The Washington Post has an overview of Tysons redevelopment plans and the controversies that are coming. Critics from the urbanist side of things are concerned that keeping Routes 7 and 123 as wide highways instead of “urban boulevards” and running Metro aboveground will create barriers between sections and compromise the potential for an urban feel of the area. Anti-development critics, meanwhile, raise the usual raft of concerns about noise, traffic, etc.

Do you think Tysons will overcome the NIMBYs and then also overcome its car-dominated backbone to create a truly useful urban fabric?

By the way, I wish the Washington Post would get over their desire to only link to themselves. They have great renderings that came from Tysons development officials but no link to that, or to any blogs or newsletters from groups pro or anti, or any other useful resources outside the Post to find out more. The paper newspaper, obviously, would provide readers with everything there and had no mechanism to connect to other resources, but this is the Web.

Continue the conversation about urbanism in the Washington region and support GGWash’s news and advocacy when you join the GGWash Neighborhood!

Tagged: anti neighbors, development, smart growth, tysons, virginia

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.