Design, design, design

I happen to believe that DC should have design guidelines for residential and commercial districts for the entire city, whether or not the particular area is designated historic. In historic districts, the DC Historic Preservation Office and the Historic Preservation Review Board, along with neighborhood preservation organizations and Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, weigh in/shape/rule on such matters.

• Citizens' Guide to the DC Historic Preservation Process*
• Historic Preservation Law and Regulations
• Historic Preservation Design Guidelines

Many of the neighborhood organizations have high quality documents about the review process and the architectural styles of the neighborhood. Capitol Hill Restoration Society does not have their materials online, but Historic Mount Pleasant does, see Permit Guide for the Mount Pleasant Historic District (they also have a Spanish language version).

(In the federal interest area, the US Commission on Fine Arts does so, although lately I think they haven' t been too concerned, given Station Place, and other examples.)

I believe that design review is necessary because the city's built environment, especially the historic architecture of the federal government and the distinctive neighborhoods (mostly constructed before 1925), and the resultant beauty defines the city.

If we let that beauty continue to degrade, the qualities that attract us and make the city livable are diminished. This has aesthetic and economic impact. Hence the need for design review everywhere. Granted it won't necessarily result in always excellent design, but at least it has the potential to reduce the likelihood of bad design.

Roger Lewis wrote about the value of design review in Saturday's Post, see "A Public Arbiter of Good Design."