A few miles west of the District of Columbia, Tysons (formerly Tysons Corner) in Fairfax County is emerging as an economic powerhouse. Will this Virginia community overtake the Nation’s Capital?
"Fairfax County is now the downtown. D.C. just became our suburb," declared Gerald L. Gordon, president of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, at a recent gathering of the county's business leaders. The reasoning behind his bold assertion is that, compared to D.C., "Fairfax County has far more Fortune 500 companies (nine vs. four), enjoys a much lower unemployment rate (4 percent vs. 8.7 percent), is bookended by two airports and, with Metro arriving, is slated to add dozens of buildings taller than anything in the District," writes Jonathan O'Connell.
Some in the District are taking the threat posed by Tysons' ambitious vision for the future seriously. According to O'Connell, "[t]he Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District, a group funded by commercial property owners, ranked the arrival of Metro to Tysons as one of its top concerns in its 2011 annual report."
But Pedro Ribeiro, spokesman for D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, dismissed a rivalry between Tysons and the capital. "We don't consider Fairfax County to be our competition," he said, "New York City is our competitor. San Francisco is our competitor. They're not even in the same league."
FULL STORY: Is Washington becoming a Tysons suburb?

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie