Its way of life no longer en vogue, the auto-centric suburb of Tysons Corner, VA plans to undergo a large-scale transformation into a walkable, "real" city over the course of the next 30 years.
"Tysons will get a real alternative to driving when the Washington, D.C., metro rail system comes to the area in a few years.
With the makeover, Tysons could be a model for change across the country.
'This is your classic drivable suburban place that is anchored by a regional mall, just like Perimeter Center in Atlanta; King of Prussia, outside Philadelphia; Schaumberg, west of Chicago; Newport Beach; and Costa Mesa south of Los Angeles,' says Chris Leinberger, a developer turned academic and urbanist who is now at the Brookings Institution. 'This is, however, one of the biggest, if not the biggest concentration of retail, office and hotels in the suburbs, in the country.'"
Read the full story: Northern Va. Tries New Model To Battle Sprawl
Reducing Parking Requirements for Huge, Regional Malls
Fairfax County, Virginia is considering a change to its parking requirements that would lower the number of parking spots at large malls like Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria.
Arlington County Reduces Parking Requirements for Multi-Family Developments on Metro Corridors
In addition to reducing parking requirements to 0.2 to 0.6 spaces per unit for developments "approved by special exception," the board went a step further by requiring mitigations if developers provide more than 1.65 spaces per unit.
D.C.'s New Metro Line Already Influencing the Suburbs
The Silver Line opened two and a half months ago. Already, with strong ridership in both directions, some businesses are seeing new opportunities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Study reveals best places in the U.S. for cycling, walking
New research from Streetlight Data examines bicycle and pedestrian miles per capita in the 100 largest U.S. cities by population.
Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor
Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority