Home > Newsroom > DC’s Central Business District Adds Colorful Gardens to Complement Recovery Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 27, 2022) – The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID), in collaboration with Smithsonian Gardens, today announced five winners of this year’s GLDN+ Streets contest. More than 20 properties throughout the central business district participated in the contest, adding vibrant plantings and colorful designs in more than 50 of their tree box gardens to embellish the District’s streets and welcome everyone downtown.
The BID began hosting GLDN+ Streets in 2011 to enhance the vibrancy of the neighborhood during summer months. This objective has increasing importance today. Office occupancy in DC’s central business district hovers just above 40 percent during weekday peaks, and initiatives such as Streets encourage more people to linger when visiting the District.
“The more reasons we can give people to return to DC, the more likely we are to inspire intentional decisions to go back downtown and increase foot traffic,” said Leona Agouridis, Executive Director of the Golden Triangle BID. “When someone comes to the Golden Triangle, we want them to be awed by the beauty of our streets and have a positive experience that makes them want to come back again and again.”
This year’s Streets theme, “Happy Habitats,” is an extension of the Smithsonian Gardens’ “Habitat” – an exhibition that explores how protecting habitats protect life. The gardens showcase plants that people can use at home to promote sustainability and pollination in their own gardens.
The GLDN+ Streets winners, designated as “2022 Judge’s Choice,” were selected by an expert panel of judges, including Smithsonian Gardens horticulturists James Gagliardi and Sarah Dickert, Amelia Draper of NBC 4, and Luis Marmol of Dumbarton Oaks.
2022 GLDN+ Streets Winners:
GLDN+ Streets plantings add to the BID’s efforts to promote a sustainable neighborhood – from building rain gardens and installing bike racks to expanding the recycling program. Complementing these efforts, Smithsonian Gardens also recently installed pollinator habitats in the Golden Triangle’s Longfellow and Monroe Parks.
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About the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District
Formed in 1998, the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) enhances Washington, DC’s central business district, the 44-square-block neighborhood stretching from The White House to Dupont Circle. For more information, visit: goldentriangledc.com and connect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Media Contact Miranda Woolston, mwoolston@goldentriangledc.com, 202.684.8923
