Derelict areas of National Mall to be redesigned

The Trust for the National Mall and the National Park Service are conducting an open design competition to reimagine three derelict spaces on the Mall. 

In the competition's first phase, says The Washington Post, architects, landscape architects, and others are invited to submit written descriptions of how they would improve any of three spaces: Union Square, the Sylvan Theater grounds, and Constitution Gardens Lake. 

"For the second phase, a jury will select 12 designers, who will put together a team and demonstrate to the committee that they can do a complicated project," The Post said. In the final phase, judges will look at sketches and models and select a winner for each location. The Trust has raised $9 million and leveraged $70 millon in federal funds for the undertaking.