Arlington County

Washington, D.C. Apartment

Toward a System of Adaptive Reuse Feasibility

A relative lack of conversions from office to residential—the adaptive reuse model driving the housing market in many urban areas—makes the Washington, D.C. region a perfect place to study the factors that make or break an adaptive reuse proposal.

November 21, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

'High Line'-Type Bridge Proposed Between Crystal City, Reagan National Airport

The High Line in New York City has inspired ambitious projects all over the country. A pedestrian bridge proposed to connect the Arlington neighborhood of Crystal City to the Reagan National Airport provides the latest example.

November 17, 2017 - Urban Turf

Virginia's New 395 Express Lanes Guaranteed to Fund Public Transit

The $500 million, eight-mile extension, mostly paid by private funds and express lane tolls, broke ground August 9. Transurban, the private company in the public-private partnership, will pay $15 million annually for public transit improvements.

August 14, 2017 - Planetizen

Gondola Proposal Still Floating in D.C.

A proposed project to connect Rosslyn and Washington, D.C. by Gondola across the Potomac River still has support from the D.C. Council—enough support to fund an environmental study of the idea.

July 4, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Homes

What Happened When Arlington Cut Out the 'Missing Middle'

In Arlington, restricting density to preserve neighborhood character isn't new. A rowhouse ban in 1938 may be one factor behind today's steep prices and gentrification.

June 17, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Virginia

Transit Oriented Parking Reform in Virginia

Arlington County, Virginia has begun a process to reduce parking requirements for large residential developments near transit stations.

April 22, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Setback for Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola Project

Funding for a feasibility study is always one thing. Funding for a project is always something else.

February 14, 2017 - The Washington Post

Arlington

Arlington County Allows New Street Variations to Prioritize Multi-Modalism

The Virginia county of Arlington has written into law the ability to create shared streets as well as streets that prioritize pedestrians.

October 20, 2016 - Arlington County

Metroway BRT

Now Arriving in the D.C. Area: Bus Rapid Transit

The newly opened section of the Metroway—already D.C. Metro's "premium bus service"—includes the region's first stretch of bus rapid transit.

April 20, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Uber Car

Uber's Stumble Into Urban Design

As companies like Uber, Lyft, and Bridj expand to small scale transit options, they are setting the stage for a new kind of small scale transit oriented development where the new station is the sidewalk.

September 14, 2015 - Mobility Lab

San Diego Gaslamp District

Land Use Planning to Activate Downtown Nightlife

The Arlington County, Virginia downtown district of Rosslyn will provide the region's latest case study of a commercial district leveraging land use regulations to activate a dormant nightlife.

July 28, 2015 - The Washington Post

The First Transportation Demand Management Program for Public School Teachers

In a program called the first of its kind in the nation, the Arlington County will implement a transportation demand management program for public school employees.

April 23, 2015 - Mobility Lab

Arlington's Market-Rate Affordable Housing will Disappear by 2020

Planners have undertaken the task of protecting market-rate affordable housing in Arlington County. The need for action was made clear in an Affordable Housing Study recently released to inform the preparation of a new Affordable Housing Master Plan.

March 12, 2015 - Arl Now

After the Streetcar: What Next for Arlington Affordable Housing, Transit?

A collection of media coverage since the decision examines how Arlington will achieve its goals now that it voted to end funding for a $333-million plan to build a 7.4-mile streetcar line down Columbia Pike.

November 25, 2014 - Washingtonian

Arlington County Nixes Streetcar Plans to Chagrin of Fairfax County

A decision by Arlington County to cancel plans for the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar projects has dealt a blow to Fairfax County's redevelopment efforts. The line was expected to open in 2020.

November 18, 2014 - The Washington Post

Arlington Virginia

The Suburb of the Future: Arlington, Virginia

The successes of Arlington, Virginia as a suburb have been discussed by planners and urbanists before, but the model has taken on new meaning as the current urban boom send ripple effect out into nearby suburbs like Long Island and Palo Alto.

July 7, 2014 - Salon

Parking Garage—Site of the Nixon Administration's Demise—Scheduled for Demolition

Reuters reports that the famous location where an FBI informant known as "Deep Throat" met with Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward during the Watergate scandal will soon be replaced with a new mixed-use development.

June 17, 2014 - Reuters via Chicago Tribune

A Primer on Effective Bike Parking

Two writers share the secrets to Arlington County's multi-modal success—especially with regard to the importance of well-designed bike parking at locations residential and commercial.

May 9, 2014 - Mobility Lab

The Policy Implications of Families in Virginia Choosing to Stay in Cities

Data in Virginia shows that more young families are choosing to stay in urban areas to raise their children. This is causing a rapid increase in school enrollment and fueling the fastest growth Virginia's urban areas have experienced since the 1950s.

May 5, 2014 - University of Virginia Center for Public Service

How the Routing of Washington's Metro Led to Arlington's Success

In the premier episode of NPR's special series, "U.S. Commutes: The Way We Get To Work", host David Greene explores the background of the D.C. suburb of Arlington, Va., and how a planning decision in the 1960s was crucial to its vibrancy today.

October 26, 2013 - NPR

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.