America's Palimpsest: Ground-Zero Democracy and the Capitol Mall |
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| Authors: | Matthew T. Witt |
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| Affiliation: | Assistant professor of public administration at the University of La Verne in Southern California. He has written on matters of public administration theory, public participation, and the persistent themes that race poses for public administration practitioners. His work has been published in Administrative Theory and Praxis, Public Performance and Management Review;, and the Hansell Symposium. Dr. Witt worked five years in architecture prior to undertaking graduate work in urban studies at Portland State University. E-mail: . |
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| Abstract: | This article examines the history of the Capitol Mall from its inception in 1791 to recent legislation prohibiting further development along the Mall's primary axes. This movement to restrict further development of the Mall's massive open spaces derives from concerns that fail to fully articulate the iconographic significance these spaces represent. Drawing from the Mall's 200-year history of master planning, this article examines the Mall's palimpsestic and emergent qualities and presents planning criteria that make it possible to build future commemorative works within the Mall's primary open spaces while retaining the overall integrity of its grandeur. |
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