http://americancity.org/columns/entry/2394/" style="color: black">not wise investments</a>, but the emotional connection between team and city is difficult to quantify. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Likewise, there is a question of geography. Sports teams might not have an impact <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/07/lebrons-limited-economic-impact/59485/', '6583')" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/07/lebrons-limited-economic-impact/59485/" style="color: black">at the metropolitan scale</a>, but many in Cleveland have seen a direct impact from LeBron James in the area immediately adjacent to the arena. A similar narrative exists for <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/Abe-Pollin-72822622.html', '6583')" href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/sports/Abe-Pollin-72822622.html" style="color: black">DC's Verizon Center</a> and the subsequent revitalization of Chinatown. <p style="margin-top: 1em">However, accurately calculating all the costs and benefits of the intangible, emotional connection between a city and their team might be next to impossible. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><strong>There is no 'Next Big Thing': </strong>Aaron Renn uses LeBron's departure from the Midwest to take a long, hard look at the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.newgeography.com/content/001672-%E2%80%9Cjames-drain%E2%80%9D-hits-cleveland', '6583')" href="http://www.newgeography.com/content/001672-%E2%80%9Cjames-drain%E2%80%9D-hits-cleveland" style="color: black">strategic decisions behind the move and the reaction</a>:<blockquote><i>In a sense though, Cleveland's disappointment was inevitable. LeBron James was never going to turn around the city. No one person or one thing can. Unfortunately, Cleveland has continually pinned its hopes on a never-ending cycle of "next big things" to reverse decline. This will never work. As local <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.newgeography.com/content/00553-cleveland-part-ii-re-constructing-comeback', '6583')" href="http://www.newgeography.com/content/00553-cleveland-part-ii-re-constructing-comeback" style="color: black">economic development guru Ed Morrison put it</a>, "Overwhelmingly, the strategy is now driven by individual projects....This leads to the 'Big Thing Theory' of economic development: Prosperity results from building one more big thing."</i></blockquote>The 'Big Thing' theory has usually been applied to things like sports stadiums and arenas, not the individual players that use them. Nevertheless, the comparison is illustrative. The push to keep a team or even a player by giving them a new stadium might not make economic sense, but losing that player can be painful. And even though a new stadium might not make economic sense for a metropolitan region, that doesn't mean the team itself<wbr>&mdash;<wbr>despite being deeply rooted in a single place<wbr>&mdash;<wbr>can't also migrate to greener pastures and better opportunities. Unfortunately for Cleveland, that's <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Browns_relocation_controversy', '6583')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Browns_relocation_controversy" style="color: black">something they also know far too well</a>. <p style="margin-top: 1em">There are a few other items of note, only semi sports-related: <p style="margin-top: 1em"><strong>LeBron likes bikes: </strong>One thing <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.transitmiami.com/2010/07/08/lebron-and-bicycles/', '6583')" href="http://www.transitmiami.com/2010/07/08/lebron-and-bicycles/" style="color: black">LeBron does like</a> is bikes. He's a <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-miscellaneous/4151005-1.html', '6583')" href="http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-miscellaneous/4151005-1.html" style="color: black">partial owner of Cannondale</a> and hosts a <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thegrio.com/top-stories/lebron-pops-a-wheelie-for-the-kids.php', '6583')" href="http://www.thegrio.com/top-stories/lebron-pops-a-wheelie-for-the-kids.php" style="color: black">bike-a-thon for kids</a> in his hometown of Akron, OH. Given the negative reaction in Cleveland to his professional decision to play basketball in Miami, it's unclear what will happen to events like this. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><strong>New York and Barcelona are boring: </strong>Mayor Bloomberg and others were on hand to see the final push of the tunnel boring machine for <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Subway_Extension', '6583')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Subway_Extension" style="color: black">New York's 7 line extension</a>. Second Avenue Sagas <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/07/16/a-tale-of-two-tunnel-boring-machines/', '6583')" href="http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/07/16/a-tale-of-two-tunnel-boring-machines/" style="color: black">notes the challenges of urban tunneling</a>, even with the advanced technology available today. A few weeks ago, The Transport Politic took an <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/06/29/barcelonas-metro-continues-its-expansion-at-a-relatively-cheap-price/', '6583')" href="http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/06/29/barcelonas-metro-continues-its-expansion-at-a-relatively-cheap-price/" style="color: black">in-depth look at Barcelona</a>'s massive subway expansion, also making extensive use of tunnel boring machines operating in dense urban environments. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><strong>Paris, automated: </strong>Jarret Walker, of the Human Transit blog, <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.humantransit.org/2010/07/paris-the-new-old-m%C3%A9tro-line-1.html', '6583')" href="http://www.humantransit.org/2010/07/paris-the-new-old-m%C3%A9tro-line-1.html" style="color: black">offers some observations</a> from Line 1 of the Paris Metro. The line is in the midst of an upgrade to fully automatic, driverless operation. That's no small feat for a line initially built in 1900. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><em>Cross-posted at <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.alexblock.net/blog/?p=1680', '6583')" href="http://www.alexblock.net/blog/?p=1680" style="color: black">City Block</a>.</em><p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6583/weekend-reading-taking-my-talents-to-south-beach/#comments">24 comments</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/527/can-nyc-build-me-a-personal-garage-too/ style="color: black">Can NYC build me a personal garage too?</a> <span class="nw">(Jan 2, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/689/dc-versus-new-york/ style="color: black">DC versus New York</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 6, 2008)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8882/dc-united-eyeing-buzzard-point-florida-market/ style="color: black">DC United eyeing Buzzard Point, Florida Market</a> <span class="nw">(Jan 19, 2011)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/3114/youth-sports-and-the-automobile/ style="color: black">Youth sports and the automobile</a> <span class="nw">(Aug 4, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8940/a-dc-united-stadium-is-likely-to-be-truly-urban/ style="color: black">A DC United stadium is likely to be truly urban</a> <span class="nw">(Jan 24, 2011)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=6583 Sun, 18 Jul 2010 09:45:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6453/should-dc-better-use-triangles-can-it/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Rachel Ryan suggests that <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.frumforum.com/spicing-up-washingtons-street-life', '6453')" href="http://www.frumforum.com/spicing-up-washingtons-street-life" style="color: black">DC better program its triangular parks</a>, such as with cafes, as Paris does. But Matt Yglesias notes that <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/paris-denser-than-you-think/', '6453')" href="http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/paris-denser-than-you-think/" style="color: black">Paris is about five times denser</a> than DC, despite still being mostly low-rise. That means Paris has five times the customers for those cafes.<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/6453/should-dc-better-use-triangles-can-it/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=6453 Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:54:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5782/paris-reconquering-the-seine/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Paris <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/05/07/picturing-a-car-free-seine-the-new-vision-for-the-paris-waterfront/', '5782')" href="http://www.streetsblog.org/2010/05/07/picturing-a-car-free-seine-the-new-vision-for-the-paris-waterfront/" style="color: black">plans to replace its waterfront expressway</a> along the Seine with public gathering, walking, and bicycling space on the Left Bank, and scale down the Right Bank's expressway to a boulevard. (Streetsblog)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5782/paris-reconquering-the-seine/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=5782 Mon, 10 May 2010 09:31:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/4644/angles-morts/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">A French video discusses the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.americablog.com/2010/01/lets-go-for-bike-ride-in-paris.html', '4644')" href="http://www.americablog.com/2010/01/lets-go-for-bike-ride-in-paris.html" style="color: black">hazards of cycling in Paris</a>, like drivers making turns without looking, delivery trucks blocking lanes, and the other issues cyclists also face in the U.S. (Americablog, Steve S)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/4644/angles-morts/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=4644 Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:49:22 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/4204/bicycling-growing-in-the-eternal-city/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/boots/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Erik Bootsma</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">When people here in the US think of cities with a strong bike culture in Europe, the places that come to mind are Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Paris, but Rome is rarely on that list. The picture that most Americans have when they think of the Eternal City is riding a motorino around the Colosseum, or as <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PmuHWPZSkY', '4204')" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PmuHWPZSkY" style="color: black">Eddie Izzard</a> puts it most Italians riding around saying 'ciao' like in <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3815086080/tt0046250', '4204')" href="http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3815086080/tt0046250" style="color: black">Roman Holiday</a>. But thanks to a new bike sharing program started last year, that culture is beginning to change. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PsfYO2kvTAI/SxUhrv7VR0I/AAAAAAAAFh0/HZpv2m-njQo/s1600/Europe+2009+217.jpg', '4204')" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PsfYO2kvTAI/SxUhrv7VR0I/AAAAAAAAFh0/HZpv2m-njQo/s1600/Europe+2009+217.jpg" style="color: black"><img style="width: 400px; height: 300px; border: 0" src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200912/020854.jpg"/></a><br>Bicycling in Paris.</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">This past week I visited Paris, Venice and Rome, and while in Paris I had planned to check out the V&eacute;lib system for this post. Paris is becoming an increasingly bike friendly city, and despite the rash of vandalism lately, the V&eacute;lib system still remains convienient and widely used by commuters and tourists alike. I was pleasantly shocked however to see that Rome has begun its transformation into a bike city much like Paris or Copenhagen or Amsterdam. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Launched in <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thekeytoitaly.com/Rome/Events-in-Rome/Roma-n-Bike-Bike-sharing-2.html', '4204')" href="http://www.thekeytoitaly.com/Rome/Events-in-Rome/Roma-n-Bike-Bike-sharing-2.html" style="color: black">July of last year</a>, the system is being run by <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.atacbikesharing.com/progetto.asp', '4204')" href="http://www.atacbikesharing.com/progetto.asp" style="color: black">ATAC</a>, the transit agency that runs the buses and metro in Rome, and its its fare system works much like the V&eacute;lib system, being free to subscribers for the first half hour then charging 1 Euro for 30 minutes after. <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.atacbikesharing.com/citta_v2.asp?id=18&amp;pag=2', '4204')" href="http://www.atacbikesharing.com/citta_v2.asp?id=18&amp;pag=2" style="color: black">Stations</a> are mostly clustered in the Centro Storico (Historic Center) of Rome, though there are a few around La Sapienza University and in Ostia Antica along the coast. On the Google map for the stations, you can even click on each station to see how many bikes are available at any given time. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PsfYO2kvTAI/SxUhrzjuxII/AAAAAAAAFh8/A5YbJxbZXMA/s1600/Europe+2009+688.jpg', '4204')" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PsfYO2kvTAI/SxUhrzjuxII/AAAAAAAAFh8/A5YbJxbZXMA/s1600/Europe+2009+688.jpg" style="color: black"><img style="width: 400px; height: 300px; border: 0" src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200912/020854-1.jpg"></a><br>The new bike sharing system in Rome.</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The bikes are of a more sturdy and conventional design like most Dutch bikes as opposed to the aerodynamic Velib. Each has a rack in back and a basket in front, making them pretty convenient to take a few items. However this stolid design isn't dissuading the ever fashionable Italians from riding them or riding bikes of their own. The bikes I saw Rome, most of them very new, were ridden by ordinary looking Romans, dressed in street clothes or women in their necessary high heels. It seems the culture of bicycling is being seen to be just a normal part of life, even for the Romans. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div style="blog_image"><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PsfYO2kvTAI/SxUhsOK28sI/AAAAAAAAFiE/xxbPt7_awl0/s1600/Europe+2009+686.jpg', '4204')" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PsfYO2kvTAI/SxUhsOK28sI/AAAAAAAAFiE/xxbPt7_awl0/s1600/Europe+2009+686.jpg" style="color: black"><img style="width: 400px; height: 300px; border: 0" src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200912/020854-2.jpg"/></a><br>System map of the bike share in the Centro Storico.</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Two years ago when I lived in Rome, I would not have dared ridden a bike in this city, so the transformation, albeit still very small, is remarkable. Judging by the experience of so many cities such as in Paris, New York and Copenhagen, where bicycling had for so long been seen as ridiculous or dangerous concept, but is now embraced proudly as part of the city's life, I think it's an encouraging sign to see such growth in such a short time.<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/4204/bicycling-growing-in-the-eternal-city/#comments">14 comments</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1759/lets-stimulate-with-a-major-bike-sharing-program/ style="color: black">Let's stimulate with a major bike sharing program</a> <span class="nw">(Mar 6, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/7194/capital-bikeshare-launching-today-will-change-everything/ style="color: black">Capital Bikeshare, launching today, will change everything</a> <span class="nw">(Sep 20, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5913/arlington-dc-announce-1100-bike-regional-bike-sharing/ style="color: black">Arlington, DC announce 1,100-bike regional bike sharing</a> <span class="nw">(May 21, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/8599/happy-hour-bike-ride-tonight/ style="color: black">Happy hour, bike ride tonight</a> <span class="nw">(Dec 21, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/2573/more-people-walking-biking-riding-the-bus-to-metro-stations/ style="color: black">More people walking, biking, riding the bus to Metro stations</a> <span class="nw">(Jun 5, 2009)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=4204 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:22:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/3941/velo-vandals/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Paris's V&eacute;lib is suffering from <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/europe/31bikes.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&hp', '3941')" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/world/europe/31bikes.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&hp" style="color: black">rising vandalism</a>, and now has to repair 1,500 bicycles a day (out of about <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A9lib%27', '3941')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A9lib%27" style="color: black">20,000</a>. Nevertheless, it's still very successful. WashCycle <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.thewashcycle.com/2009/11/trouble-you-can-velib-in.html', '3941')" href="http://www.thewashcycle.com/2009/11/trouble-you-can-velib-in.html" style="color: black">wonders why DC and Montreal haven't</a> seen similar vandalism rates. (TheWashCycle)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/3941/velo-vandals/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=3941 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:28:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/3783/mcmillan-two-envisions-a-classical-anacostia/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/nsflanagan/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">Neil Flanagan</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image_right" style="width: 235px; float: right; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=200910/burasquaylarge.jpg&ref=3783" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200910/burasquay.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #ccc; border: 0"></a><br>Images courtesy Nir Buras.</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The public character of Washington has grown around two grand plans. First, Charles L'Enfant <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L'Enfant_plan.jpg" style="color: black">laid out the city</a> as a sacred grove for the marking of America's history. One century later, the McMillan Commission restored and expanded upon that original design to include the history of the Nineteenth Century. <p style="margin-top: 1em">The city center has grown up in the second hundred years since, enough for Congress to declare the Mall closed to new development. Meanwhile, the rest of the city has built up or spread out into suburbs. In light of the last fifty years, a group of traditional Washingtonian architects have developed an audacious proposal for the next lifetime of growth, known as McMillan Two. Fulfilling some less-known intentions of the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.nationalmall.net/resource/mcmillan.html', '3783')" href="http://www.nationalmall.net/resource/mcmillan.html" style="color: black">McMillan Plan</a> with slight modifications, this plan essentially calls for bringing Paris, mansard, Seine and all, to the Capital of the United States. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Developed by the Build DC Initiative and architect <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.buras-classical.com/', '3783')" href="http://www.buras-classical.com/" style="color: black">Nir Buras</a> in particular, the design has accumulated sponsors such as the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.ma-ica.org/', '3783')" href="http://www.ma-ica.org/" style="color: black">Mid-Atlantic chapter</a> of the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.classicist.org/', '3783')" href="http://www.classicist.org/" style="color: black">Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America</a>, the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.civicart.org/', '3783')" href="http://www.civicart.org/" style="color: black">National Civic Arts Society</a>, and some support from the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.cnudc.org/', '3783')" href="http://www.cnudc.org/" style="color: black">DC chapter</a> of the Congress for New Urbanism. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Buras's philosophy draws hard from tradition: we know what is beautiful and what works, and we should follow that. Downplaying strident formal innovation, the relationship buildings have to precedents in a cultural tradition guides design. For McMillan Two, France provides that tradition, particularly L'Enfant's garden models and the Beaux-arts education of Burnham, McKim, and Olmsted. Though the partners have kept much of the project under wraps, Buras has recently begun sharing the outlines of this radical rethinking of DC's future. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=200910/burasnowlarge.jpg&ref=3783" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200910/buraspoplarnow.jpg" style="margin-right: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border: 0"></a><a href="/image.cgi?src=200910/burasplanlarge.jpg&ref=3783" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200910/buraspoplarplan.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #ccc; border: 0"></a><br>Area around Poplar Point now (left) and proposed (right).</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The keystone of the plan is a narrowed Anacostia, slimmed by half to the Seine's width of around 500 feet. And just as at the Seine, fourteen-foot-tall stone embankments would allow streets to pass over the river at grade, with street level above potential floods. Away from the river, McMillan Two calls for the elimination – or at least burial – of all freeways and rail lines south of the Mall that disconnect River East from the Federal City. In place of these marginal spaces, marshlands, and rivers of concrete, the grid would extend out onto reclaimed land. The new real estate would allow for the construction of thousands of new apartments and offices without directly displacing any individuals. Passing through lots and streets, new avenues would meet at open squares for future monuments after the style of L'Enfant and Haussmann. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=200910/burasecaplarge.jpg&ref=3783" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200910/burasecapnow.jpg" style="margin-right: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border: 0"></a><a href="/image.cgi?src=200910/burasecaplarge.jpg&ref=3783" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200910/burasecapplan.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #ccc; border: 0"></a><br>Area around East Capitol Street now (left) and proposed (right).</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">The largest public area would be a vast basin just north of what is now Poplar Point that would serve as a plaza with around water. Upstream, East Capitol Street would cross over an island modeled on <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Île_de_la_Cité', '3783')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Île_de_la_Cité" style="color: black">Île de la Cité</a> with the Blue and Orange Lines underground. At the southern end of the project, a gateway of two large pillars on quays would visually separate the Potomac from its tributary. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Most buildings would stand six to eight stories tall, with the last two minimized behind a sloped roof. Large tree-lined promenades (Buras believes DC can improve on Paris by adding more trees) would pass throughout the reclaimed area, with particularly verdant ones running along the upper level of the embankment. Spaces created in the embankment promenades would house boat clubs, restaurants accessible from a lower-level embankment. Alternatively, infrastructure such as a <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilevel_streets_in_Chicago', '3783')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multilevel_streets_in_Chicago" style="color: black">Chicago-style service road</a> or <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RER', '3783')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RER" style="color: black">commuter rail</a> might fill in the space made by raising the ground level, but again, there is flexibility. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=200910/burasembankmentlarge.jpg&ref=3783" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200910/burasembankment.jpg" style="margin-right: 10px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border: 0"></a><a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuellar/382068237/sizes/o/', '3783')" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuellar/382068237/sizes/o/" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200910/seineembankment.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #ccc; border: 0"/></a><br>Left: Section of the proposed embankment. Right: Seine embankment by cuellar on Flickr.</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Additionally, the plan would improve the street infrastructure while also lessening the dominance of automobiles. The new avenues and side streets would support well more than the current freeways carry and pass over more bridges. An admirer of <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Monderman', '3783')" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Monderman" style="color: black">Hans Monderman</a>, Buras emphasizes the importance of intuitive roads and shared space, citing the George Washington Parkway as a local example of both. In terms of transit infrastructure, Streetcars could also be added as needed, along with bus facilities, but Build DC have deliberately left transportation plans loose, open to long-term change. <p style="margin-top: 1em">This intentional vagueness contrasts with the programmatic specificity in the NCPC's 1997 <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.ncpc.gov/April2009/Main(T2)/Planning(Tr2)/ExtendingtheLegacy.html', '3783')" href="http://www.ncpc.gov/April2009/Main(T2)/Planning(Tr2)/ExtendingtheLegacy.html" style="color: black">Extending the Legacy</a> plan and <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://www.ncpc.gov/April2009/Main(T2)/Planning(Tr2)/ComprehensivePlan.html', '3783')" href="http://www.ncpc.gov/April2009/Main(T2)/Planning(Tr2)/ComprehensivePlan.html" style="color: black">Comprehensive Plan</a> program. These current successors to the McMillan Plan focus on adding large new public spaces for monuments. Because it sticks primarily to the grid and avenues, the McMillan Two Design appears much less grandiose, but also less green. For example, NCPC calls for East Capitol Street to pass under at an East Mall and then over the Anacostia. The McMillan Two plan would restore the boulevard straight across, with no new parkland. Considering the constant use of the athletic fields around the Mall, retaining the same acreage of useable parkland, or even increasing it, would be wise even if it departs from L'Enfant's vision. The Frenchman's genius notwithstanding, the outdoors interests of city dwellers have changed significantly from 1790 and even 1902. Accommodating more active recreation, uses that require substantial space, will enhance the quality of life of residents. Adding a few hundred thousand people while reducing recreation space would diminish the quality of city life and make urbanism less appealing to potential residents. <p style="margin-top: 1em">Of course, the trope is that the French don't exercise too much – so if people will soon be living in <em>Point Peuplier</em>, perhaps lifestyles will change as much as the built environment. But Paris is different than DC in many ways as well. Most importantly, the Seine had a similar, but not identical character. Until the 1700s, the Seine was a very small river except during rainfall, surrounded by mudflats and wetlands. The Anacostia, even in its current state is 1000 feet wide without any rain, even if it's very shallow in most parts. And even when builders channelized the Seine, its course was not as abstracted as the McMillan Two plan calls for. More generally, Washington's geology and climate do not totally resemble Paris's, and a respect for these characteristics of a region should be visible in a city based on the genius of place. In Paris and most of France, limestone is a local material and weather is more temperate; in DC, that material is brick and the humidity can be oppressive. The latter two differences are minor, so Buras argues that the form and style could be appropriately adapted to local needs. <p style="margin-top: 1em">However, Build DC needs to resolve several contentious issues before matters of style come up. First, they must clearly defend the need for such a bold, expensive undertaking. Currently, the area in question lacks important infrastructure, while other, unremarkable areas have access to those resources, but are themselves underdeveloped. Secondly, they need to prove that the environmental effects of eliminating wetlands and narrowing the channel will not adversely affect the river ecosystem or cause further innundation. The elimination of marshes and channelization in other cities has led to serious flooding and dangerous river conditions. Build DC needs to demonstrate that a scheme that remediates the habitat and adds density elsewhere would not work as well. As a secondary question, the known level of dioxin pollution in Anacostia sediment calls into question whether the dredged material could even be used for fill without risking serious contamination. Lastly, they need to settle the means of financing for such a project. Presently, the scheme calls for sale of townhouse-sized lots and the distribution of some lots to residents of Anacostia or other underprivileged groups. But the specifics are not yet set in stone, and Buras freely acknowledges this, even as he anticipates civic generosity from Congress. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><div class="blog_image" style="text-align: center; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="/image.cgi?src=200910/burasmuseum.jpg&ref=3783" style="color: black"><img src="http://greatergreater.com/images/200910/132110-5.jpg" width="344" height="175" style="border: 1px solid #ccc; border: 0"/></a><br>Proposed Naval Museum on the Washington Channel.</div> <p style="margin-top: 1em">That financial and political support will need to appear before any new Classical plan begins to guide the future of Washington. In regard to its lack of formal approval, the McMillan Two plan resembles the <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://burnhamplan100.uchicago.edu/', '3783')" href="http://burnhamplan100.uchicago.edu/" style="color: black">1909 Plan of Chicago</a>. Brought to the public realm by private figures, the Burnham Plan still guided planners and politicians. Some of the iconic structures never saw completion, but the beautiful parks along Lake Michigan, the transit infrastructure improvements, and the many bridges over the river would not have happened had Burnham and Bennett made only little plans. Unsurprisingly, Build DC is taking a long perspective for completion, one hundred years at least to really see major construction. But for now, the best thing to do with these plans is to debate them. The beauty of unsolicited architecture is that it encourages others react and form ideas in dialogue, so people have some centering when trying to imagine the future. McMillan Two is one such provocation, with brilliant and sound elements along side questionable and uncertain problems. What the region makes of it will depend on a serious consideration of its merits in public debate. <p style="margin-top: 1em"><i>Cross-posted at &#1094;ar&#1100;chitect.</i><p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/3783/mcmillan-two-envisions-a-classical-anacostia/#comments">96 comments</a></p><div><span class="related_posts_title">Related posts:</span><ul style="margin: 0"><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/3786/four-ways-to-improve-mcmillan-two/ style="color: black">Four ways to improve McMillan Two</a> <span class="nw">(Oct 15, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/4499/top-ten-most-commented-posts-of-2009/ style="color: black">Top ten most-commented posts of 2009</a> <span class="nw">(Jan 1, 2010)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/1676/11th-street-bridges-part-1-the-plan/ style="color: black">11th Street bridges, part 1: The plan</a> <span class="nw">(Feb 9, 2009)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/354/new-york-public-spaces-good-and-bad/ style="color: black">New York public spaces good and bad</a> <span class="nw">(Oct 8, 2006)</span><li><a href=http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/2497/11th-street-bridges-design-makes-some-improvements/ style="color: black">11th Street bridges design makes some improvements</a> <span class="nw">(May 29, 2009)</span></ul></div> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=3783 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:50:00 EDT http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/2840/it-runs-on-steem/ by <a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/alpert/" style="color: black"><span class="byline_name">David Alpert</span></a> <p style="margin-top: 1em">Alstom has introduced <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://thetransportpolitic.com/2009/07/08/boundaries-of-tram-operation-extended-beyond-the-catenary/', '2840')" href="http://thetransportpolitic.com/2009/07/08/boundaries-of-tram-operation-extended-beyond-the-catenary/" style="color: black">yet another non-overhead-wire streetcar power system</a>. STEEM uses large batteries inside vehicles, which charge when they brake (like a Prius) and when they're sitting in stations. Paris will be testing the system, which can also use regular catenary in some sections. It wouldn't work for long-distance light rail, but might be ideal for DC's streetcars, as long as the systems have enough juice to allow air conditioning, which Paris doesn't have. (The Transport Politic via <a target="_blank" onClick="return countClick('http://cityblock.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/miscellanea/', '2840')" href="http://cityblock.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/miscellanea/" style="color: black">City Block</a>)<p style="margin-top: 1em"><a href="http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/2840/it-runs-on-steem/#comments">Comment</a></p> http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post.cgi?id=2840 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:04:00 EDT