DC Alley Archives

This episode closes the DC Alley Archives series with conversations featuring  neighborhood commissioner Steven McCarty, restaurant owner Chad Spangler, filmmaker Todd Clark, and researcher Dr. David Salter. They explore the alleyways' layered history, present-day challenges—like trash, zoning, and rising housing costs—and the cultural role of alleys as community spaces. Guests reflect on preservation, revitalization, and visions for inclusive development that protects both buildings and the people who make these alleys home.

Host Briana Thomas sits down with Gretchen Wharton and Dr. Lopez Matthews Jr. to explore the fine line between revitalization and gentrification in Washington, DC, focusing on historic alleyways, neighborhood change, and the role of archives and preservation. The episode highlights personal histories from Shaw, efforts to name and preserve alley spaces, and practical ways residents can engage in planning to protect community heritage while fostering responsible growth.

Host Briana Thomas speaks with Bryan Green (National Association of Realtors) and Dr. Bi'Anncha Andrews about the history and impact of alleyway communities in Washington, DC, exploring how real estate policy, redlining, racial covenants, and urban renewal drove displacement and shaped neighborhood change. The episode highlights the loss of cultural value and generational wealth, the role of Black women in resistance and advocacy, and current challenges and policy ideas for building inclusive, equitable housing while preserving community networks.

Host Briana Thomas interviews historian Jim Borchert about the rise of alley communities in Washington, DC, from the 1850s through post–Civil War migration, the harsh living and working conditions residents faced, and the ways they formed strong kinship and mutual-aid networks. The episode also examines how reformers and officials viewed alleys, the role of education and religion, and lessons for city planners about understanding lived use of space and the need for equal opportunity to support resilient communities.

Host Briana Thomas and guest Kim Williams uncover the layered history of Washington, DC’s alleyways — their architecture, everyday life, and the communities that flourished there. The episode traces how alley dwellings developed, who lived and worked in them, the push for sanitation reform, and the eventual displacement and redevelopment that reshaped these hidden neighborhoods.