ALLEY HOPPIN! Putting People Back in DC’s Alleys

Research

Our first step was to wade in to the historic data available regarding the emergence of DC’s alleys and their inhabitants and we made some interesting discoveries. Within the city’s Baroque plan an extensive network of alleys played host to an urbanism unanticipated by the city’s planners. The L’Enfant plan’s modulated grid, scaled to accommodate the monumental, has historically necessitated a subdivision in order to accommodate the commercial and residential needs of the city.

This phenomenon was largely ad-hoc for the first few decades of the city’s development. Alley dwellings, developed by enterprising small-scale developers, provided the first ‘introductory housing’ in the city and flourished until the post-Civil War population surge and absentee-landlord-ism caused them slip into disrepair. The alleys became notorious slums—places of crime and danger. But there were vibrant communities living there as well, taking refuge in affordable, (albeit substandard) housing which was all too rare in the late 19th century city. The Reform movements of the early 20th century pushed to create quality, humane environments for this vulnerable population and lobbied successfully for the abolition of alley dwelling. A long period of neglect followed and the alleys have not since been adapted to optimize their usage in the 21st Century. But there is potential!

Survey

Based on responses to the WAP survey, alley conditions are highly dependent on the infrastructural operations of the city. Responses gave insight into what alleys and alley buildings look like, who lives/works there, and how they integrate within city transportation networks. Most respondents live in alley dwellings that they own, aren’t bothered by noise, and feel that their alley is well-lit and clean. Despite responses indicating that alleys host and foster interaction and activity, their most common use seems to be for trash disposal; trash is both the most common form of alley infrastructure and the most common reason people visit alleys. The three most common suggested improvements to alleys are infrastructural enhancements, fixing roads, and adding greenery. From a list of suggested design elements, respondents would most welcome a wall mural, a special alley post, or a tree into their alley.
We surveyed people who live and work in alleys. Using the results, we constructed ‘typical alley’ models that depict some of the problems alley dwellers face.

Opportunity


Exceptional Blocks

Analysis

DC alleys come in many forms. This block shows a “mannequin alley,” an amalgamation of the most common responses from the survey.



What It Might Mean

The high prevalence of trash-related infrastructure in alleys reveals a curious paradox. Survey results indicate that alleys also host activities, like play and exercise, that one would not typically associate with trash. This begs a few questions: have alley dwellers learned to ignore trash? Is their trash just clean? Have they figured out a discrete place to stow it away? Or have they deemed alley life so beneficial that they’ve come to terms with the presence of trash in their midst? Regardless, it seems that trash, along with storm-water runoff, might hold one key to architecturally reprogramming life in DC alleys.

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