Suburban vs Urban map from Greater Greater Washington (Arlington, Reston: apartment, neighborhood)

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by spencgr

Interesting that they show the rural areas north of Germantown, but don't show anything west of Reston.

That's the interesting thing. They want to say that urban is not limited to city borders, but then they limit the map to county borders. Loudoun and Prince William should be on there along with several other MD counties.

[ICS67]

With the way people are avoiding Reston Town Center like the plague after the ongoing paid parking fiasco (another story about it in today's Post), I'm surprised RTC isn't listed as rural. Just waiting for the tumbleweed to start blowing down its deserted streets!

[jeff22152]

The author says...
"Of course, this is just a map of housing density, which doesn’t really say anything about urban form..."

Then why give the article the following title?
"This map shows which parts of our region are really “urban” and “suburban”

The author is correct. Housing density is not an indicator by itself of what may constitute urban or suburban. Common sense dictates that other factors, such as poverty, crime, socioeconomic disparity, educational attainment, and transportation patterns need to be taken into account as well, before a map that "really" shows anything can be drawn.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by ICS67

With the way people are avoiding Reston Town Center like the plague after the ongoing paid parking fiasco (another story about it in today's Post), I'm surprised RTC isn't listed as rural. Just waiting for the tumbleweed to start blowing down its deserted streets!

I'm intrigued. I saw the article about the tenants suing the managment company--but are you saying you've seen a noticeable drop in shoppers since the paid parking went in?

[ICS67]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I'm intrigued. I saw the article about the tenants suing the management company--but are you saying you've seen a noticeable drop in shoppers since the paid parking went in?

I haven't been to Reston Town Center since paid parking began, but merchants there are reporting drop-offs of between 10 and 40 percent in business. There are a lot of anecdotal reports as well. For example, a close friend of mine lives directly across the street from RTC. When she went one weekday night to the pan-Asian Big Bowl restaurant, her waiter told her the restaurant had sent six servers home early that evening because of the lack of customers. This was a restaurant that in times past always had a crowd of people waiting to be seated. Two weekday nights later, she and a friend went to a 7:00 PM screening of "La La Land" at the Bow Tie Cinema in RTC. This was about two weeks before the Oscars, when the film was getting a lot of buzz. She counted exactly two other people in the audience.

Of course, Boston Properties' paid shill Rob Weinhold, who is Reston's version of the infamous Iraqi Information Minister "Baghdad Bob", will assure you that everything is just hunky-dory in RTC.

The satirical restonian.org website is having a field day with all this. For example:

Restonian: News blog from Reston, Virginia, the mauve-colored New Town (tm): LOL, We Mean BREAKING: Jacksons Sues RTC Over Paid Parking

or

Restonian: News blog from Reston, Virginia, the mauve-colored New Town (tm): As RTC Parking Protest Happens, We Suggest More Sponsored Content Topics For Our Elite Shopping Overlords

[Carlingtonian]

Interesting info, ICS67.

One would think the Post or a local blog would follow up by interviewing business owners, employees, shoppers, etc., to get a clear picture of what effect it's had.

[dpiccolo]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Interesting info, ICS67.

One would think the Post or a local blog would follow up by interviewing business owners, employees, shoppers, etc., to get a clear picture of what effect it's had.

They have: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...=.31b253b61487

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by dpiccolo

They have: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local...=.31b253b61487

Unless I somehow missed it, that article doesn't go into any firsthand reporting on the effects--just that a lawsuit was filed.

[leighland]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I feel like this entire thread is an elaborate honey trap to lure back TysonsEngineer...

lol

didn't intend that but Tysons mayhem is appreciated

[leighland]

My development in Town of Herndon is very urban, I explain to Chicago family that its like Humboldt Park in the 90's except Salvadoreans not PR's and Cubans (Soccer not beisbol)
Plus there's a high density, walkable high end building boom along the W&OD near the Library
I hear people talk of the Reston-Herndon metro area, as if it will be one town in 15 years.