The fear factor

Abstract

Balancing the needs of security with those of an open society is the basic goal of the new Washington plan. The Nation's Capital today is challenged to find acceptable ways to protect itself from new and unprecedented international threats. But our security must not be gained at the expense of the very values and qualities that we seek to protect: accessibility, openness, and civic beauty. The published plan, 89 pages long with a Streetscape, Element Catalogue added as an appendix, provides design guidelines for the entire monumental core of the city and much of downtown Washington (where federal tenants account for more than 25 percent of office occupancy). Altogether, more than three square miles of the city are included. The plan focuses on the public realm, defined technically as consisting of three "security zones" outside a building: a street's parking lane, the sidewalk, and the building "yard." The security zones concept was developed by the General Services Administration, the federal government's chief landlord. There are six zones in all. While undeniably important to a thorough security plan for a particular building or area, the other three zones-the building interior, building perimeter or exterior wall, and the entire street-were beyond the scope of this plan.