{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/139933"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/139933","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Growing in Place","abstract":"Growing in Place is a freeway removal study of Interstate 695 in Washington, D.C. In the American capital city, we find a microcosm of experiments in city building, many of which are beneficial to replicate elsewhere. Other urban development projects, such as the construction of this freeway through communities under urban renewal, must be addressed. The opportunity presented by this freeway removal contends with simply removing the freeway to render a blank slate, and ultimately retains the \"scar\" of this infrastructure as a physical and historical record. It records the misprioritized urban design philosophies that benefited the automobile and sprawl-based development patterns at the expense of city residents. Rather than demolishing this infrastructure, Growing in Place proposes a methodology for urban design and placemaking based on locally derived lessons and urban patterns from neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, Southwest under urban renewal, the Wharf, and Navy Yard. It recognizes the democratic urban design patterns from L'Enfant's original plan, which have enriched urban life, and expands on these inherited American ideals to further articulate a future community rooted in place. It prioritizes urban community life that occurs along city streets, plazas, and parks for the city's residents and numerous visitors. This thesis blends urban history, design research, and speculative urban design to pose the case for retaining D.C.'s physical scars as a reminder of American priorities in city building. The design then is neither nostalgic nor utopian; rather, it is emplaced in this Capitol as a symbol of American virtues and democracy to be passed on to future generations.","abstract_html":"Growing in Place is a freeway removal study of Interstate 695 in Washington, D.C. In the American capital city, we find a microcosm of experiments in city building, many of which are beneficial to replicate elsewhere. Other urban development projects, such as the construction of this freeway through communities under urban renewal, must be addressed. The opportunity presented by this freeway removal contends with simply removing the freeway to render a blank slate, and ultimately retains the "scar" of this infrastructure as a physical and historical record. It records the misprioritized urban design philosophies that benefited the automobile and sprawl-based development patterns at the expense of city residents. Rather than demolishing this infrastructure, Growing in Place proposes a methodology for urban design and placemaking based on locally derived lessons and urban patterns from neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, Southwest under urban renewal, the Wharf, and Navy Yard. It recognizes the democratic urban design patterns from L'Enfant's original plan, which have enriched urban life, and expands on these inherited American ideals to further articulate a future community rooted in place. It prioritizes urban community life that occurs along city streets, plazas, and parks for the city's residents and numerous visitors. This thesis blends urban history, design research, and speculative urban design to pose the case for retaining D.C.'s physical scars as a reminder of American priorities in city building. The design then is neither nostalgic nor utopian; rather, it is emplaced in this Capitol as a symbol of American virtues and democracy to be passed on to future generations.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Stelfox, Michael James"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Architecture","degree_department":"Architecture","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.","Keslacy, Elizabeth Marie-Freha"],"committee_members":["Kelsch, Paul J.","Archer, Scott Brandon"],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12-16","date_published":"2025-12-16","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:09Z","subjects":["Urban design","Freeway removal","Washington District of Columbia","Capitol South district","Infrastructure reuse","Democratic urbanism","Civic space","Placemaking","Urban history","Community reconnection","Virginia Avenue","Southeast Freeway"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International"],"rights_urls":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:44845"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:44845","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/139933","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.","Keslacy, Elizabeth Marie-Freha"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Kelsch, Paul J.","Archer, Scott Brandon"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Architecture"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Stelfox, Michael James"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-12-17T09:00:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-12-17T09:00:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-12-16"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Architecture"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Urban design","Freeway removal","Washington District of Columbia","Capitol South district","Infrastructure reuse","Democratic urbanism","Civic space","Placemaking","Urban history","Community reconnection","Virginia Avenue","Southeast Freeway"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:44845"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/139933"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Growing in Place is a freeway removal study of Interstate 695 in Washington, D.C. In the American capital city, we find a microcosm of experiments in city building, many of which are beneficial to replicate elsewhere. Other urban development projects, such as the construction of this freeway through communities under urban renewal, must be addressed. The opportunity presented by this freeway removal contends with simply removing the freeway to render a blank slate, and ultimately retains the \"scar\" of this infrastructure as a physical and historical record. It records the misprioritized urban design philosophies that benefited the automobile and sprawl-based development patterns at the expense of city residents. Rather than demolishing this infrastructure, Growing in Place proposes a methodology for urban design and placemaking based on locally derived lessons and urban patterns from neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, Southwest under urban renewal, the Wharf, and Navy Yard. It recognizes the democratic urban design patterns from L'Enfant's original plan, which have enriched urban life, and expands on these inherited American ideals to further articulate a future community rooted in place. It prioritizes urban community life that occurs along city streets, plazas, and parks for the city's residents and numerous visitors. This thesis blends urban history, design research, and speculative urban design to pose the case for retaining D.C.'s physical scars as a reminder of American priorities in city building. The design then is neither nostalgic nor utopian; rather, it is emplaced in this Capitol as a symbol of American virtues and democracy to be passed on to future generations."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["Growing in Place is a study about removing the portion of Interstate 695 closest to the United States Capitol building. It investigates the history of why the freeway exists in the first place, how its construction damaged local communities, and continues to separate people and contribute to pollution in the area. The design seeks to repair those divisions and harms without erasing the history. Instead of demolishing the freeway and starting over, it advises the city to retain the structure of the freeway as a reminder of past planning mistakes. It is a reminder that plans originating in Washington, D.C. impact the lives of citizens throughout the country. It is a reminder that planners here favored the automobile over the people living in the places automobiles speed through. This study then seeks to understand the successes of nearby communities such as Capitol Hill, Southwest, the Wharf, and Navy Yard as indication of how to rebuild in place of the freeway. It is inspired by the original grand plans for Washington, D.C, while acknowledging the changed needs of today's communities. Still valued are the wide boulevards, public spaces, and democratic ideals of physical and visual access throughout the city. A combination of history, design research, and creative planning, Growing in Place proposes a restitching of the urban fabric that may begin to heal communities. Still, it bears the scars of past errors. It strives to design enjoyable spaces for people along the street, in local parks, and at civic plazas to connect people to each other and with the democratic ideals of America. It acts as a living symbol of the nation's aspirations and continuously developing set of values to be shared with future generations."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Growing in Place"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C.","Keslacy, Elizabeth Marie-Freha"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Kelsch, Paul J.","Archer, Scott Brandon"],"dc:contributor.department":["Architecture"],"dc:creator":["Stelfox, Michael James"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-12-17T09:00:19Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-12-17T09:00:19Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-12-16"],"dc:description.abstract":["Growing in Place is a freeway removal study of Interstate 695 in Washington, D.C. In the American capital city, we find a microcosm of experiments in city building, many of which are beneficial to replicate elsewhere. Other urban development projects, such as the construction of this freeway through communities under urban renewal, must be addressed. The opportunity presented by this freeway removal contends with simply removing the freeway to render a blank slate, and ultimately retains the \"scar\" of this infrastructure as a physical and historical record. It records the misprioritized urban design philosophies that benefited the automobile and sprawl-based development patterns at the expense of city residents. Rather than demolishing this infrastructure, Growing in Place proposes a methodology for urban design and placemaking based on locally derived lessons and urban patterns from neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill, Southwest under urban renewal, the Wharf, and Navy Yard. It recognizes the democratic urban design patterns from L'Enfant's original plan, which have enriched urban life, and expands on these inherited American ideals to further articulate a future community rooted in place. It prioritizes urban community life that occurs along city streets, plazas, and parks for the city's residents and numerous visitors. This thesis blends urban history, design research, and speculative urban design to pose the case for retaining D.C.'s physical scars as a reminder of American priorities in city building. The design then is neither nostalgic nor utopian; rather, it is emplaced in this Capitol as a symbol of American virtues and democracy to be passed on to future generations."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["Growing in Place is a study about removing the portion of Interstate 695 closest to the United States Capitol building. It investigates the history of why the freeway exists in the first place, how its construction damaged local communities, and continues to separate people and contribute to pollution in the area. The design seeks to repair those divisions and harms without erasing the history. Instead of demolishing the freeway and starting over, it advises the city to retain the structure of the freeway as a reminder of past planning mistakes. It is a reminder that plans originating in Washington, D.C. impact the lives of citizens throughout the country. It is a reminder that planners here favored the automobile over the people living in the places automobiles speed through. This study then seeks to understand the successes of nearby communities such as Capitol Hill, Southwest, the Wharf, and Navy Yard as indication of how to rebuild in place of the freeway. It is inspired by the original grand plans for Washington, D.C, while acknowledging the changed needs of today's communities. Still valued are the wide boulevards, public spaces, and democratic ideals of physical and visual access throughout the city. A combination of history, design research, and creative planning, Growing in Place proposes a restitching of the urban fabric that may begin to heal communities. Still, it bears the scars of past errors. It strives to design enjoyable spaces for people along the street, in local parks, and at civic plazas to connect people to each other and with the democratic ideals of America. It acts as a living symbol of the nation's aspirations and continuously developing set of values to be shared with future generations."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:44845"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/139933"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"],"dc:subject":["Urban design","Freeway removal","Washington District of Columbia","Capitol South district","Infrastructure reuse","Democratic urbanism","Civic space","Placemaking","Urban history","Community reconnection","Virginia Avenue","Southeast Freeway"],"dc:title":["Growing in Place"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Architecture"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:09Z"}