The Hidden Engineering Protecting Washington D.C.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Love DC's design! It's complemented by the DC Metro, a marvelously designed system! I mean, the waffles, the arches, the blinking lights on the platform when a train approaches...chef's kiss! A great mix of Brutalist architecture from the time while also honoring Washington's neoclassical architecture. It's worth mentioning that when DC was planned, it was a full diamond rather than half the diamond it is today. The area given to the District of Columbia was originally a diamond ceded by the states of Maryland and Virginia in accordance with the Residence Act adopted in July 1790. DC was designed by Parisian Pierre Charles L'Enfant, and was based on European models translated to American ideals. The entire city was built around the idea that every citizen was equally important, with a street grid system and wide diagonal avenues named after states radiating from the Capitol (which back then, Capitol Hill was known as Jenkins Hill)! The National Mall was designed as open to all comers, which would have been unheard of in his native France. L'Enfant placed Congress on a high point with a commanding view of the Potomac rather than a leader's palace on a hill like in Europe. L'Enfant was simply asked to survey the area and recommend locations for buildings and streets, yet he interpreted that as creating a whole ambitious plan, much more than the simple federal town Jefferson had in mind. People back then thought L'Enfant was crazy, but not Washington! However, the Virginian side returned to Virginia in 1847. This is because of several factors. Alexandria went into economic decline because of neglect by Congress as members from other parts of Virginia fought to prohibit funding for Alexandria projects in favor of projects in their home districts. Legislation required that no Federal buildings be built on the formerly Virginia side of the District (part of the compromise that created the Capitol), so it gained nothing in government workers or buildings. But the main factor was legislation was in the works to outlaw slave trading within DC, and slave auctions were some of Alexandria’s biggest businesses. Here's something interesting about the Washington Monument, if you look carefully, there's two different shades of marble. This is because the Washington Monument was constructed in two phases after laying the cornerstone in 1848. The color line shows where construction halted in 1856, when private donations to fund the Monument dried up. Groups in charge of raising money argued over how the monument should represent George Washington and the nation. Building resumed only when Congress authorized public funds to complete the work in 1876 When construction resumed, new stones for the Monument came from new quarries. In 1876, white marble from a different Maryland quarry combined with granite from several quarries in New England to create stones that completed the Monument. Once finished in 1885, the stones appeared to be the same color. Environmental elements aged the marbles differently, so now we see a distinct difference in stone colors on the Monument

[@tonygudkov]

Great info thanks

[@insanebrobot9853]

Amazing video! Keep up the good work 😊

[@TheLiamster]

I love Washington DC but I wish the McMillan plan was built

[@TheDailyConversation]

I wasn’t familiar until you brought it up, but it appears a lot of it has been followed… The McMillan plan “continues to guide urban planning in and around Washington, D.C., into the 21st century and has become a part of the federal government's official planning policy for the national capital.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMillan_Plan

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

A fun fact, DC doesn't have the biggest collection of cherry blossoms in the US! That title goes to Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ! Branch Brook Park has over 5,300 of them in 18 varieties! Branch Brook is the oldest county park in the US, and the cherry blossoms have been there since 1927 when Caroline Bamberger Fuld (co-founder of Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study) donated about 2,000 of them to the park after falling in love with them during a Japan trip. The park is served by the Newark Light Rail's Newark City Subway line, and Branch Brook Park (formerly Franklin Ave) was once the terminus of the Newark City Subway until it was extended to Grove Street in Bloomfield in 2002. I like the design of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Lead designer David Adjaye and lead architect Philip Freelon, together with their architectural team Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup, won an international competition in April 2009 to design and deliver the museum. The museum's design was inspired by Yoruban architecture, including the three-tiered corona at the top of the building. The corona is based on the top of a sculpture by Olowe of Ise, a Yoruban craftsman from the early 20th century. Moreover, the building's main entrance is a welcoming porch, which has architectural roots in Africa and throughout the African Diaspora, especially the American South and Caribbean. Finally, by wrapping the entire building in an ornamental bronze-colored metal lattice, Adjaye pays homage to the intricate ironwork crafted by slaves in Louisiana, South Carolina, and elsewhere. The light reflected from the bronze-colored lattice serves as a beacon that reminds us of what we were, what challenges we still face, and what we may hope to become.

[@10hawell]

Just build massive sea wall around the whole bay. eastern US had worlds longest line of spits and costal Islands, just build massive locks between them and regulate all ship traffic going in and out various bays.

[@eazydee5757]

So, sort of like the Netherlands does? It doesn’t sound like such a bad idea, and could easily be utilized in places such as Louisiana.

[@me0101001000]

@@eazydee5757 the problem is hurricanes. I'm not sure those sea walls and dykes can survive higher energy tropical storms, let alone full fledged hurricanes.

[@cptyolowaffle]

Who’s gonna pay for that lol

[@TheLiamster]

There’s actually a proposal to do that in New York City

[@vadervanman]

"The Extreme Engineering Of Washington, D.C" Talks only about flood control. Was expecting a video about layout, buildings, roads, airports, train stations, etc. Good video, just a misleading title imo. 🙂

[@hgdon-homeiswheretreesare-9239]

With Washington manument standing tall just like the man himself was alive.

[@KillerTacos54]

Love this series so much

[@TheDailyConversation]

Thanks as always Tacos!

[@me0101001000]

I really hope you will do Baltimore soon! It gets a bad rap, but it really has come a long way recently

[@TheDailyConversation]

Agreed, will do! Any suggestions on what I should cover?

[@me0101001000]

@TheDailyConversation most definitely! Of course, it is worth starting with Baltimore's history with being a valuable port for the Crown. Baltimore still is a very active port city for the US. The city did, unfortunately become a lot more crime riddled in the early '70s, which a huge aspect to blame was drug smuggling by cartels, and it is alleged that the War on Drugs made this far worse, even planting drugs in impoverished neighborhoods. Furthermore, the scars of red lining are still visible to this day. However, in recent years, this has all been turning around. I would highly recommend talking about the work done by the current mayor, Brandon Scott. He is a Baltimore native, who repeatedly shows how much he loves the city. He is always on the front lines trying to improve the lives of residents, particularly the most impoverished and vulnerable. What's amazing is that all of this development is happening while being cautious to not gentrify. It hasn't worked perfectly, obviously, but it really is amazing to see a city clean itself up without pricing out its own residents.

[@opelfrost]

you need to build forest sponge, not sea wall

[@pbilk]

Exactly. Work with the water not against it.

[@pbilk]

Great to see all this engineering but why are they working against the water rather than working with it like the Netherlands or even a recent project in Vancouver, BC, Canada where they had a buried creek which would often flood onto the street. Now, that they made waterway along the street that mimics a creek the flooding issue disappeared.

[@goodwood-rc4nx]

there is a project exactly like this in London the Thames way tunnel

[@Pbo91]

Make more videos about US cities. Very enjoyable

[@adialharuyany]

😮😊

[@nintendude794]

Pentagram roads. Look it up.

[@DisposableSupervillainHenchman]

Wow dude. You’re so original. It’s such a big secret that sometimes certain shapes appear. Good thing you’re on the case!

[@nintendude794]

@@DisposableSupervillainHenchman Since you live in Georgia, and we agree that Atlanta is a swamp hole… What is the Real Secret of the Georgia Guidestones?

[@nintendude794]

@@DisposableSupervillainHenchman What is the Real Secret of the Georgia Guidestones?

[@DisposableSupervillainHenchman]

@@nintendude794 What psyche meds have you stopped taking?

[@stgeorgee]

@@nintendude794bless your heart. I suppose the earth is flat too.