The Tidal Basin is the crown jewel of Washington, D.C.'s National Mall. It is home to some of the nation’s most iconic landmarks, including the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. And every year, thousands flock to see the blooming of its historic cherry trees, a gift from Japan in 1912. 

But the Tidal Basin, a National Trust National Treasure, is under threat. Silt and water from the nearby Potomac Flats make it unstable, and the conditions they create compromise the site’s historic resources and visitor experiences. Each day at high tide, water floods the surrounding sidewalks, making them impassable and endangering the roots of the cherry trees.

In a bid to save the celebrated landscape, the National Trust, together with Trust for the National Mall and the National Park Service, unveiled proposals from five prestigious landscape architecture firms—DLANDstudio, GGN, Hood Design Studio, James Corner Field Operations, and Reed Hilderbrand—to reimagine the future of the Tidal Basin and National Mall. Explore their designs.

After reviewing the designs, let us know what you think! Share your thoughts by taking the Tidal Basin design survey. Your responses will help us demonstrate the need for critical and urgent action.

Want to learn more? Join an upcoming webinar on Wednesday, January 27 at
5:30 p.m. ET about the nature of public space and preserving the Tidal Basin. Click here to register.