By Jane DiMassimo B.A. ‘25 Communication and Marketing
Jonathan Lippolis B.A. ‘25 Political Science and Communication
Washington, D.C.’s iconic urban landscape, from the National Mall to the city’s distinctive low skyline, reflects a century of meticulous planning, largely guided by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). In a D.C. Mondays program on February 17th, 2025, Julia Koster, a longtime NCPC official, joined the Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies to explore the agency’s history and reflect on 100 years of urban planning in Washington.
Koster cultivated her expertise in land-use planning and policy with a master’s degree in urban planning from Harvard University and a prior role in the Maryland Governor’s Office of Smart Growth. As NCPC’s Project Director for Flooding and Resiliency, she has been instrumental in maintaining and improving the strength and sustainability of Washington’s urban infrastructure.
Established by Congress in 1924, the (then-named) National Capital Park Commission initially focused on park planning and land acquisition. Its role quickly expanded to striking a careful balance between green space, transportation and infrastructure in the National Capital Region.
In its first 50 years, NCPC played a crucial role in shaping Washington’s landscape. Koster walked viewers through major milestones in this early history, including NCPC’s expansions and adjustments to the National Mall guided by the McMillian Plan and, consequently, Pierre L’Enfant’s original vision for the capital. The agency also enforced new policies, such as the 1910 Federal Height of Buildings Act, which limited the height of future D.C. buildings in response to the Cairo’s construction in Dupont Circle. However, NCPC’s early work, including efforts to create a network of parks and open spaces, often displaced African American communities or restricted access to recreational areas, reinforcing racial segregation in Washington.
A national push for “urban renewal” in major cities in the 1950s and 1960s prompted programs, policies and developments to remove slum housing and “blight.” Koster discussed NCPC’s plan for urban renewal in Washington spearheaded by Harland Bartholomew, a pioneering but divisive urban planner. Bartholomew advocated for new zoning ordinances and the expansion of highways that were often built through communities of color. In Southwest D.C., entire neighborhoods, including businesses and housing, were razed. Displaced residents could not afford to live in new, expensive developments, and locals protested NCPC and highway expansion.
Koster also introduced Bartholomew’s successor, Elizabeth “Libby” Rowe, NCPC’s first female chair. Rowe responded to residents’ frustration and rejected Bartholomew’s insistence on a city dependent on automobiles. Instead, she envisioned an accessible city made possible by mass public transit. As chair, Row transformed the way projects were developed and implemented, replacing top-down decision making with a community-based approach.
Koster concluded her presentation by reflecting on NCPC’s 2024 centennial celebrations and the agency’s role in deciding what stories are told and remembered. New resources, like NCPC’s Online Planning Library, connect residents and researchers with documents from the capital’s planning history. While NCPC is guided by a concern for safety, protecting D.C.’s unique characteristics and local communities is crucial to the agency’s mission.
You can watch a video of this D.C. Mondays program below and browse upcoming talks on the website.
This post was written by students in Professor Jessica McCaughey’s COMM 3190 class at George Washington University.
About the Authors
Jonathan is an undergraduate at GW studying political science and communication. He is a teaching assistant in the Sustainability Department and president of the GW Environmental Justice Action Network.
Jane is an undergraduate at GW studying communication and marketing. She has experience in social media strategy and content creation and is currently the social media manager of It’s On Us GW.