How DC became a lonely king's model village
The White House Ballroom did not fall out of a coconut tree. A variety of individuals looked at a vengeful narcissist and saw an opportunity to advance their own agendas. Some are deeply ideological, others are as crassly egotistical as their client, and a lot are a bit of both. Despite the superficial claims of respecting context through style, these individuals reject the processes, precedents, and actual substance that have defined Washington, DC since the early 1900s. They unleashed a lonely, unwell man's desire to build and now he is using his power to toy with the capital of the United States as if it was a king's private estate. Now, as the projects bloat, litigation stacks up, and proponents get second thoughts, the madness of using Donald Trump as a vehicle for revenge has become obvious. More than anything, what's building in Washington is uncertainty.
What I can offer is context. I am an architect who specializes in regulatory approvals and code compliance. I also have been explaining these design review processes to the public for a decade. So while I don't know what's going on better than anyone else, I know what should be going on. I also know a lot about the history of urban planning and architecture in DC. In fact, I am writing a book about the creation of the norms, policies, and institutions that the president is upending. That system fell to the ground with the roof of the East Wing.
This system of was also deeply flawed. It was built on a system of trust and deference towards experts that assumed the President would act in good faith. Like a lot of people, you may have believed that there were laws and agencies that can restrain a reckless executive. We're seeing, in real time, how limited the checks are when Congress is aligned with the President. So, what can be said for sure is that the Nation's Capital will not be the same after Donald Trump departs. Nor will the professions of planning, architecture, and preservation. What I see in Washington is the last spasm of a culture war, with a realignment on the horizon. What realignment will be, however, depends on the public participating in politics.
I can only provide context. So what I am doing is writing a series of pages. They will go up over the next few days, and you can access them through links below. I will continue to update these pages as new information comes in. So think of this more like a wiki than a blog. So check back regularly, and if you're interested in the history of how Washington DC came to look the way it did, subscribe.
Put Trump's projects into context:
Trump's architectural agenda began with a resentment-driven campaign by specific conservative groups (coming soon)
Some projects are clearly the President's personal projects, others he has adopted from this conservative groups. (coming soon)
Other projects are longstanding—they even have bipartisan support, but the administration has given them their own spin (coming soon)
Trump has taken advantage of the weaknesses in federal design review processes, which rely on good faith and deference of the executive.
To understand how much Trump is overturning the established system—and why it was so easy—you should understand its history.
Yes, of course they are building a bunker under the White House. However, it is only the final phase of a much larger continuity of operations project begun after the September 11th attacks.
Some of the projects face major challenges for completion. Others are well underway and have bipartisan support.
A lot of books have been written about DC's built environment. Here's what you can read if you want to know more. (sorry, coming last)
My media appearances:
Neil Flanagan