Design
Capturing the Signs of a Changing D.C.—Before They Disappear
Where the biggest demographic shifts are happening along the city's Green line, the buildings are changing with them.
Since moving back to the D.C. area just over two years ago, I still catch myself feeling surprised by how fast this city is changing right now.
When my family and I first moved here in March of 1995, the District of Columbia's population had dropped down to 580,000, from a 1950 peak of 802,000. With a national image still marred by the crack epidemic that swept through the city in the 1980s, the suburbs were the only option my middle-class parents ever considered.