The National Park Service has released its new Master Plan for the National Mall. I have only briefly skimmed it so far, but one interesting page deals with the visual vistas NPS deems important. Check out this map:

Important vistas according to NPS. Click the map for a larger version in pdf format.

The map’s blue lines are “vistas [that] are identified as contributing features of the L’Enfant Plan of the City of Washington, D.C.”, while the yellow lines are “other important vistas”.

This could prove important for streetcar planning if indeed DC solves its overhead wire problem by adopting the common sense hybrid solution, whereby wires power trams for most of their routes, with short gaps at the most important vistas.

If the National Park Service’s plans can be considered authoritative, this map illustrates how they affect the 7th Street / 14th Street / Georgia Avenue streetcar line (the only one to cross the National Mall):

Streetcar conflicts with NPS vistas.

Such incidental conflicts can be easily avoided with existing, inexpensive battery technology, while still allowing the most affordable and efficient power system (wires) to be used throughout most of the system. It’s a real win-win idea.