Tysons

BeyondDC makes the point, in "Taming the 1,000 lbs gorilla," that

Tysons Corner is the most important activity center in the Washington region after downtown DC itself. Tysons has more office space than all but about a dozen of the country’s largest downtowns, and is one of the nation’s biggest retail meccas. It is the thousand-pound gorilla in our midst, and cannot be ignored just because it’s in Fairfax County.

Because Tysons in such a behemoth, transforming it from a wasteland of parking lots into legitimate urbanism (that can accommodate more density and therefore reduce sprawl) is one the highest Smart Growth priorities in the region.

He's right, but because I focus on repopulating and revitalizing the center city, it's not a priority for me, except to make the point that DC can never stand still. DC's competitors within the region, at least the best and most successful competitors, are always innovating, and taking the best practices from urbanism and including-improving them.

So everything that DC does that reduces the quality of life or extends sameness rather than uniqueness, makes the city less competitive.

BeyondDC makes this point:

If Tysons is to truly become Downtown Virginia, it will need more than just office towers, condos and department stores. The plan correctly identifies that one of the things currently lacking in Tysons is anything related to civic life. That includes parks and squares of course, but also libraries, post offices, etceteras. Fairfax County should commit to a government presence in Tysons. The next time a new courthouse or supervisor’s chambers are necessary, put them Downtown.

which is one I make in many dimensions.

DC needs to focus its public assets and civic functions in a complementary manner to for profit development, as well as to focus government agency planning objectives accordingly.

One of the things the city does, I believe, is what I call "intra-city" sprawl. There is a program to move government agencies around the city, often to places with limited transit connections, and without the opportunity to leverage development adequately, all in the name of "neighborhood economic development."

The problem with this is that (1) automobile use is encouraged rather than minimized; (2) agglomeration benefits are lost; (3) office workers don't spend that much, in the great scheme of things, supporting 2 s.f. of retail and 5 s.f. of food retail per worker; (4) and it's of limited range (convenience goods, carry out food); and (5) government workers spend less money than is realized. (Concentration and centralization within DC makes economic and transportation sense.)

Or, public libraries are being redeveloped in the city, with inadequate attention being paid to mixed use opportunities as well as other civic function aspects. (The DC Public Library Master Plan made an anti-urban statement that new libraries should be large one story buildings.)

At the same time, redevelopment and intensification opportunities need to be leveraged, particularly around transit.

And after Greater Greater Washington wrote "Transforming Tysons with four unique districts," I was going to make the point about intra-Tysons mobility and transit, including streetcars and circulator buses, but BeyondDC mentions that as well.