This document describes an installation for the Anacostia Plan, created by Burasworks, an urban design studio, and the National Civic Art Society. The installation presents a plan to redevelop the Anacostia riverfront in Washington D.C. by creating a beautiful urban waterfront with parks, bridges, and mixed-use development, addressing issues like flooding and transportation while generating economic and social benefits. The plan is based on classic urban planning principles and seeks to establish D.C. as a world-class city through its design.

1. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
A N A C O S T I A P L A N
I N S T A L L A T I O N
No-Man’s Land to All Man’s Land

2. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETYW A S H I N G T O N I S H E I R T O T H E H U M A N I S T I C T R A D I T I O N

3. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY

4. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
L ’ E N F A N T P L A N

5. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
M C M I L L A N P L A N

6. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETYD C A S W E K N O W I T … L O V E I T … T H I N K O F I T

7. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETYP R O G R E S S ?

8. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
U R B A N C A N C E R ?

9. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
N O M A N ’ S L A N D ?

10. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
U R B A N L I F E / T H E L I F E O F A C I T Y

11. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
C L A S S I C P L A N N I N G A L W A Y S W O R K E D

12. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
• When unpenalized, people choose to use beautiful places over others.
Beautiful spaces are functional and economical.
• Beautiful spaces elicit statements of “it’s beautiful” regardless of their date of
construction. People often choose to maintain them for generations.
Beautiful spaces are fundamentally sustainable.
• People in beautiful places are often on their “best behavior”, generally seem less
prone to aggression and frequently less easy to victimize.
Beautiful spaces are calming, encourage respect and are safer,
T H E P U R P O S E O F U R B A N I S M I S T O D E S I G N
A L E G A C Y O F B E A U T I F U L P L A C E S
F O R P E O P L E

13. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
• We take the 100 year perspective.
• The Federal District was formed around the persona of George Washington.
It is based on the stability of humanistic values.
• The L’enfant Plan is the urban DNA of the District of Columbia.
• The McMillan Commission’s interpretation of the L'enfant Plan and the Commission’s
own proposals provide a basis for the continued development of the City.
• Design in any scale must be sustainable and withstand the test of time.
It will be judged on Firmness, Commodity and Delight:
F I R M N E S S = longevity and sustainability.
C O M M O D I T Y = functional flexibility, easy adaptation, regional appropriateness.
D E L I G H T = timelessness and beauty.
D E S I G N P R I N C I P L E S

14. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
A N A C O S T I A 2 0 3 8

15. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
ANACOSTIA SEINE
Width 1000 feet 500 feet
Bridge Frequency 1 mile ¼ mile
Pedestrian access 0 all
Freeways and RR mile wide no-man’s land under quays
SW and 295 Freeways divide the city with a mile NO-MAN’S LAND.
They carry together less traffic than the CHAMPS ÉLYSÉES
R I V E R S C O M P A R E D
R I V E R Q U A Y S
“… the activity of the waterfront would really add to the interest of the parkway and give a
character to it possessed by no other in this country. In several European river cities,
notably Paris, Vienna and Budapest there are such combinations of a commercial quay
with a promenade at a higher level and they form in many cases the most popular and
delightful resorts for the people, but in no case we believe, are the conditions so favorable
as at Washington…”

16. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
T H E P L A N

17. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
T H E P L A N

18. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
The 100 year perspective is a holistic, organic
approach that pays for itself with benefits across
the board. It retains and builds memory into the
urban fabric and heals gaping social, economic
and political wounds with common heritage,
meaning and utility.
T H I S P L A N H A S 4 G O A L S . . .

19. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
D E S I G N G O A L # 4
M A K E D C A W O R L D - C L A S S C I T Y
i. Create a beautiful urban waterfront to vie with Paris.
ii. Replace blighted freeways with beautiful boulevards
and parks.
iii. Express a river gateway at the mouth of the Anacostia.
iv. Create a great aquatic urban space at Naval Basin.
v. Connect pedestrians and bicyclists to the entire city with
frequent bridges.
vi. Create center-city resources on a scale hitherto unimaginable.
vii. Create r a national legacy for the leaders of our time.

20. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
N O T A M Y T H

21. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
D E S I G N G O A L # 3
D O T H E P R A C T I C A L , L O N G - T E R M , S E N S I B L E T H I N G
i. Resolve storm water, freeway, and train issues and
ii. Protect the City from 1000 year floods,.
iii. Provide unobtrusive functional space for commercial
and private uses.
iv. Support a diverse array of landscape environments,
from river to city.
v. Maintain the high city-wide percentage of accessible
green spaces .
vi. Meet regional sustainability, smart growth, and
“green” goals.

22. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
H O W I T W O R K S

23. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
B R I D G E S

24. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
D E S I G N G O A L # 2
T H E D E V E L O P M E N T P A Y S F O R I T S E L F
i. No payment of damages to residents.
ii. All land is reclaimed or Federal. Sale of land pays
for infrastructure.
iii. Small lots retain the urban and societal expression
of democracy,
iv. Do not enable oversized, inhuman projects, while
v. Creating an economic opportunity for developers,
the neighborhoods, the city, and the region.

25. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
E X A M P L E : S O U T H W E S T W A T E R F R O N T
U S N AV Y M U S E U M

26. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
D E S I G N G O A L # !
A N E C O N O M I C P L A N W I T H G R E A T S O C I A L B E N E F I T S
i. Create unprecedented opportunities for the residents of
Anacostia without resorting to welfare or social programs.
ii. No residents displaced and all residents receive property.
iii. Generate jobs and economic opportunity for locals.
iv. (Re-) establish high-level educational institutions.
v. Provide opportunities to learn useful skills and enter the
middle class.
vi. Retain in the urban fabric community memories linked to
the river and its settlements.

27. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
i. accommodates and guides future functional development
consistent with DC’s L’Enfant “DNA” and McMillan Plan.
ii. creates innumerable places of timeless beauty and
character setting Washington as the national standard.
iii. librates decision-makers from ephemeral politics and
provides ample opportunity to build consensus.
T H I S P L A N M A K E S S E N S E

28. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
A V A N T G A R D E

29. A N A C O S T I A P L A N I N S T A L L A T I O N
BURASWORKS * OPEN URBAN DESIGN STUDIO WASHINGTON DC * NATIONAL CIVIC ART SOCIETY
Stephanie Bothwell Larry Brady
Kalinda Brown Nir Buras
Michael Curtis Julia Garza
Alex Moll Virendra Rawat
Everett Schram Peter Seidel
STUDIO TEAM 2006 STUDIO TEAM 2013