Opinion

Jun 27, 2023

Pennsylvania Avenue NW — a corridor synonymous with the power and prestige of Washington — is overdue for a makeover. While its image evokes the grandeur of presidential inaugural parades, the mile-long stretch between the White House and the Capitol has also hosted everything from Black Lives Matter demonstrations and women’s suffrage protests to BBQ festivals and a Wonder Woman movie set. As the nation emerges from the pandemic, transforming this symbolic boulevard codifies the new role America’s “main streets” can play in bringing people together.

The National Capital Planning Commission, the federal agency in charge of coming up with the biggest overhaul of the route in half a century, has been busy brainstorming ideas and soliciting public input. Their goal is to create a greener and livelier route — one they are calling an “Avenue as a Venue.”

new york ave. nw

massachusetts ave. NW

White

House

Pennsylvania Avenue

and revitilization area

pennsylvania AvENUE

U.S.

Capitol

NATIONAL MALL

1/4 mile

new york aveNUE nw

massachusetts aveNUE NW

White

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Pennsylvania Avenue

and revitilization area

pennsylvania AveNUE

NATIONAL MALL

U.S.

Capitol

1/4 mile

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massachusetts aveNUE NW

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Pennsylvania Avenue

and revitilization area

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Monument

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1/4 mile

Why does it need to change? Over time, Pennsylvania Avenue morphed into an eight-lane urban highway to facilitate car commuters rushing in and out of the city. Then the pandemic hit. Many stores and restaurants closed, and commuters largely stayed home, sapping its vibrancy. Most visitors today take a selfie on the street and quickly move on, a far cry from four decades ago, when a reporter for this newspaper described the avenue as “a fun place to eat, drink, shop, play tourist, ice skate, play chess, watch a hit play, absorb art, commune with dead heroes, [and] browse among antiques.”

The commission just announced a process to finalize the vision for Pennsylvania Avenue by the end of 2026. Last year, it released three initial makeover ideas. Shown below, they are tagged “Urban Capital" which has the most car lanes, “Linear Green” which has the most trees and fewest traffic lanes, and “Civic Stage” with a large center median that can be a giant event space:

URBAN CAPITAL

Expanded sidewalks

Slightly wider sidewalks but still many

traffic lanes

Proposed road

Pedestrian

Bikes

Transit

Traffic

Trees

Today

Pedestrian

Bikes

Traffic

LINEAR GREEN

Car free

Huge, park-like sidewalks and only public

transit lanes

Proposed road

Pedestrian

Bikes

Transit

Today

Pedestrian

Bikes

Traffic

CIVIC STAGE

Center promenade

A central pedestrian median and two

traffic lanes

Proposed road

Transit

Bikes

Pedestrian

Traffic

Today

Pedestrian

Traffic

Bikes

Images courtesy of the National Capital Planning

Commission, created by ZGF Architects LLP

URBAN CAPITAL

Expanded sidewalks

Slightly wider sidewalks but still many traffic lanes

Proposed road

Pedestrian

Bikes

Transit

Traffic

Trees

Today

Pedestrian

Bikes

Traffic

LINEAR GREEN

Car free

Huge, park-like sidewalks and only public transit lanes

Proposed road

Pedestrian

Transit

Bikes

Today

Pedestrian

Bikes

Traffic

CIVIC STAGE

Center promenade

A central pedestrian median and two traffic lanes

Proposed road

Transit

Bikes

Pedestrian

Traffic

Today

Pedestrian

Bikes

Traffic

Images courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission,

created by ZGF Architects LLP

URBAN CAPITAL

Expanded sidewalks

Slightly wider sidewalks but still

many traffic lanes

Proposed road

Pedestrian

Transit

Bikes

Trees

Traffic

Today

Pedestrian

Bikes

Traffic

LINEAR GREEN

Car free

Huge, park-like sidewalks

and only public transit lanes

Proposed road

Pedestrian

Bikes

Transit

Today

Pedestrian

Bikes

Traffic

CIVIC STAGE

Center promenade

A central pedestrian median

and two traffic lanes

Proposed road

Pedestrian

Bikes

Transit

Traffic

Today

Pedestrian

Bikes

Traffic

Images courtesy of the National Capital Planning Commission, created by ZGF Architects LLP

Whichever direction it takes, Pennsylvania Avenue’s route into the future should be bold. This is a chance to reimagine what America’s main street can be: A gathering place for the city, the nation and the world. Imagine a spot than can host art and historical exhibits, concerts, food festivals, parades and other events that bring the nation together. What people want — and need — from downtown has shifted dramatically after the pandemic. There’s an awakened desire for more communal space, more green space and unique experiences.

This boulevard should also be distinctive. “Linear Green” and “Civic Stage” provide eye-catching transformations. Our preference is “Civic Stage.” It puts people at the heart of Pennsylvania Avenue, though we would like to see more greenery in the final design. Summers in D.C. are getting hotter. Any makeover should add substantial additional shade and trees. You can offer your input in the poll throughout this editorial, starting with this question:

Experts will spend the next year or so refining the vision and seeking additional input from the public, D.C. officials and key stakeholders, such as the National Park Service. The end product will need buy-in from Congress, since taxpayer dollars will likely help fund the transformation. Already, one major friction point is how much access skateboarders and bikers should have along the route. The current configuration has bike lanes running down the middle of the avenue, and skateboarders often take over plazas along the route.

Some critics also question the need to spend money on Pennsylvania Avenue when the National Mall is nearby and hosts large national events such as the July Fourth Independence Day concert and celebration. But the nation’s capital deserves more than one gathering space. All redesign options include major transformations of several public plazas in addition to the street. Pennsylvania Avenue should be a destination itself, as well as a key connection point from the museums and monuments on the Mall to the shops, restaurants, entertainment and hotels in the rest of the city.

White

House

Plazas with proposed upgrades

John

Marshall

Park

14th St.

pennsylvania Avenue

Pershing Park

4th St.

National

Archives

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U.S.

Capitol

1/4 mile

Plazas with proposed upgrades

White

House

Market Square

John

Marshall

Park

14th St.

pennsylvania AVENUE

Pershing Park

4th St.

NATIONAL MALL

U.S.

Capitol

National Archives

1/4 mile

Plazas with proposed upgrades

White

House

14th St.

Market Square

pennsylvania AVENUE

John Marshall Park

Pershing Park

4th St.

National Archives

U.S.

Capitol

NATIONAL MALL

1/4 mile

The National Mall is also not well suited to events that require a lot of technology. Part of the plan to upgrade Pennsylvania Avenue NW is to install sound systems, security, telecom and even water access to make it easier to host big concerts and events. There’s also a need to clarify who oversees the route. Right now, different parts of it belong to the city, the National Park Service and the General Services Administration.

Cities around the world are overhauling marquee streets because their needs and priorities are evolving. Paris’s Champs-Élysées is getting a green makeover ahead of the 2024 Olympics with more trees, fewer car lanes and bigger pedestrian spaces. A similar plan is underway to transform New York City’s 5th Avenue. This board has heard similar desires from Washingtonians, especially those under 40, to make downtown D.C. more green, more communal and more event-focused.

“A lot of planning in the past focused on Pennsylvania Avenue as a place to carry cars. That really changed in the pandemic. This is an asset that has been freed up,” said Marcel Acosta, executive director of the National Capital Planning Commission. “This has to last for future generations.”

Redoing Pennsylvania Avenue is an exciting opportunity for the nation — and a much needed reinvigoration of downtown D.C. The biggest drawback is it won’t be done for years. The nation’s 250th anniversary is less than three years away. That is why there’s an urgency to assure that it has a main street worthy of celebration.