National Mall Plan Signifigance

WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THE NATIONAL MALL?
Planning for the National Mall Plan began by agreeing on both the purpose and significance of the National Mall.
The National Mall is a uniquely symbolic space in the heart of our nation’s capital:

• It is the home to the enduring symbols of our country — an inspiring setting for memorials, the backdrop for the executive and legislative branches of our government, and a visual connection between the branches of our government.
• Its monuments, memorials, statues, and other commemorative works honor important personages, historical events, and the ideals of democracy. As a result, it offers emotional and intellectual connections that affect our national perceptions, consciousness, and identity.
• It is a designed landscape that provides extraordinary vistas to symbols of our nation.

THE NATIONAL MALL IS AMERICA'S FRONT YARD
Visitors of every race, nationality, and faith come to the National Mall to celebrate, commemorate, or recreate.

• It is a national landscape, and its history and appearance have been enriched by gifts to the United States from other countries.
• It is the center of our nation’s cultural heritage, surrounded by many of the country’s most significant educational and cultural institutions. Portions of West Potomac Park will forever be a public park for the recreation and enjoyment of the people.

THE NATIONAL MALL IS THE COUNTRY'S DEMOCRATIC STAGE:
It is a stage for national events and a preeminent national civic space for public gatherings because “it is here that the constitutional rights of speech and peaceful assembly find their fullest expression.”
It is an inclusive and open environment where we celebrate our national identity and important events.

WHAT PROBLEMS DOES THE PLAN ADDRESS?
As one of the earliest public spaces in our nation, the National Mall has undergone many changes over the last two centuries, and its facilities and infrastructure are no longer able to accommodate uses that were never contemplated by earlier designers. Aging facilities, some from the 1800s, have exceeded their life expectancy and require extensive renewal and repair. When the National Mall planning effort began in 2006, deferred maintenance for needed repairs — not improvements to meet visitor needs — totaled more than $450 million.

As a symbolic space, the National Mall is one of the most highly photographed areas of our nation, and it needs to be attractive. Compacted soils, dead grass, and missing trees are not acceptable; and vistas planned in 1791 are visually marred by temporary structures during events.
As our nation’s front yard, the National Mall should be easily accessible for all people and should have better connections to the city and transportation networks. Pedestrian walks are currently deteriorated, too narrow for use levels, or inaccessible for visitors with disabilities. They may also lack amenities such as seating. Generally, facilities are too small for current levels of use, and they are not well-dispersed or convenient. Recreation field conditions need to be improved. Tens of millions of gallons of treated water stagnate in pools that have no recirculation systems, resulting in poor water quality.
As our democratic stage, the National Mall needs to be able to accommodate huge numbers of people flexibly, efficiently, and sustainably and to be able to recover quickly from a great many activities — from First Amendment demonstrations, national celebrations, and special events attended by hundreds of thousands of visitors, to tours by school groups, military veterans, and foreign visitors, to individual opportunities for general enjoyment and recreation.

WHAT OBJECTIVES WILL THE PLAN ACHIEVE?
The National Mall Plan sets out 30 objectives. These objectives relate to topics such as cultural and natural resource protection; access and circulation; visitor information, education, and enjoyment; visitor amenities; health, public safety, and security; and park operations. Key objectives include the following:

• Monuments, memorials, and their settings are preserved and protected.
• Primary east-west and several north-south vistas on the National Mall are improved and perpetuated.
• Historic plans for the National Mall are respected. Resources are managed compatibly with the intent of the historic plans.
• Conditions of natural resources, such as water, turf, trees/vegetation, and soils, are improved to be part of a sustainable urban ecosystem.

The National Mall remains a venue for First Amendment demonstrations and national celebrations.

• Special events are managed to sustain the health of park resources, to balance the desires of all users, and to ensure a safe environment. No one’s enjoyment of the National Mall is unacceptably compromised by others, now or in the future.
• To fulfill its symbolic and civic importance, the National Mall is a role model of inclusive ness and universal design for all citizens.
• The National Mall provides the quintessential American experience where visitors can feel welcomefully understand the importance of this preeminent civic area for First Amendment rights learn about our core values as a nation by making an educational, emotional, inspirational, or patriotic connection to the memorials that commemorate our history and the physical design that reflects our democratic form of government appreciate the beauty of the National Mall during the day, at night, and year-roundFacilities are of high quality and reflect a compatible and enduring character, thus creating a sense of place that reinforces the civic, historic, and symbolic role of the National Mall to our nation.
• The National Mall is a role model in sustain able urban park development, resource protection, and management, focusing on six areas: requirements and policy, resource health, water use, circulation, facilities, and park operations.