100.1 The nation's capital, a global center of knowledge and power, is the central city of one of America's largest and most prosperous metropolitan areas. It is also home – a District of great neighborhoods, a vibrant downtown, historic buildings, diverse shopping, renowned institutions, and magnificent parks and natural areas.

100.2 Washington, DC bears the imprints of many past plans, each a reflection of the goals and visions of its era. The influence of these plans can be seen everywhere—they affect the way residents live and work, the way residents travel, and the design of the District's communities. Planning is part of the District's heritage. It has shaped Washington, DC's identity for more than two centuries and has made it the District it is today.

100.3 Washington, DC is changing. At this moment, more housing is planned and under construction in the District than was built during the entire decade of the 2000s. Federal properties—some larger in land area than all of Georgetown or Anacostia—are being studied for new uses. These changes generate excitement and tension at the same time. Issues of race, class, and equity rise to the surface as the District grows. The effort to be a more inclusive city never stops—to make economic opportunities equitable and available to all residents, and to enhance the most valuable things about the District's communities. The effort to make Washington, DC more resilient in response to changing conditions that bring new stressors and new opportunities alike is also ceaseless.

100.4 As one thinks about the future, other issues arise. How will people get around Washington, DC in 20 years? Where will children go to school? Will police and fire services be adequate? Will the rivers be clean? Will the air be healthy? How to address housing affordability and ensure that current and longtime residents have a place in the future of the District? How to ensure the Washington, DC continues to produce jobs and that District residents have the supports they need to take these jobs and find pathways to success? How will the best parts of neighborhoods be preserved and the challenging parts be improved? How will federal and local interests be balanced?

100.5 This Comprehensive Plan addresses these important questions and establishes a framework to achieve the District's goals.

Planning in the District Then and Now

100.6 Washington, DC is widely known for being steeped in American history. This reputation extends to city planning too, starting with the very origin of the District in 1791.

100.7 More than two centuries ago, George Washington commissioned Pierre L'Enfant to plan a new national capital on the banks of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. L'Enfant and surveyor Benjamin Banneker designed the District's unique diagonal and grid system and sited some of America's most important landmarks, including the U.S. Capitol and the White House. In 1893, the Olmsted Highway Plan further reinforced the District's grand avenues and connections to nature.

100.8 Subsequently, the U.S. Congress asked the McMillan Commission to transform Washington, DC into a world-class capital city. The commission responded with a grand plan to beautify the District with the National Mall, many neighborhood parks, and an expanded Rock Creek Park.

100.9 Today, the L'Enfant and McMillan plans are regarded as major milestones in Washington, DC's history. The plans of the mid to late 20th century are less celebrated but are no less important. In 1924, federal legislation created the National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Its initial focus was on District parks and playgrounds, but its focus soon expanded to include land use, transportation, and public facilities. The Commission produced a Comprehensive Plan in 1950, another in 1961, and yet another in 1967. These plans proposed radical changes to the District's landscape, including freeways and urban renewal. The mid-century Comprehensive Plans were largely driven by federal interest and a desire to retain the beauty and functionality of Washington, DC as a capital city.

100.10 In 1973, the federal Home Rule Act designated the Mayor of the District of Columbia as the District's principal planner. The Comprehensive Plan was divided into District Elements to be prepared by the District's Office of Planning, and Federal Elements to be prepared by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). The first Comprehensive Plan of the post-Home Rule era, containing both District and Federal Elements, was completed in 1984.

100.11 Between 1984 and 2005, the District Elements were amended four times. A 1985 amendment added the Land Use Element and Maps. The 1989 and 1994 amendments added Ward Plans to the document, roughly tripling its size. The 1998 amendments included a variety of map and text changes to reflect then current conditions. In 2004, the District completed a vision for Washington, DC called a Vision for Growing an Inclusive City. This document established a new philosophy about planning in Washington, DC, which has been carried forward into the Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan's overarching purpose is to improve the quality of life for current and future District residents.

100.12 Since 2006, when the District's modern Comprehensive Plan was adopted, the Office of Planning (OP) has undertaken additional planning efforts that have focused on distinct areas within Washington, DC, producing a total of 29 Small Area Plans (SAPs), as well as other place-based planning documents. In addition,

District agencies have produced many strategic and long-range plans on topics such as transportation, parks, housing, sustainability, and culture. These plans have not only deepened and refined the general guidance of the Comprehensive Plan but have also applied systems thinking to tackle issues and opportunities across traditional silos.

100.13 The Comprehensive Plan includes detailed maps and policies for the physical development of Washington, DC. It also addresses social and economic issues that affect and are linked to the development of the District and its residents. The Comprehensive Plan allows the community to predict and understand the course of future public actions and shape private sector investment and actions too. It allows the District to ensure that its resources are used wisely and efficiently, and that public investment is focused on the areas where it is needed most.

100.14 The Comprehensive Plan provides guidance on the choices necessary to make Washington, DC better. No single person or organization is in a position to make these decisions alone. Many residents, governmental agencies, businesses, institutions, and leaders have helped shape this plan. Their continued commitment will be needed to carry it out in the coming years.

100.15 Collectively, federal, regional, and local planning plays an important role in the character, development and growth, and livability of Washington, DC. A vibrant District should both accommodate the needs of our national government and enhance the lives of the District's residents, workers, and visitors. It should embody an urban form and character that builds upon a rich history, reflects the diversity of its people, and embodies the enduring values of the American Republic. Furthermore, it should create a development trajectory in which residents leverage the unique assets and identity of the nation's capital through their day-to-day lives.

100.16 The Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital is comprised of two parts: the Federal Elements and the District Elements. The Federal Elements of the Comprehensive Plan are developed by the NCPC and the District Elements by the District's OP. Combined, these elements guide development in the District to balance federal and local interests with a collective responsibility for the natural, cultural, economic, and social environments. Many of the elements have local regional, and national significance; together they advance Washington, DC's great design and planning heritage.

100.17 The NCPC and OP work together to enhance Washington, DC as a great national capital and plan for its equitable development through inspiring civic architecture, rich landscapes, distinct neighborhoods, vibrant public spaces, environmental stewardship, and thoughtful land-use management.

SOURCE: District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; 31 DCR 1049 (March 9, 1984)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Element Amendment Act of 1984, effective March 16, 1985 (D.C. Law 5-187; 32 DCR 873 (February 15, 1985)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-129; 37 DCR 55 (January 5, 1990)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1989 NCPC-Recommended Amendments, and Closing of Public Alleys in Square 669, S.O. 88-452, Act of 1990, effective May 23, 1990 (D.C. Law 8-132; 37 DCR 2213 (April 6, 1990)); as amended by District Government Land Use Temporary Amendment Act of 1994, effective October 1, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-190; 41 DCR 5360 (August 12, 1994)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendments Act of 1994, effective October 6, 1994 (D.C. Law 10-193; 41 DCR 5536 (August 19, 1994)); as amended by District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984 Land Use Amendment Act of 1994, effective March 21, 1995 (D.C. Law 10-235; 42 DCR 30 (January 6, 1995)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 18, 1996 (D.C. Law 11-110; 43 DCR 530 (February 9, 1996)); as amended by Second Technical Amendments Act of 1996 effective April 9, 1997 (D.C. Law 11-255; 44 DCR 1271 (March 7, 1997)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 1998, effective April 27, 1999 (D.C. Law 12-275; 46 DCR 1441 (February 19, 1999)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 1999, effective April 12, 2000 (D.C. Law 13-91; 47 DCR 520 (January 28, 2000)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-300; 54 DCR 924 (February 2, 2007)); as amended by Technical Amendments Act of 2008, effective March 25, 2009 (D.C. Law 17-353; 56 DCR 1117 (February 6, 2009)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2010, effective April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-361; 58 DCR 908 (February 4, 2011)); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2021, effective August 21, 2021 (D.C. Law 24-20; 68 DCR 006918 (July 16, 2021)).