Blogging - Greater Greater Washington

And...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:51:00 EDT

We'll miss JDLand (and thoughts are with JD's family). ... A conservative former Congressman wants his colleagues to go see DC's black neighborhoods. (DCist) ... Prince William residents discover VDOT's planning processes are shams. (Potomac Local)

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And...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:36:00 EDT

by Jereme Altendorf

Parts of 3 Smithsonian museums will close due to sequestration. (City Paper) ... A new Tumblr blog chronicles the worst Cleveland Park neighborhood complaints. (DCist) ... Walk the future M Street bike lane with WABA on Monday.

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Hot for ToT

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:26:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The Titan of Trinidad blog, which started out as satire, has now broken and doggedly followed 2 big stories, about Vincent Orange personally intervening to stop health officials from shutting down a rodent-infested food wholesaler, and Kathy Henderson allegedly breaking electioneering laws on Election Day.

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OP has OPinions

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:57:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The DC Office of Planning has launched a blog to talk about planning concepts. There's also a new blog for the zoning update.

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And...

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 08:34:00 EDT

by David Alpert

An illuminated helmet can operate as a brake light, turn signal, or just look cool. (Fashioning Tech, Bossi) ... DC looks to activate St. Elizabeths with temporary events. (City Paper) ... Like Prince of Petworth? (Or don't?) Then you'll love Titan of Trinidad!

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TBD Off Foot

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:39:00 EDT

by David Alpert

TBD On Foot blogger John Hendel, the last remaining TBD employee, is leaving, likely spelling the end of the blog. Hendel did a great job covering transportation, especially taxi policy. TBD will remain only to publish WJLA content. (City Paper)

Comment

Fix the Taxi Commission, or abolish it? (Jun 28, 2011)
WMATA says blogs aren't news media (Oct 13, 2008)

Lydia wins

Sat, 09 Jun 2012 11:04:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Lydia DePillis has won a well-deserved award for her Housing Complex blog. It was named best blog among alt-weeklies by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. Congratulations! (@wcp)

Comment

Students fix Foggy Bottom's waterfront problems (Jul 28, 2010)

CSI: Blog

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:39:00 EDT

by David Alpert

TV investigators identify objects using magic databases that flash each item on the screen. In real life, they can use blog commenters. Jalopnik readers helped Waynesboro, VA police identify a car part, leading to an arrest in a fatal hit-and-run.

Comment

The green light never stays green (Apr 4, 2010)

How blogs influence planning

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:30:00 EDT

by David Alpert

David is giving a talk this evening at the American Planning Association about the way blogs can change the conversation around planning. It's 5:30-6:30 at 1030 15th Street; RSVP here.

Comment

Blogs and social media change the conversation on transit (Oct 26, 2011)

And...

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:30:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Occupy DC realizes that stealing the DC flag was symbolically stupid, given DC's lack of voting rights. (DCist) ... ~~Clarendon~~ Court House CaBi commences construction. (Twitter) ... And now, no more And Now, Anacostia.

Comment

Join GGW at Anacostia Community Museum & Art Gallery (Jun 15, 2011)
Dedicated parking not optimal for Clarendon Trader Joe's (Sep 22, 2010)
Use your phone to find CaBi (Sep 27, 2010)
Even bike owners will benefit from joining Capital Bikeshare (Sep 16, 2010)
Take Washington Blvd to mystery unnamed road (Nov 4, 2009)

Blogs and social media change the conversation on transit

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:06:00 EDT

by Matt Johnson

Social media played a gradually growing role in Rail~Volution over the past few years. This year, panels explored topics such as blogging and how public agencies use social media.

Photo by rachelandrea on Flickr.

Both David and I sat on a panel discussing the way blogging has changed the conversation. We were joined by Reconnecting America's Jeff Wood and Curt Ailes from Urban Indy. Blogging has come a long way in the past few years, and the panel discussed the influence that blogs have had on policy and organizing movements.

One audience member said she associated blogs with someone posting pictures of their cat. And certainly that sort of thing used to be a primary function of blogs. But these days, many blogs have become a major part of the conversation. In fact, blogs like Streetsblog and Greater Greater Washington are changing the conversation.

As Curt explained, the urban conversation in Indianapolis hasn't come as far as it has here. As a result, Urban Indy plays a large role in introducing Indianans to planning concepts. Curt recounted an instance where the print media came to him about a bike path. He was able to help the reporter (and the readers) to get the terminology right and understand was was at stake.

And that's really how I see the role of Greater Greater Washington. Not as a way of bringing people over to our opinion, but as a way to give people the tools they need to be a productive participant in the conversation.

And while transforming the dialog is a great thing, social media can fill other roles, too. Metro's Nat Bottigheimer mentioned in a panel an idea for a social media network geared toward transit users. It could let transit riders share their experiences, and could help new riders to learn how to get started. While a new social medium may or may not be forthcoming, it is possible to leverage the platforms that already exist.

We heard from representatives of several public sector agencies about the role social media plays in their communication strategies. The Utah Transit Authority has a strong presence in cyberspace; using Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare, YouTube, and with three blogs catering to different user groups.

I was impressed with the idea of using Foursquare and blogging to help riders (and potential riders) find things they could use transit to get to. Foursquare has always been one of the social media tools I've not found much use for. But as a spatial tool, it could prove helpful to transit agencies.

UTA's representative, Tauni Everett, also talked about using Twitter to engage the public. A recent spate of hearings about a fare hike drew less than 20 attendees to the 7 meetings held in the six-county UTA service area. But an online public hearing using Twitter generated hundreds of comments, all of which were counted in the public record.

We also heard from people from goDCgo and Nashville's MPO about different initiatives to reach out and use new tools. For planning to be effective, it needs public participation. In today's fast-paced world, it can be difficult to engage people in traditional ways. Using social media is proving to be a way to connect with new voices and regular participants alike.

In our region, agencies are using new strategies for communication as well. Metro, for example, has started to engage riders on Twitter. And the planning department there has started its own blog to help broaden the dialogue.

How do you see the role of social media and blogging as a part of the planning conversation? How could agencies like DDOT and WMATA improve? And what's the next generation of social media?

20 comments

Social media enabled instant organizing for streetcars (May 27, 2010)
Transit mashups & me on Kojo tomorrow (Mar 23, 2009)
WMATA says blogs aren't news media (Oct 13, 2008)
Planners host blogger talk on Montgomery's future (Apr 5, 2010)
Metro trying new technology, communication with parking (Jan 24, 2011)

Metro social staff vs. the critics

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:38:00 EDT

by David Alpert

In one corner, there's WMATA's new and growing social media team which provides valuable but often "sanitized" customer relations; in the other, a cadre of tweeters and bloggers who indiscriminately criticize everything WMATA does. Get ready for the Metro Noise War! (TBD)

Comment

At least one Metro customer service issue getting fixed (Sep 6, 2010)
Social media enabled instant organizing for streetcars (May 27, 2010)
Integrate WMATA customer service in departments (Feb 17, 2010)
Metro tweets welcome, could be even more useful (Jul 15, 2010)
Richard Sarles will make safety top priority, ride Metro (Mar 4, 2010)

And...

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:52:00 EDT

by David Alpert

A Metrobus and its driver hit a pedestrian near 14th and Monroe (WUSA) ... While DC is cutting services, MPD is offering police escorts from Dulles to washed-up Hollywood actors (Post) ... Several bloggers, both Republicans and Democrats, are considering running for office in Virginia. (Examiner)

Comment

Bus driver hits jogger, maybe while turning (Sep 3, 2009)
MPD unsuccessfully pursued charges in October 2008 death (Mar 25, 2010)
Pedestrian hit at Comet Square; driver "cited with a violation" (Feb 4, 2009)
You're free to mow down pedestrians in Prince William (Oct 15, 2010)
Police report for Connecticut & Nebraska crash (Feb 4, 2009)

TBD announces cuts

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:56:00 EDT

by David Alpert

TBD is eliminating most of their staff, the WBJ is reporting. TBD has provided high-quality local reporting since their launch last August, particularly Dave Jamieson's TBD On Foot blog, which has brought much-needed attention to pedestrian, bicycle, and transit issues.

9 comments

Our favorite mainstream local reporters of 2009 (Jan 5, 2010)
Track fire this morning, carols tonight (Dec 13, 2010)
Fairfax County proposes bus route cuts (Mar 24, 2009)
Fairfax greasing the chain (Oct 8, 2009)

The ICC's mixed blessing

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:05:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Though it cost $2.6 billion to build, the first segment of the ICC, opening February 22, will only cost $1.60 to traverse. (Examiner) ... 12 years ago, Dan Malouff supported the ICC. Now, he's a professional planner and a great blogger. The ICC might be bad for the region, but at least it brought us Dan. (Gazette)

Comment

ICC overrun more than entire Columbia Pike streetcar (Sep 4, 2008)
The federally tilted playing field on transportation (Sep 10, 2007)
Metro isn't always the best option for transit expansion (Sep 21, 2010)
Rein's "OMG $15 billion" Tysons costs include transportation far from Tysons (Oct 30, 2009)
High ICC tolls show how expensive new freeways are (Oct 19, 2009)

And...

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:59:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

New residences and offices on 14th Street have been filling, but the ground-floor retail has remained mostly empty. (New Columbia Heights) ... The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has launched a new blog, called The HUDdle. ... WMATA is already looking forward to the closure of Smithsonian and Federal Triangle over President's Day Weekend in February. (TBD)

Comment

Overlays, design standards, and zoning for neighborhood retail (Nov 14, 2008)
How can 14th Street thrive between Target and Walmart? (Feb 2, 2011)
Identity matters: Columbia Heights residents object to "Tivoli North" (Apr 10, 2009)
GSA considering ground-floor retail (Jun 30, 2010)
Zoning Review discusses retail (Mar 31, 2008)

100 vs. 539 (and counting)

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:28:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Martin Austermuhle, Tim Craig, and Lydia DePillis all take note of our little skirmish with the Committee of 100 yesterday. (Sign the petition!) Austermuhle writes, "One of the obvious ironies about the tiff between the Committee of 100 and Greater Greater Washington is that both groups seek the same goal—though they're generations apart about how they define it." (DCist, Post, City Paper)

Comment

Our tagline is similar to... (Jun 22, 2010)
Smart Growth becomes at-large issue, we get some credit (Aug 27, 2010)
You know you've arrived when... (Sep 2, 2010)
Why doesn't the Committee of 100 adore the zoning update? (Nov 19, 2010)
Social media enabled instant organizing for streetcars (May 27, 2010)

Behind the bag fee victory

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:35:00 EDT

by David Alpert

How did Tommy Wells beat the plastics industry to pass the bag fee where so many had failed? Smart politics, outreach to religious groups east of the river, organized groups, and blogs. GGW gets a shout-out. (OnEarth Magazine)

Comment

Join Tommy Wells for reelection kickoff Saturday (Mar 25, 2010)
All except Mendelson introduce overhead wire bill (Jun 1, 2010)
Live chat: Tommy Wells, today at 3 pm (Jul 22, 2009)
12 Councilmembers co-introduce 5-cent fee for disposable bags (Feb 17, 2009)
Wells concerned about parking in bike lanes (Jun 20, 2008)

And...

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 08:35:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

Amtrak will hold a security exercise tomorrow on various routes. (ABC News, Steve S) ... Arlington County has a new blog, "Under One Roof," dedicated to a variety of housing issues. (Dan M) ... The reconstruction of Ohio Drive around the Lincoln Memorial is nearly complete. (WTOP)

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How the Internet changes transportation policy

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 10:06:00 EDT

by David Alpert

WAMU video reporter Erissa Scalera talked to me recently about the role of blogs and sites that aggregate data, like Struck in DC and SeeClickFix, in transportation advocacy.

2 comments

Moran criticizes McDonnell transportation plan (Jan 22, 2011)
Struck in DC this week: 7 pedestrians, 3 cyclists (Nov 1, 2010)
Social media enabled instant organizing for streetcars (May 27, 2010)
Turn on Kojo! (Mar 24, 2009)
Arlington collecting bicycle and pedestrian traffic data (Feb 3, 2009)

You know you've arrived when...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:03:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Greater Greater Washington is the subject of the cover story in this week's City Paper, about how our little ragtag band of bloggers here is getting to be a little bit influential.

Photo by James Calder on Flickr.

If you're visiting us for the first time after finding out about us in the article, welcome! The best way to stay on top of what we're talking about is to subscribe to the RSS feed, sign up for our daily digest email, or follow us on Twitter.

What did you think of the piece?

My favorite bit is Chris Zimmerman's insightful quote about the forces shaping WMATA coverage in the Post and Examiner (though I do think Kytja Weir has been doing a great job), followed by the part about how Richard Longstreth might be able to make a persuasive-sounding case to landmark a pile of dirt. If you don't get the Eleanor Roosevelt reference, it was an allusion to Falkland Chase.

And aw, shucks, Rob Pitingolo.

Is our group too white, as DePillis wonders? It's too bad Dan Reed had decamped for grad school in Philadelphia by the time that Hyattsville meetup happened, else he'd very likely have been there. And we're always happy when Bradley Heard has time to write something. But yes, we're pretty white, as are planners in general, and it'd be really great to increase our diversity.

DePillis is pointing out an issue that I've long known we need to address. Since we don't pay anyone, I'm limited in how much I can influence this. But we're always looking for contributors, of any race, gender, age or other characteristic. The only requirement is quality, and a general fit with our philosophy. Email info@ggwash.org if you'd like to write for us.

Richard Layman also raises a point about the challenge of building relationships with insiders versus attacking them. It's a tough line all journalists walk. In our case, we criticize agencies and officials when warranted, but also try to be be fair and understand the challenges people on the inside face.

When it comes to Jim Graham, I'd just note that I criticized the DC USA parking garage, one of the listed issues, in February 2008, March on bike parking, May twice, June, a New York analogue, March and April 2009 ... you get the idea.

The thing about Jim Graham is that you just have to understand where he's coming from. He's very much a politican, and makes decisions based on what voters want. But that means all you have to do to win is get a lot of Ward 1 voters to support your policy. He also has an absolutely first-rate staffer in charge of transportation, which counts for a lot. Finally, that quote from me at the end of that section is the only one I'd say was a wee bit out of context.

I also have just a few little nitpicks. Remarkably few, actually, given the amount of content in the piece. One of the little Metro-line graphics lists ANCs among the "anti" groups. Sometimes they are anti, but some ANCs are terrific. Last election cycle, a bunch of good candidates won many Ward 3 ANC seats, turning several ANCs from knee-jerk naysayers to constructive participants in neighborhood visioning.

Also, I wish I could take credit for the bag fee, but that one was all amazing legislative legwork by Tommy Wells and his staff.

DePillis's piece is quite balanced, and pretty accurate for an article of its length. As someone who does a fair bit of journalism myself, I know how hard it is to say a lot and be absolutely precise in every tiny, mostly-irrelevant detail.

So what if Drinking Liberally really met in Manhattan, not Brooklyn, or Jaime hadn't quite yet started planning school at the time she started contributing, or if the landmarked Brutalist church at 16th and I is Third Church, not First Church (which is up in Columbia Heights); you're not going to go fundamentally wrong reading it, and DePillis deserves good marks for a tough job well done.

49 comments

Graham, Albert did allow several options for public hearings (Jan 8, 2010)
Church anti-preservation bill comes back (Jun 20, 2008)
Taxing the parking subsidies of free spaces (Apr 16, 2008)
Friday meta-discussion: Education? (Aug 14, 2009)
Ask GGW: How are the trails? And talk about traffic calming (Dec 28, 2009)

Smart Growth becomes at-large issue, we get some credit

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:14:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DC Council at-large challenger Clark Ray is making Smart Growth a major campaign issue with a new video attacking incumbent Phil Mendelson.

Clark Ray at the Wisconsin Ave. Giant.

Ray criticizes Mendelson for his seemingly-disingenuous foot-dragging on streetcars and for his opposition to the Wisconsin Avenue Giant. He also created a special page on Smart Growth comparing himself and Mendelson.

As Lydia DePillis points out, Mendelson has his strengths too in this area, like a stellar environmental record and good work chairing the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee, including sticking up for pedestrian safety.

DePillis also gives us a nice compliment:

The most interesting thing about Ray's video, though, is that the smart-growth crew has made itself into a constituency to be courted. It centers around Greater Greater Washington, where Ray clearly got much of his ammunition. But its power became clear when thousands of calls, e-mails, and tweets poured in to defend streetcars when they were threatened by Vince Gray's 2:00 a.m. switcharoo. That's what political power is: When elections become about your issues, you've essentially won.

Aw, shucks.

Here's the video:

10 comments

For District of Columbia Council (Aug 31, 2010)
Let's create a scorecard (Oct 15, 2008)
A toast to 2010: Top five Smart Growth moments of the year (Dec 9, 2010)
Arlington explains Smart Growth (Sep 12, 2010)
"We Are Smart Growth" (Aug 28, 2007)

Maybe the Tea Party is right

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:11:00 EDT

by Erik Weber

Philadelphia is asking bloggers who have ads on their sites to get a $300 business license, and pay taxes on any profits, regardless how much they generate. This seems like a good example of government not optimizing around very small businesses, which it's best to encourage. If permits are needed at all, cities will need to figure out more reasonable processes & costs for them. (Philadelphia City Paper, David Alpert, not)

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Are we the best?

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:13:48 EDT

by David Alpert

WTOP is holding a vote for best local blog, and GGW is one of the nominees. These things usually end up being about who will flog readers hardest to go vote, which I won't do, but feel free to vote for us if you want. (Froggie)

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And...

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:33:00 EDT

by David Alpert

In the Post's Local Opinions section, I talk about frequent calls for underground parking on the Mall, maybe like Budapest's garage (Smilla) ... Fairfax Village (a neighborhood in River East) is getting speed bumps (Life in the Village) ... Montgomery's best blogger on pedestrian safety is legally blind. (Post)

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Reactions to me

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:35:03 EDT

by David Alpert

Unsuck DC Metro published an amusing rebuttal to our call for more solutions instead of just griping ... TheCityFix's Victoria Broadus summarized Wednesday's Germany-US transportation panel with Ralph Buehler of Va. Tech and me.

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I'm talking about technology and transportation

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:29:00 EDT

by David Alpert

This week is Digital Capital Week, and today's theme is Media 2.0, meaning there are a lot of events about the future of media including a few where I'll be speaking.

H Street Pop-Up Lab (site of this evening's discussion). Image from Google Street View.

From 1:30 to 3:30 this afternoon, I'll be joining folks from OCTO, DDOT, the Post, and OpenPlans for a panel discussion on "Online Engagement and Sustainable Urban Mobility." A number of breakout discussions will follow, facilitated by folks from WMATA, the Office of Planning, Development Seed, OpenPlans, Prince of Petworth and FixMyCity DC.

It's at EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute's "center for sustainable transport," 10 G Street, NE next to Union Station.

And this evening, ReadySetDC is holding another of their "Art of the Blog_" discussions, where I will discuss urban development and blogging.

That event is 6-8 pm at the H Street Pop-Up Lab, another experiment in "Temporary Urbanism" where with the consent of the DC Government, a vacant library kiosk at 13th and H, NE will become a creating and meeting space for Digital Capital Week.

Finally, next week I'm joining Virginia Tech's Ralph Buehler for a panel on "Smart Mobility for the 21st Century" organized by the Goethe-Institut, Heinrich Böll Foundation, and WABA. That's 6:30-8:30 (with my panel at 7) at the Goethe-Institut, 812 7th Street, NW.

3 comments

On the calendar: Panel tonight, happy hour next week, WMATA governance, 7000 series railcars (Jun 23, 2010)
Some DC agencies doing a great job with technology (Sep 15, 2009)
Union Station Intermodal Transportation Center meeting tonight (May 29, 2008)
On the calendar: WMATA capital budget, Christopher Leinberger, outdoor play, Met Branch Trail, Daniel Burnham (Jun 2, 2010)
What should I ask Ray LaHood? (Jul 16, 2010)

Seasons change, bloggers switch jobs

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:33:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Sommer Mathis is leaving DCist. She got a new job at the new TBD.com. (DCist)

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DDOT blogging

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:33:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DDOT was so unhappy with blog coverage of the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes that they've started their own blog to get the word out directly. If they use it to really communicate useful information to interested residents, it's a terrific idea. Speaking of the lanes, WashCycle is persuaded by Gabe Klein's arguments and trying sections that have already been modified.

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Thanks, Mike!

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:09:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Mike DeBonis analyzes the Gray streetcar escapade, and calls us an "influential blog ... the de facto ringleader of a group of smart, dedicated transit and planning activists." It wouldn't be possible without all of our terrific contributors and amazing community of commenters and readers. (Post)

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Riding it all

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 08:58:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Em Hall is trying to ride every Metrorail station and Metrobus line in a year. She's chronicling her adventures on her blog Metro-Venture. (Post)

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