Can Anacostia Build a Bridge Without Displacing Its People?

A decade in the works, the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, D.C., has yet to be built. But it could be a model for how to create public space while lessening the effects of gentrification.

From the Article: “Most of the physical infrastructure in the United States was not built with meaningful input from the communities it affected. After the Federal-Aid Highway Act passed in 1956, Black and Hispanic homeowners sometimes found out that they were losing their land only when highway department appraisers showed up on their front lawns. Until 1970, most public agencies didn’t even have to ask for public feedback before beginning a major project. Even today, public input is often a box-checking exercise, something to be rushed through on the way to the actual planning done by engineers and other experts who shape our cities. The bridge park shows that something else is possible: People in a community can be engaged and build a vision based on what they want and need and, in doing so, grapple with some of society’s most basic problems — how to provide affordable housing, good jobs and a sense of connection to the place where you live.”

Read the full story here. This article was published as part of Headway is an initiative from The New York Times exploring the world’s challenges through the lens of progress.