Guy-Didier Godat estate agent for Evers&Co

You arrived in Washington in 1980. What has changed in three decades in DC?

Everything about it. Just 15-20 years ago, the capital of the United States was as bustling as Switzerland. Today, things are very different. Neighbourhoods such as Pennsylvania Quarter, Union Station and Logan Circle have been revitalised and new buildings are springing up all over the place.

Is DC starting to emerge from the shadows?

And not just a little! More and more films are being shot in DC, which is also the focus of several very popular TV series. There is now a degree of media coverage, a staging of power that didn't exist before. From this point of view, Obama's election can be seen as an achievement. This can also be felt in business life. Before, lobbyists preferred chic, hidden restaurants. Today, the important thing is to be seen, and the brasserie style is fashionable. Above all, the choice is much wider than it was just ten years ago.

Why such a change?

With the rise in legislative power, Washington has become a focal point. The economic crisis has exacerbated this phenomenon. At the same time, business has grown considerably in the metropolitan area. With the establishment of the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, the biotech sector has exploded around the Interstate 270 corridor north of DC. At the same time, a large number of intelligence technology start-ups have sprung up around the Pentagon and the CIA, along an axis that runs from DC to the international airport via Reston. It is said that 40 % of the US defence budget falls on this axis, and this budget is approaching 700 billion dollars...