The Southwest was an integral part of the L’Enfant Plan for Washington DC.  It was envisioned in the plan that the Southwest and the waterfront would be integrally connected to the National Mall.  The area developed over the years into a community of low-rise townhouses populated by workers in the nearby waterfront and industrial districts.  In the 1950’s, the area was identified by District and Federal officials as a “problem area” due to substandard housing and overcrowding.  Shortly thereafter, the Redevelopment Land Agency and Federal City Council commenced with a dramatic plan to demolish and redevelop the entire Southwest quadrant.

The plan included a relocation of most area residents, and the creation of new modern housing to attract middle-class residents back to the city.  The plan led to the creation of several large “superblocks” to support large housing complexes, and also promoted the creation of the Southeast/Southwest freeway.  The design of the Southwest neighborhood contains many interesting examples of modernist architecture and open space, representing a wide array of experimental mixed housing types from the 1960’s combining high and low-rise structures and income levels.  Some historically significant landmarks were preserved in Southwest, such as the Fish Wharf the Southwest waterfront and the Thomas Law House, which continue to lend a colorful reminder of the legacy of Southwest.

The Southwest neighborhood has developed over the years into a mature urban community that benefits from the wide social, ethnic and economic diversity of its residents.  The success of Southwest, in contrast to many other urban renewal projects in US cities, may be lent to the efforts on behalf of the National Park and Planning Commission to distribute income levels and to encourage neighborhood design that included a mix of high and low-rises with lower scaled buildings and townhouses.  The current demographics in Southwest reveal an ethnically and racially diverse area with a population that is 55% African American, 40% white, and 4% Hispanic and other ethnic groups.  According to the most recently available economic data collected in 1998, the median household income was $47,511, about $4500 greater than the median income for the district.  Southwest continues to be an appealing neighborhood with excellent access to downtown Washington and views of the waterfront that makes it a desirable location for residential growth.  It is well positioned to continue to expand its residential base in years to come.

Though commercial space was planned within these residential areas, little of it was ever constructed, and that which does exist is poorly integrated into the neighborhood.  For example, the Southwest waterfront which was envisioned to include restaurants, marinas, and retail complexes, is dominated by surface parking, showing little consideration for pedestrian access or public spaces to connect the waterfront to the surrounding residential neighborhood.