Page 91 - Fall 2019

Analytical diagrams illustrating the design opportunities within Courtesy of EL Studio
the city’s network of alleys.

Courtesy of EL Studio Diagram of survey results applied to a representative alley. Courtesy of EL Studio

a multi-stakeholder endeavor that allows them to continue to rethink “As Washington grows—and right now it can't go higher, and
this underutilized city resource. From EL Studio’s calculations, it's definitely not a small city, if you measure it in plan—the city
there are some 46 linear miles of alleyway frontage within DC, core needs to use every square inch of surface that meets a public
which offer the potential for more than 72,000 alley dwellings for street,” Lawrence said. “These alleys are some of those areas that
some 216,000 residents. In the shorter term, however, proposed are just starting to become utilized in new ways.”
interventions aim to make alleyways cleaner, more pedestrian- Some of those new ways were explored in a recent design
friendly, and more of a community benefit than they are in their charrette: Thanks to creative partnerships with grant-making
current, strictly utilitarian format. organizations and a local community improvement district, EL
It should be noted that EL Studio’s proposals aren’t just whims, Studio now has a pilot project going in nearby Prather’s Alley.
but are backed up by District-wide surveys that asked respondents Participants suggested alternative uses for the alley—which serves
what their alley hopes and expectations might be. The firm has mainly as a loading thoroughfare and a cut-through for drivers
also hosted a series of what its principals call “alley hops,” i.e., looking to circumvent traffic backups elsewhere—that included a
get-togethers during which interested attendees (“hoppers”) could venue for performances and communal seating to support
take self-guided walking tours through a specified set of nearby impromptu outdoor markets. While the pilot project is picking up
alleyways, and visualize alley improvements through low-tech steam, the city is full of potential areas that could benefit from
hardware in the format of View-Master reels. The most recent alley similar interventions, and EL Studio’s project deserves extra
hop involved collaboration with the newly opened Apple Store at commendation for leading the conversation on how Washington
the former Carnegie Library, pairing visitors with iPads loaded can capitalize on its underutilized alley resources to turn dingy
with Morpholio software to allow virtual-reality overlays on passages into courtyard-like community amenities.
which they could sketch their own interventions.

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