Results of Reston Land Use College: Session One (Arlington, Alexandria: section 8, rent)

[540_804]

I, for one, share much of ScranBarre's interest in 'new urbanism', smart growth, green development and sustainable living. (I assume ScranBarre is in favor of new urbanism given his outlook on development, though I could be wrong).

I hear and understand a lot of people's concerns about this type of growth, however, I must point out that new urbanism is not a mandate for everyone to ditch their SUVs and live in commieblocks but instead allows for a choice. For those who want to live in apartments or condominiums or townhouses or single family houses, the options are all available.

But I think a lot of people think that the two are mutually exclusive when they are, indeed, not. I think what ScranBarre is really advocating is that there at least be options for smart, dense growth for those who desire it. I think one of the reasons sprawl got so bad is because with suburbanization, dense growth was all but forsaken. There were no options for urban living so people had to settle for the 'burbs. Unfortunately that created a cycle:"No one was living in urban areas so why develop them. More suburbia for all!!!" LOL.

This is a very interesting thread, might I add.

[540_804]

Oh, and don't worry ScranBarre...the type of development you want is on the way...

Not because its smart growth or sustainable or any of the advantages that it presents...
But because it is both in vogue and highly profitable to developers..LOL. I guess that will work, right?

[ScranBarre]

Rep points for you! You NAILED most of my exact sentiments and managed to wrap them up into one concise little package! Thank you!

[guyincognito]

Those fearing the Arlington-ization of their communities I can only assume aren't very familiar with what Arlington actually is. There are lots of beautiful single-family homes in Arlington and it's not all apartment buildings and office complexes. The miracle of what Arlington has been able to accomplish is to continue to grow while actually reducing traffic.

Arlington set in place many years ago a land use strategy that concentrated development near transit and focused on mixed-modal transportation rather than just roads. Sidewalks and bike paths are common. Roads have fewer lanes, making them easier to cross. The road network is more connected as well, having developed mostly before the advent of the cul-de-sac. Living in a single-family neighborhood in Arlington is not much different from living in one in the outer suburbs, except your house doesn't look like your neighbors, your street has sidewalks, and you can actually get somewhere without your car.

Like many of you, I was a child of the suburbs - I enjoyed going to the mall and eating at Macaroni Grill. I didn't realize what I was missing until I got so fed up with commuting I decided to move to Arlington - I now can't imagine returning to the days of having to drive everywhere. When I want to go somewhere I can get on my bike and pedal to the store. I can run to nearby parks or just through all the interesting neighborhoods. I still drive to work, but it now takes < 30 minutes. I can easily metro to DC for events.

The growth of the suburbs over the last 50 years has mostly been driven by the highway, the car, and cheap energy. I fear the days of cheap energy will not be with us forever, and we need to develop a new model that doesn't require everybody to drive in their own car.

[fdeitz]

Originally Posted by lchoro

You're almost ten years too late. The extension of Metro out to the airport is already spurring massive redevelopment in Loudoun and Prince William. Try driving out west on Route 50 or on Route 7.

Anything Reston and Fairfax County does is not going to have a bearing on what planners, developers, and landowners in Loudoun County will do in the future. They'll act in their own interests whether you want them to or not. It's very disingenuous on your part to try to claim that you're doing this in the interest of preserving Loudoun County. They already have plans to extensively redevelop the eastern part of their county with planned communities and mixed-use urban developments. Plans for new towns and cities are cropping up all along Route 28, Route 7, Route 50, and around Leesburg.

Actually, the idea that Reston and Fairfax County should somehow dictate to other counties or influence their decision making is quite humorous. I'm sure the citizens of the other counties would like to have their own say on these matters. Or has Reston somehow become the planning center for the entire NOVA area?

[540_804]

Yep, Arlington is a great example. I think it was named one of America's top most walkable places recently (maybe a few years back).

Guyincognito mentioned the fact that Arlington created a land use strategy (or master plan). From what I understand from this thread, Reston is in the process of doing that as well (or possibly updating a plan already in place) which I think is great.

They both highlight how important urban planning is. It's not so much what is built but more how its built. The problem arises when you have 100 different developers with 100 different plans, which has been the story of most of America's suburbanization...I think this type of planning that Reston is doing will go a long way. Getting the community involved through forums, focus groups and educational workshops is phenomenal.

The suburb in and of itself is not an unsalvageable idea with no redeeming qualities. However, the old way of doing it (where every developer acts independently of a master plan) is just not feasible or smart.

[guyincognito]

Also, for those interested, Arlington posted an interesting series of videos on YouTube about Smart Growth and how they applied it:


YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (1): Introduction

YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (2): Boomtown

YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (3): I-66

YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (4): Metro

YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (5): Development

YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (6): What is Smart Growth?

YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (7): Neighborhoods
YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (8): Affordability

YouTube - Arlington's Smart Growth Journey (9): The Future

[540_804]

Thanks for the links..I'm actually watching it right now...

I think Part 6 is especially pertinent to this discussion...

[leighland]

I truly despise how these 'urban planners' lump 'affordable housing' as one size fits all. A family of 4 who needs "affordable housing" and goes to bed at 10 pm and have kids who wake up in the middle of the night sick don't want to share 'affordable housing' with 4 20 year olds who stay up all hours and throw parties once a month. These planners will not reserve various types of self governed affordable areas because it takes away from the tax base. Plus you wont see affordable housing in lets say North Arlington, where the best public schools are in Arlington. I think planners just want their own vision and insist everyone comply or else.

[Legs1357]

Originally Posted by guyincognito

The growth of the suburbs over the last 50 years has mostly been driven by the highway, the car, and cheap energy. I fear the days of cheap energy will not be with us forever, and we need to develop a new model that doesn't require everybody to drive in their own car.

I completely agree...one of the big reasons I moved to the DC area was because I wouldn't be dependent on my car every single day and have to sit in traffic all the time. However, when looking for an apartment I did run into the roadblock of definitely not being able to afford anything in DC but then also not being able to afford anything in the direct proximity of a metro much farther out. I think that's one of the big problems...everyone and their mother wants to be walkable to the metro. I think it's awesome and I am one of them, but it also has driven up the prices. How do we go about getting affordable housing that's not 5 miles from the nearest metro? I personally don't consider $2,000/month for a one bedroom affordable.