Photo by NCinDC

There’s plenty of open space in the District, but not all of it is very good.

The Atlantic Cities went about rating the world’s top 10 best and worst squares and plazas today, and the District gained the notorious designation of having two of the worst — the National Mall and the HUD Plaza.

This is what they had to say about the National Mall:

Although few will doubt its significance as well as its efficient layout, the Mall is in need of significant upgrades. More paved surfaces, bathroom facilities, and trash receptacles would help. A master plan for it has been approved and a design competition for sections of it has been announced.

And this on the HUD Plaza:

The seating and shelter islands have a vintage charm but HUD plaza is held back from some basic layout issues. In what was likely an attempt to not let the parking garage entry become intimidating, the path for cars is not distinct from the pedestrian paths. However, this makes one feel as if they are sharing the same space-a far from settling feeling for pedestrians. A wall forms at the sidewalk where cars emerge from the garage beneath, forming a barrier that makes you feel as if you have to cross another street just to find a place to rest.

Some tough words, but no truer words could be spoken. In the spirit of honesty, let’s go ahead and add a few to the list:

• L’Enfant Promenade: Just a stone’s throw away from the HUD Plaza, the L’Enfant Promenade has no more charm. Thankfully, the feds have said that they’d like to hit the reset button and make the place somewhere you’d be happy, not regretful, you ended up at.
• Southwest Waterfront: No offense meant to our Southwestern neighbors, but the waterfront is a bleak expanse of concrete and 1960s-era architecture that doesn’t do the Washington Channel or Potomac River beyond it justice. Though years away, there are big plans for a more attractive Southwest in the works — the second such time in a century that the city will have tried to make the waterfront attractive and approachable.
• Freedom Plaza: If I didn’t have to cross it to get from the Wilson Building to the free Wi-Fi across the street, I don’t think I would ever set foot on the empty and uninspired concrete lot.
• Franklin Square/McPherson Square: Both the downtown squares are proof that green space alone doesn’t create a community or a constituency. If there’s not a real neighborhood around, parks, plazas and squares will generally lack life.

Feel free to throw your own submissions for the best and worst of the District’s public spaces in the comments.