Tysons Corner: Model City?

New Ruralism, green living, walkable

Here is an excellent audio clip about the planned re-development of Tysons Corner (outside Washington, DC, in Northern Virginia). Tysons Corner was originally built on the outskirts of DC. It’s design depended largely on the automobile. Now it’s working on a plan to radically redevelop in favor of more human-scale, walkable, green-energy design. It could serve as a model city for completely redesigning a city.

Places like small-town Staunton aren’t exactly “rural”, but, due to financial and historical circumstances never lost their walkable downtown. In avoiding yesterday’s “progress” they have the unique opportunity to jump-start what could be a massive re-thinking of what small town (or any size town) quality of life should include. See the newly-developed discussion wiki site “Sustainable Staunton”.

Now that the grocery is up and running we’ve turned our attention back to Jefferson. Earlier in the week we dropped a line of electricity necessary to begin. We have a meeting tomorrow with several people from the city. We hope to begin in ernest soon.

katie @ December 11, 2008