Third Century Mall

Green City Blue City – A Vision for the National Mall

This Vision Plan asks what a civic landscape could be if our respect for the environment were given equal status as our national values and achievements on the National Mall. The region faces unprecedented challenges related to climate change, including increased flooding due to rising sea levels, storm events, and myopic urban planning. The monuments and memorials that define the Capital city are especially susceptible as they occupy the low-lying confluence of the rivers.

A team of students and practitioners developed case studies for various areas on the National Mall - together they frame a vision that is resilient and sustainable, equitable and inclusive. Blue Green streets daylight stormwater and incorporate green space with multimodal transportation boulevards that increase biodiversity and celebrate water. Green Living provides affordable housing, food access, and community gardens in the city’s monumental core by repurposing existing federal buildings. Living Memorials imagine a place where recreation, natural habitat, and infrastructure meet. Empowered Edges are made up of living shorelines and new landscapes that adapt to and mitigate flooding while regenerating ecosystems.

The ISTUDIO X WAAC team is a collaboration of practitioners and students built on a long-standing relationship between ISTUDIO Architects and the Virginia Tech Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC). ISTUDIO architects and designers met with WAAC architecture, planning, and landscape architecture students weekly to develop the work.