DC is a great city --absolutely fantastic city-- but the Van Ness area on Connecticut Ave is an example of urban planning gone terribly wrong, especially the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) campus. Despite having a metro station in the heart of the Van Ness area and right next to the campus, this area is almost entirely void of pedestrian activity. The UDC buildings have significant setbacks from CT Ave and don't engage the neighboring streets at all. The campus 'quad' or plaza is also nearly always vacant.
Hopefully providing on-campus housing for up to 400 students will help this area become more active and vibrant, much as Cleveland Park is just one mile south on CT Ave.
UDC looks to develop, green its campus
By ELIZABETH WIENER
Current Staff Writer
As part of a dramatic upgrade, the University of the District of Columbia is drafting a master plan to guide development on its Van Ness campus, including new dormitories for 300 to 400 students, a new student center and “greening” of the barren concrete plaza that serves as the campus’s hub.
Starting a dialogue with neighbors last week, university officials said they have no intention of expanding outside the current grounds. But they do want to gradually increase the current enrollment of roughly 2,700 students by 20 to 30 percent and add as much as 600,000 square feet of space to the current 1 million square feet of buildings on the 21- acre campus.
The university, which started a community college last year and promptly moved it off campus, also wants to move its law school downtown, nearer to city and federal courts. And university officials say they need to have the master plan ready for submission to the D.C. Zoning Commission early next year...."
http://www.currentnewspapers.com/adm...T%2027%201.pdf