New Year's #3 -- Alteration or Demolition? 1248 Monroe Street NE, Washington, DC

For all of you who move into the city, because you value urbanity, stop and think for a moment about what comprises the factors that make city living appealing.

And then give me your property rights rap...

Do you understand that today, the only reason that the city is worth living in, is because for 40 years historic preservationists have been working to save their neighborhoods, which are the building blocks of a livable city?

After all, the neighborhoods in highest demand in the city are comprised of neighborhoods of historic or historically-eligible residential building stock. See "Updating my list of the "building blocks" of successful urban revitalization" and "The building blocks of neighborhood revitalization " for background.

(Note that the Von Hoffman book mentioned in the latter entry, Life Between Buildings by Jan Gehl, The City by Doug Rae, and writings by Clare Cooper Marcus, including Housing as If People Mattered and People Places are more books to add to my 2006 reading list.)

Urban renewal created apartments-condominums in Southwest DC, photo from BeyondDC. Property values in Southwest DC lag neighborhoods comprised of historic building stock. But people comfortable with the suburbs do like the option of living in Southwest because the properties are relatively "new." No Applebees though

Here's to seeing, hearing, and believing in 2006!

What a Brookland house looks like when the top of the house hasn't been sheared off. Photo from BeyondDC.

Index Keywords: historic-preservation