Washington DC’s physical appearance has long been a battleground for competing national ideals and presidential visions

Washington's visual identity has always been a political statement. According to Allison Prasch, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison writing in The Conversation, the capital's appearance reflects competing visions of national ideals—and presidents have long used architecture and urban design to stamp their own vision onto the city. Donald Trump's recent capital redesign plans are just the latest chapter in a centuries-long tradition of reshaping Washington to embody a particular idea of America.

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