Slideshow: National Mall Coalition — Advancing the Legacy of the National Mall Through Public Policy and Innovative Ideas

Our goal is to develop comprehensive policies and innovative solutions to serious public use and environmental challenges that rise above current jurisdiction-based, piecemeal planning and address the larger, long-range needs of all Americans, and treat the entire National Mall as a unified whole.

  • Advancing the Legacy of the National Mall Through Public Policy and Innovative Ideas
  • NEED: An updated visionary plan for the 21st century that advances the legacy of the L’Enfant and McMillan plans that are the basis for this landscape symbol of the United States.
  • NEED: Comprehensive plans and policies that rise above current jurisdiction-based, piecemeal planning to address the larger, long-range needs of all Americans – and the entire Mall as a unified whole.
  • NEED: Innovative solutions to serious public use and environmental challenges – such as stormwater flooding -- to improve Mall resilience for the long term.
  • Our vision? A new visionary plan for the Mall in its 3rd century
  • The Mall cannot be “complete” any more than American history is finished. It can grow again.
  • The 1st Century Mall established the Mall as a landscape symbol of American founding ideals.
  • The 2nd Century Mall expanded the original vision to include the Lincoln Memorial and public buildings for growing government.
  • The 3rd Century Mall can expand again to open up the Potomac and Anacostia waterfront to cultural and civic uses as well as future museums and monuments.
  • 2. … through (unified and transparent) public policy
  • Replacing jurisdiction-based, fragmented management and piecemeal development with a unifying planning and management entity – such as the McMillan Commission or New York’s Central Park Conservancy – to plan and implement a new visionary plan that serves the larger public need.
  • Advocating protection of the L’Enfant Plan in the face of projects that threaten that legacy – for example, the location of the World War II Memorial that required destruction of part of the Lincoln Reflecting Pool, changes to the Height Act that would allow tall buildings to alter Washington’s distinctive open urban character, and the Eisenhower Memorial that would close off a central portion of Maryland Avenue.
  • Promoting and supporting policies that advance the Mall’s important function as “Stage for America’s Democracy” for cultural, recreational, and First Amendment events such as the National Book Festival -- and opposing uses such as the 2003 NFL commercial event that violate that open and public role.
  • 3. … and innovative ideas
  • National Ideas Competition for the Washington Monument Grounds – open to all
  • National Mall Underground flood reservoir/parking garage and public exhibition
  • Other possibilities to enhance the Mall include telling more of the American story with temporary exhibits such as statues, adding to the tree canopy to provide more shade, including more water features and fountains as intended in the L’Enfant and McMillan Plans, and establishing an entity to program the open space with exciting festivals and activities that celebrate what it means to be an American.

We welcome your comments and participation in working with us to create an exciting and inspiring 3rd Century Mall.

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