The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the Federal government’s central planning agency in Washington, D.C. and surrounding region, has released a plan that is changing the way security measures are designed and implemented at Federal facilities throughout the city’s Monumental Core.
The groundbreaking plan shows ways to provide adequate building perimeter security while preserving the beauty and dignity of Washington’s historic Federal structures and public properties. The plan is a guide for Federal agencies and is designed to assist facilities managers to meet their security requirements with design solutions that are acceptable to Federal employees and the wider community. The Urban Design and Security Plan demonstrates that good urban design and good security can go hand in hand.
The Urban Design and Security Plan:
- Provides perimeter security against the threat of bomb-laden vehicles.
- Assists facility managers to meet their security needs with good urban design solutions.
- Offers a citywide program of both security and urban beautification.
- Expands the palette of attractive street furnishing and landscape treatments that can provide curbside security.
In an unprecedented, collaborative effort with security professionals, facilities managers, public and private stakeholders, and designers, the NCPC team demonstrated to all participating agencies that good design would not diminish security at their facilities. Because of the diversity of precincts, streets, and public space in the plan area, and the variety of security requirements of individual Federal buildings, the team responded with an innovative array of flexible and customized design solutions.
America’s public buildings and properties are the nation’s patrimony. Today, however, the unsightly jumble of fences and barriers that surround public facilities diminish these valuable assets and erode the image of a strong and democratic government. The Urban Design and Security Plan offers a way to secure the nation’s great public places while ensuring they reflect the civic ideals of openness and accessibility.
For more information, contact Mr. William Dowd at (202) 482-7240 or via e-mail at william.dowd@ncpc.gov
