The present

The area around Union Station has been growing more racially diverse and prosperous. While some new apartments, government and commercial buildings ring the station, neighborhoods of historic homes are just a few blocks away.

Year built

Commercial and offices*

Residential and hotels*

A changing neighborhood

In 1990, 75% of the people who lived within a mile of Union Station were black. Now, whites make up 44% of the area’s populaton, and the share of Asians and Hispanics is also growing.

Poverty and education

In 2012, 61 percent of the area’s inhabitants had a bachelor’s degree, compared with 29 percent for the rest of the United States.

The potential future

A sweeping proposal would build above and below the tracks behind Union Station, creating a slice of new development between two of D.C.’s hottest markets. But the plan’s creators, Amtrak, Akridge and the Union Station Redevelopment Corp., will need to overcome political and financial hurdles to turn their concept into reality. A look at the plan’s highlights, starting from the top:

Select a level:

Note: Illustrated is a preliminary concept as of May 2014. Sources: Lead Project Consultant Brian Harner, Shalom Baranes Associates, Union Station Master Plan by Amtrak, National Railroad Passenger Corp., Union Station Redevelopment Corp., Parsons Brinckerhoff & HOK, Akridge, WMATA, Union Station Parking Garage, D.C. Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Post analysis of U.S. Census data. Images at top: Past: Library of Congress. Present: Pictometry. Future: Akridge. Published Sept. 12, 2014.

* Clarification: According to the D.C. property records, the oldest commercial building in the Union Station area is the U.S. Capitol, where construction began in 1793. Property records indicate two homes on D Street SE were built in 1776.A previous version of the map key included the years built of some properties in Georgetown, which is not on the map. Union Station opened in 1907.

Graphic by Alberto Cuadra, Bonnie Berkowitz, Darla Cameron, Ted Mellnik and Kevin Schaul - The Washington Post