A pandemic induced shutdown is a harsh way to achieve cleaner air, but it has done just that. Air quality in DC is some 10 to 20% better than at this time last year, according to Tommy Wells, Director of the District Office of Energy and the Environment (DOEE). Indeed, the region “has yet to experience a day with unhealthful air quality in 2020.”
By Alex Baca (Housing Program Organizer) • June 29, 2020
Advisory Neighborhood Commission seats are DC’s most local elected office. ANC commissioners are nonpartisan elected officials who serve two-year terms and represent about 2,000 constituents in a single-member district. And as of June 26, you can officially run for an ANC seat.
The Federal Government is by far the largest source of employment in the region, and many government offices were constructed near Metro accordingly. Unfortunately, federal agencies often design their campuses and otherwise plan around automobiles. Perhaps the most egregious case of this is the Suitland Metro station.
By Christina Sturdivant Sani (Contributor) • June 29, 2020
How can urban design reduce anxiety and stress? The power of art in public spaces. How to make change happen in your community, and more in this week’s (virtual) urbanist events.
Because of COVID-19, this summer is marked by competition for limited shared urban spaces like parks, sidewalks, and streets by restaurants and bars wanting to expand outdoor dining, protestors seeking to demonstrate against police racism, pedestrians practicing social distancing, and cars, among others. (Feargus O’Sullivan / Citylab)
On July 1, new laws in the District, Maryland, and Virginia take effect, which include a higher minimum wage in DC, expanded community college tuition assistance in Maryland, and expanded protections for LGBT people in Virginia. (Laura Vozzella and Ovetta Wiggins / Post)
On July 6, Montgomery County Public Schools will add about 50 new sites to distribute free meals from 10 am to noon, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday to students and Montgomery County children. An additional thirty sites run by community organizations will also distribute free meals. (Bethesda Beat)
Following the announcement Monday by Princeton University to expunge Woodrow Wilson’s name from its campus, over 18,000 people signed an online petition to rename DC’s Woodrow Wilson High School. Area schools Stonewall Jackson High School in Prince William County and Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School in Montgomery County are also in the process of finding new names. (Eliza Berkon / WAMU, Michelle Basch / WTOP, Caitlynn Peetz / Bethesda Beat)
Mary Blackford, a teacher-turned-entrepreneur, is one of three finalists for a $100,000 award that would go toward her idea of building a food hall on Benning Road made up of Black-owned businesses and featuring food from the African diaspora as well as a grocery store and retail area. (Aja Beckham / DCist)
In partnership with Events DC, local collective Broccoli City received approval to run a drive-in movie theater pop up on the RFK campus, which will run for about three months beginning this summer. Union Market, which has run an annual drive-in theater since 2013, also received approval to begin operations. (Colleen Grablick / DCist. Tip: Chester B.)
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People signed a letter of intent to relocate from Baltimore to the future redevelopment at the Frank D. Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs on 14th Street. DC plans to turn the center into a mixed-use development. (Nathan Diller / DCist)
Self-guided walking tours put together by various local organizations highlight the architecture and history of certain Washington region neighborhoods and are available via online maps or through apps. (Michele Lerner / Post)
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