ALLEY HOPPIN! Putting People Back in DC’s Alleys

Advocacy

Since its conception, a robust public participatory process including public surveys and design workshops has been central to WAP. The project team has continuously engaged community members, stakeholders, local and neighboring communities, and municipal entities including the DC Department of Transportation and the DC Office of Planning.

Our Journey

 WAP Trajectory

Community design charrettes are the primary driver in the direction of the project as a whole

Prather’s Alley: A Case Study in Community Partnerships

Together with project partners Mt. Vernon Triangle CID, urbanSEED, and the DC Department of Transportation, Prather’s Alley was identified as a case-study for understanding the impact that small-scale placemaking interventions can have on motorized and pedestrian use patterns. This location was identified as valid site of study it serves as a critical juncture in the regional and local transportation network. Research has focused on 1) a survey of existing conditions and utilization rates, 2) the ecological effects of alley runoff into the municipal combined sewer system, 3) the design and building process for alley activation interventions, 4) quantification of the ecological and communal response to the built interventions, 5) application and replication of the research process for other alleys within the city or other US municipalities.

Community involvement was garnered with public surveys and design charettes in January 2019 to generate ideas about the future of Prather’s Alley. The intervention selected for construction will include traffic calming, delineation of safe zones, and rest places for residents and patrons of the neighboring restaurants and business in the high-density Mount Vernon Triangle community.

The Prather’s Alley activation project was recently awarded funding through the Federal Highway Administration’s Transportation Alternatives Program and the local Department of Transportation. In addition to traffic calming, the funding will also support artistic placemaking initiatives in and around the alley. As noted in the public announcement, ‘as the region seeks to create more pathways for walking and biking, this unusual project can become a useful model for both the city and the region.’



WAP at Prather’s Alley follows a process for community engagement developed by our partner urbanSEED. The five-phase process places the community at the center of both our design process and our project management approach.

This process for public advocacy is reflected in our larger research, academic, and marketing efforts: community input and engagement are the primary driver in the direction of the project as a whole.





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