DC and the next 200

Should we continue on our current path, consuming and reproducing at the same rates, DC will be completely different in 200 years. If DC is even inhabitable in 200 years, it most likely will be a huge waste land.

Today, Washington DC is already overcrowded. It the population continues to grow, what little empty space there is now, will be wiped out to put up more housing and more shopping centers. Places like Rock Creek Park would not exist anymore. The DC area is already short on open space and places when people can go and interact with nature first hand. To accommodate all of the additional residents and commuters, major roads like the Beltway would have to be expanded. These kinds of expansions would lead to more pollution. The metro and bus systems would also have to be expanded. Public attractions, like museums and historical sites, would deteriorate. As more and more people would come to DC, these kinds of places would be exhausted, unable to handle the volume of visitors. The Potomac would become more and more polluted because of all the additional waste from the city.

Hopefully, none of this will happen! I would really like DC to maintain, if not improve, its aesthetically pleasing appearance. It would be such a shame if all of the museums and places open to the public were destroyed. I hope DC will always find a way to maintain these historical places. DC should start by "greening" all of its public transportation. I also would hope that DC can work on preserving/creating more parks and recreation areas.

To address the housing problem that DC will definitely face (if its not already facing it) the city should not increase housing developments - there is simply no room. Expanding housing could only come at the expense of the little empty spaces of greenness that DC has left!