Poplar Point Reimagined Blueprint for Accessible Anacostia

About The Entry

Design project for accessible Anacostia reimagines the Poplar Point Riverfront in Washington, D.C. as a resilient waterfront community driven by a comprehensive productive landscape system. Addressing historic inequities in healthy food access, ecological fragmentation, and pedestrian mobility, the project transforms the riverfront into an integrated urban environment where landscape infrastructure supports food production, economic activity, and community life.

At the core of the proposal is a waterfront productive landscape network that extends beyond urban agriculture to include food processing facilities, distribution spaces, administrative offices, local markets, and community-oriented public programs. Together, these components establish a closed-loop food system that supports the full cycle of production, processing, management, and consumption. Flexible green corridors and productive public spaces create opportunities for education, employment, entrepreneurship, and social interaction while strengthening local economic resilience.

A major urban intervention reimagines Highway 295 by placing part of the roadway lanes underground, removing the long-standing barrier between surrounding neighborhoods and the waterfront. This transformation restores continuous pedestrian access and ecological connectivity across Anacostia, linking communities directly to the riverfront and the broader Washington, D.C. urban network.

Ecological restoration strategies—including native planting systems, habitat corridors, and stormwater management infrastructure—further enhance biodiversity and climate resilience along the waterfront. By integrating productive landscapes, ecological systems, and civic infrastructure, Accessible Anacostia proposes a new model for equitable waterfront revitalization that prioritizes sustainability, accessibility, and long-term community development.