Adams Morgan, a Washington, D.C. northwest neighborhood, transformed into a pedestrian zone this past Sunday as part of a pilot program. Located along 18th St. NW between Kalorama and Columbia Roads, pedestrians moved freely, enjoying scheduled recreational activities including dance and fitness classes as well as shopping at small businesses.
Several members of the community expressed enthusiasm for the initiative and support for a permanent closure. Sharon Warner, another pedestrian enjoying the day’s festivities, spoke on the benefits of closing the street to vehicular traffic, “I think it’s great to just not have to worry about cars you know, doing reckless things and hurting people.”
The Adams Morgan Business Improvement District received a $525,000 grant from the D.C. Office of Planning’s “Streets for People” program, which “seeks to catalyze economic recovery and support local businesses by attracting workers, residents, and visitors to a vibrant area of activated blocks, sidewalks, streets and parks,” according to the initiative’s website.
“Most of the $525,000 will be used for physical infrastructure that we will put into the roadway so that we can frequently close the street and do pedestrian zones without having to need as many government resources,” said Kirsten Barden, executive director of the Adams Morgan Partnership BID.
The pilot program is set to repeat on Oct. 23. For more information, visit admodc.org.
