For the last three years, D.C. United and the District of Columbia have been negotiating a site for a new stadium for their soccer club. The owners of United wanted to take a small parcel of the land now known as "Poplar Point", an undeveloped brown-field on the Southeast side of the Anacostia River. The switch from the Anthony Williams to the Adrian Fenty administration in 2007 has proven unkind for the club, which to this day is embroiled in negotiations with the City for the Poplar Point site. While following this debate in the media, I couldn't help but question why United was not pursuing a plot of land on their current site. The club now plays in RFK Stadium, a venue ill-equipped for the sport that costs the club millions of dollars a year because they cannot fill its stands. The site, however, is located on axis with the Capitol, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. My initial research brought me to France in the 18th century. / Master of Science

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1942. / Bibliography: p. 58-59.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Catholic University of America, 1942. / Bibliography: p. 58-59.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: James E. Pizzuto, Dept. of Geological Sciences. Includes bibliographical references.

For years, Ward 7 in Washington, DC, has been a neglected area cut off from the rest of the city. For decades, the Anacostia River has served as a dividing line between Wards 7 and 8 from the rest of Washington DC. However, the neighborhood has much more to offer than being characterized as a location of violence, unemployment, insecurity, and isolation. The neighborhood is home to many people of color. This thesis poses the question: How can a community abandoned and neglected for decades be revived into a place of refuge? The project's target demographic includes families, students, and the community. However, the neighborhood has several obstacles, including food deserts, a lack of community gathering spaces, nearby amenities, residents having to drive to get necessities, and a lack of accessibility, transportation, walkability, and affordable housing. The first thing that needs to be acknowledged about Ward 7 is the lack of equal treatment and opportunities compared to the other wards. Children and adults should not be forced to travel long distances to get necessities. They should not feel afraid and unsafe to travel around and feel left out of social gatherings by choosing to live in Ward 7. The main goal of this thesis is to design and build a community in Ward 7 to accommodate housing and transform the neighborhood into an urban environment by enhancing different types of spaces to work in harmony to create an inclusive community experience for all. This thesis will also adapt sustainable elements to build a sustainable living environment that contributes to their well-being and the health of the individual community and the environment. This project introduces affordable housing with various amenities, grocery shops, a gym, a community space for study and work, sit-down restaurants, outdoor seating places, a neighborhood café, a pavilion, and two bridges: One is an amenity bridge that links the building to the pavilion. The other is a pedestrian bridge that allows residents and community members to stroll or bike to Kingman Island. / Master of Architecture / For decades, the Anacostia River has served as a dividing line between Wards 7 and 8 from the rest of Washington DC. The neighborhood is home to many people of color and green spaces, and an attractive and vibrant community for everyone. However, I feel that this community, like any other, needs equality. Children and adults who reside in the area need a higher standard of living. Equal opportunities should be provided. This thesis poses the question: How can a community abandoned and neglected for decades be revived into a place of refuge? The project aims to create an inclusive community experience by enhancing different types of spaces and adapting sustainable elements to build a sustainable living environment that contributes to their well-being, individual health, and environment. The neighborhood has several obstacles, including food deserts, a lack of nearby amenities, residents having to drive to get necessities, accessibility, transportation, walkability, and affordable housing. The project proposes affordable housing with various amenities, grocery shops, a gym, a community space for study and work, sit-down restaurants, outdoor seating places, a pavilion, and two bridges. An amenity bridge links the building to the pavilion; the other is a pedestrian bridge that allows residents and community members to stroll or bike to Kingman Island.

Thesis--Catholic University of America. / Bibliography: p. 31-33.

This thesis analyzes how social and environmental inequalities have interacted throughout Washington, D.C.’s urban and environmental history to shape the Anacostia River and its Near Southeast waterfront into urbanized and industrialized landscapes. Drawing on the principles of environmental justice, urban political ecology, and environmental history, I examine the construction of urban rivers and waterfront space over time. I link the ecological and social decline of the Anacostia River and Near Southeast neighborhood to a broader national pattern of environmental degradation and social inequality along urban rivers that resulted from urban industrialization and federal water management. Finally, I discuss the recent national trend in redevelopment of formerly industrial urban waterfronts. In particular, I focus on two brownfield redevelopment projects in Near Southeast: the Washington National’s baseball stadium at Nationals Park, completed in 2008, and the ongoing construction of The Yards mixed-use development complex. The Anacostia River has served as a touchstone throughout Near Southeast’s shifting neighborhood identity and land use. This thesis uses the river as a starting point at which to begin an exploration of a long history of social and environmental inequality in waterfront Washington, D.C.