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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Judy Scott Feldman, 301-340-3938

Coalition Action Plan Charts New Vision for National Mall

Expanding the role of public use drives a new vision for the Mall’s future

November 20, 2009 — Washington, DC — The National Coalition to Save Our Mall, which has been calling on the Administration and Congress to create a McMillan-type Commission to undertake visionary planning for the National Mall, says it is time to implement the idea.   The Coalition’s report, just released, jump-starts the process with an outline of the basic elements of the vision plus a series of steps the Coalition plans to take to advance the future planning process.

Renewing American Democracy on the 3rd Century Mall, informed by five years of public discussion, is a prescription for improving the educational, cultural, and civic role of the most popular tourist destination in America.

“Our concerns go beyond infrastructure,” said Judy Scott Feldman, PhD, who chairs the Coalition.  “We are looking at the Mall from the public perspective. What is the purpose of the Mall?  How can it better serve the needs of 25 million visitors annually?  How can it better tell the American story?”  Feldman says these issues cannot be dealt with piecemeal.  “A grand vision requires a grand collaboration of government and citizens that recognizes that the Mall has evolved from an historic landscape to a living Stage for Our Democracy.”

“With stimulus money flowing to Mall projects for repairs to the Reflecting Pool and seawalls at the Tidal Basin, a long-range vision is more urgent than ever to avoid costly mistakes we may regret.  Decisions we make today need to anticipate the needs of the American public for the next 50 years,” said Feldman. 

In asking for a new “McMillan” Commission, the Coalition is seeking a modern reprise of the august body of planners and thinkers that rescued the Mall a century ago from an earlier period of disrepair and unclear purpose and gave us the Mall’s majestic vistas and immensely popular and meaningful Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials.

In addition, the Coalition is launching five new initiatives to raise public consciousness of the Mall’s potential.  The first initiative – an “ideas competition” for the Washington Monument grounds – is indeed an idea whose time has come.  Though the McMillan Commission considered the Monument grounds the “gem of the Mall system,” a century later this concept remains unrealized.  Opening a public dialogue about this Mall centerpiece will be an opportunity to open up the process of rethinking the future of the entire Mall.

The table of contents, listed below, provides an overview of the 16-page report.

The report can be downloaded on the Coalition website: http://www.savethemall.org. Requests for copies of the report can be made to Kay Murphy at kay@savethemall.org or 800-618-3166.

For more information about the National Coalition to Save Our Mall, visit http://www.savethemall.org

WHAT’S INSIDE

Page 2   TO OUR READERS

Why a compelling 3rd Century Mall vision is needed now

Page 3   THE STAGE FOR AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Americans have taken ownership of the Mall but today the Mall does not fully meet their hopes and needs

Pages 4-5   EVOLVING SYMBOL OF AMERICAN IDENTITY  

Intensive public engagement and civic participation have become the symbolic expression of our era. The 3rd Century Vision for the National Mall builds upon this new modern purpose

Page 6   FROM ”PLACE OF GENERAL RESORT” TO CIVIC

The 3rd Century Vision puts the people’s needs first: new Mall-wide management policies to support public use, integrated circulation systems, pedestrian-friendly amenities and attractions, and more

Page 7   TELLING A MORE COMPLETE AMERICAN STORY

A new national civics curriculum will set the stage, layering new narratives into the open space and onto existing memorials, and challenging the idea that the Mall is a “completed work of civic art”

Page 8   BUILDING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

The cluster of world-class museums leaves many topics and disciplines unrepresented; a new collaboration is required to fill in the gaps. The open space can be used more creatively for education and entertainment

Page 9   CONNECTING CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENT

Citizens don’t know their government. Make the work of government inside our federal office buildings more transparent. Create more “stages” to support First Amendment activities on the Mall’s open space

Pages 10-11   PROGRAMMING THE OPEN SPACE

Visitors seeking activities on the open space need a variety of options. A new programming entity can open up rich opportunities on the Mall. One examples is a series of self-guided tours that connect unrelated monuments, museums, and public buildings into explorations of American heritage

Page 12   RENEWING THE EXISTING MALL LANDSCAPE

The Mall needs to be upgraded and made sustainable to support growing public use and meet the challenges of the future. Whole areas, including the Washington Monument grounds, have never been completed – yet

Page 13   RENEWING THE MALL THROUGH EXPANSION 

The Mall can be expanded three different ways to support continued evolution throughout the 21st century: physically onto contiguous federal land, especially along the expansive Potomac River waterfront; using Metro to reach outlying sites; and integrating the latest digital communications technology

Page 14   RENEWING THE MALL THROUGH GOVERNANCE

Consolidating the existing 14 Congressional committees and 6 agencies with a Mall Governance Board

Page 15   WE’RE NOT WAITING

The National Coalition to Save Our Mall is moving forward with five programs to continue to raise public consciousness about Mall issues:

• A national competition for the Washington Monument grounds

• A Mall-wide landscape restoration study

• Educational programs and self guided tours

• A formal definition of the National Mall

• A Mall-wide circulation planning study

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