How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
washingtonpost.com
How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
1–10 of 62 posts
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#2Keeping the height restriction in place may be the only practical limit on the size of government.
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#3D.C. would look much more like a real city without the restrictions. This is a good thing!
Cities grow! The choice here is between upward and outward. You can keep buildings unnaturally short, which forces the city to spread out, increasing commute times (and a whole lot more). Or you can let things grow, and let the place be more livable for the people that actually live there.
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#4D.C. would look much more like a real city without the restrictions. This is a good thing! Cities grow! The choice here is between upward and outward. You can keep buildings unnaturally short, which forces the city to spread out, increasing commute times (and a whole lot more). Or you can let things grow, and let the place be more livable for the people that actually live there.
As a lifelong DC resident, I have to admit I've thought about how DC doesn't look like a "real city" and how other places look so much cooler, but seeing this made me cringe. I really hope that the monuments in DC don't get blocked out by office buildings.
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#5D.C. would look much more like a real city without the restrictions. This is a good thing! Cities grow! The choice here is between upward and outward. You can keep buildings unnaturally short, which forces the city to spread out, increasing commute times (and a whole lot more). Or you can let things grow, and let the place be more livable for the people that actually live there.
Paris is often seen as one of the most beautiful cities in the world and totally does feel like a real city despite the height limit.
In fact the new financial district off to the side with its skyscrapers and, I imagine, no height limit, while modern and fancy, just doesn't feel as city-like as the rest of Paris. It feels like a dead place where people only come to work.
I've only spent a good week in Paris, so it might feel different when you're living there for a long time. But not-tall cities are totally cool.
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#6Some background from the WaPo: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/24/s...
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#7Keeping the height restriction in place may be the only practical limit on the size of government.
What on earth are you talking about?
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#8I personally am fine with exemptions to the height limit, especially if they can be tied to a meaningful concession from the developer like a significant number of affordable housing units.
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#9Keeping the height restriction in place may be the only practical limit on the size of government.
Maybe the size, but not the price. DC building restrictions just mean to pay more for less.
Re: How D.C. could look if the height restriction changes
#10D.C. would look much more like a real city without the restrictions. This is a good thing! Cities grow! The choice here is between upward and outward. You can keep buildings unnaturally short, which forces the city to spread out, increasing commute times (and a whole lot more). Or you can let things grow, and let the place be more livable for the people that actually live there.
There's an argument that forcing the city to "spread out" rather than "up" has been partly responsible for the rapid improvement in crime and livability in many parts of the city over the last decade. What would H St NE or Upper 16th St look like if one could just build huge buildings in Dupont and Adams Morgan.