D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 10-A, § 914
914.1 The design of a city can influence how its residents use it. Physical activity can be fostered by designing spaces and streets that encourage walking, bicycling, and other forms of active movement and recreation. Active urban design entails several strategies. Recent research has demonstrated that a diverse mix of land uses, a well-connected street system, and a good public transit system all tend to increase physical activity among residents. The organization and location of parks, playgrounds, and plazas can also make active recreation opportunities more accessible to children and their families. Placing food markets and other healthy food options throughout the District can increase convenient and equitable food access and promote healthy eating. Complete streets can encourage walking and bicycling among all ages by developing safe, vibrant, and accessible streetscapes. Furthermore, streets that are safe for all will encourage more active use. Many of these active design strategies will benefit not only the health of District residents but also the environment, as they spur fewer vehicle miles traveled and better air quality.
914.2 The following policy section offers several specific planning and design strategies that can promote physical activity. The policies address both public- and private sector projects, ranging from the design of neighborhoods to the design of streets.
914.3 Policy UD-3.2.1: Buildings that Enable Social Interaction Residential building design should provide opportunities and spaces for interaction, such as open-air porch entrances, balconies, front stoops, and shared yards. Large multi-family buildings should prioritize individual, ground-level entrances to units that open up to the street in addition to interior access to units through a shared private lobby.
914.4 Policy UD-3.2.2: Social and Community Meeting Spaces New planned unit developments (PUDs) and other large-scale developments should provide for a mix of social and third spaces—for example, schools, retail stores, cultural and community spaces, and recreational facilities.
914.5 Policy UD-3.2.3: Recreational Space Design for Large Site Development Design open spaces conducive to physical activity as part of large-scale developments or create new recreation spaces (such as parks, walking paths, trails, and waterfront recreation) in neighborhoods lacking access to public open spaces.
914.6 Policy UD-3.2.4: Pedestrian-Convenient Transit Incorporate design interventions to make transit stops friendly to users and encourage public life and pedestrian activity. Bus stop shelters should protect users from sun, wind, and rain; furnish adequate seating; and build connections
between transit stops and adjacent plazas or parks.
The design of the built environment should encourage public activity throughout the day and help minimize the potential for criminal activity. Design measures include active building frontages (such as windows, balconies, and frequently spaced entrances), adequate lighting that avoids glare and shadow, maintaining clear lines of sight and visual access, and avoiding dead-end streets. Where feasible consider closing streets to vehicular traffic to enhance pedestrian and cycling uses of streets.
Work collaboratively with federal agencies to develop design measures which accommodate public space security needs that support ground level activities and other public space amenities and special events.
See the Land Use and Transportation Elements for additional policies on street closures for security.
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)).