A (further) point about Congestion--Dr. Transit didn't mean to dis Adams-Morgan

Someone questioned Dr. Transit's statement about a lack of concern for congestion in Adams-Morgan. Dr. Transit tries for post-modern cool, and sometimes is overly enigmatic (otoh Dr. Transit and his alter-ego write awfully long and detailed blog entries as it is) so here goes...

Congestion is in part a sign of urban health and vitality.

Don't you love the activity and vibrance of the streets of New York, Bryant Park, Union Square, and in DC--Dupont Circle, Georgetown at night and on weekends, the Connecticut Avenue and K Street intersection during workdays, 7th Street NW from Pennsylvania Avenue to past H Street (and eventually up to New York Avenue and hopefully beyond), lower 14th Street more and more, especially around The Black Cat, the counter at Ben's Chili Bowl, the 200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE during the day and into the evening, the Latino feel of Columbia Road, mid 14th Street in Columbia Heights--and in the suburbs, Clarendon at night, the neon and places like Iota or Clarendon Ballroom.

That is what Dr. Transit's alter-ego loves about "the city." (When I was a child in Detroit it was places like news-stands on the street, and counter restaurants where I went with my father, places comparable to the "Steak and Egg Kitchen" on Wisconsin Avenue or Waffle Shop downtown or in Columbia Heights.)

A sociologist would say that what happens in Adams-Morgan particularly at night is a "negotiation" between various groups that "produce" the space. Urban vitality is built in part by compromise. (cf. Jane Jacobs' comment in The Nature of Economies, badly paraphrased "When you ask why aren't there enough roads, you're asking the wrong question. The real question is 'why are there so many cars?'")

This is discussed by Rem Koolhaas (I am pretty much not into his buildings, but his writings are intriquing) and covered a bit in the recent New Yorker magazine profile of Koolhaas earlier this month (not available on line, but available at your local library hopefully). This blog entry (See http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/OedipusRem/koolhaasbio.htm) summarizes the point, part of which I've emphasized:

"In 1972 a Harkness Fellowship brought Koolhaas and his wife, architect and painter Madelon Vriesendorp, to New York. He was fascinated by the dynamics of the city and how it stood apart from the urban-design trend toward"dedensifying" cities, tearing down entire blocks to create open malls and plazas. Manhattan seemed to thrive on what Koolhaas called the "culture of congestion" in his sensational 1978 book, Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan."

Part of the comment has to do with Dr. Transit's un-Dr. Gridlock attitude which is based on Jacobs' question "why are there so many cars?" rather than Dr. Gridlock's knee-jerk position to my way of thinking as "what can we do to assist cars-drivers in their quest to get around faster and more efficiently?"

Congestion can be a kind of tax on the people who fail to consider other ways of getting around. Of course it is also an inconvenience on those on whom it is imposed upon as a result of the choices of others--that's what concerns, rightfully so, the residents of Adams-Morgan.

However, I will say, not as Dr. Transit, that this issue is not only a matter of interest and importance to the residents of Adams-Morgan. We are citizens of the District of Columbia, and the livable and inclusive city should be of interest and concern to all of us, regardless of where we live specifically, and as citizens of the city, we should feel empowered to comment on these issues wherever they arise.

Would that more people were interested in and committed to urban design and placemaking. See the article on walkable communities on the Dan Burden website for more to think about in terms of livability.