Learning from Arlington

"The phenomenal metamorphosis of Arlington County's Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, among the region's most dramatic real estate transformations, teaches a timely lesson: Successful urban revitalization requires long-range planning and long-range public investment that sparks private investment.

Unfortunately, America seems to have ignored this lesson.

The Washington region offers ample evidence of lapses: years of delays and funding impediments surrounding the Metrorail extension to Dulles International Airport, debate about adding a Metro station to serve Potomac Yard in Alexandria and arguments about the Maryland Transit Administration's proposed Purple Line linking Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

If Washington's Metro system were proposed today, it would stand little chance of being built."