The District of Columbia is home to almost 700,000 people and growing. The DC Office of Planning is forecasting that by 2050, the population of our city will grow by 100,000 to 150,000 people.
We’ve recently published a StoryMap that looks at the factors that make up a complete community, which is a community that balances residents’ housing needs with access to everyday amenities, services, and destinations like jobs, schools, stores, and parks. One of the big factors is location and type of housing.
When looking at housing across the District’s wards, we’re finding that more than 50% of the homes in wards 1, 2, and 6 are large apartment buildings of 20 or more units. About 50% to 75% of all homes in wards 4, 5, 7, and 8 are row houses and smaller apartment buildings featuring less than 20 homes. Detached homes are most common in Wards 3, 4, and 5, ranging from 16% to 27% of all homes in these wards.
Most homes in the District are in multi-unit buildings. About 40% are in large apartment buildings with 20 or more units, making them the most common type of housing. Smaller apartment buildings with 2-19 units make up nearly 27% of homes. Duplexes, or two-unit buildings, account for about 23%, while only 11% of homes are single-family detached houses.
Looking Ahead
This is the current state of housing types in our city. In order to remain home for our current residents and welcome new people to our city, we have to develop a vision for how we expand housing options in the next 5, 10, or 20 years.
On March 18 and 21, we’ll be holding in-person workshops at the MLK Memorial Library (901 G St NW) to talk through our proposed plan for how our city’s land use should change to accommodate projected growth. During those workshops we will discuss affordability, access, and opportunity. We’d love for you to attend either day to learn about what we’re recommending and give us feedback on what we’ve prepared. If you’re not able to attend, please continue to check our website for additional ways to participate and share your thoughts.
Check out our StoryMap and don't forget to sign up for our in-person workshops!
Sincerely,
Director Anita Cozart