The Urban Frontier in Southeast Washington

I had to make a business trip to the Washington Navy Yard today. This took me past the Anacostia waterfront, the zone where civilization's edge is making steady inroads into a post-industrial wasteland. Driven by the re-population of the Navy Yard ,where the Navy has moved 5,000 jobs, the new baseball stadium, and the lack of space for more building downtown, this area is booming. Right now it is a pleasingly weird mix of derelict warehouses and gleaming office blocks, not to mention active construction sites and groups of what look like developers and real estate types hanging out on street corners.

They're trying to brand this area The Yards, but so far I've never heard an actual person use the term. One early piece of the puzzle was The Yards Park, where they installed Washington's version of the hyper-modern footbridge that seems to be an essential piece of all waterfront redevelopment schemes these days.

What do you think, is this an eyesore or a prime redevelopment opportunity?

The future Boilermaker Shops, right behind a new federal office building.

I'm not sure what this was, but soon it will be Washington's Prime Rental Housing Opportunity. At least that's what the sign says. I find this massive undertaking exciting -- no recession here, and no farmland being paved, just the re-use of what should be a fabulous space in the middle of Metro accessible Washington.