The biggest obstacle to the re-development of decaying “inner suburbs” built in the 1950s, ’60s and and ’70s is the irrational fear of density. Any developer asking to re-zone land at greater density will run into a buzz saw of neighborhood opposition. The inevitable complaint: Density = congestion.
Sometimes poorly planned re-development at higher densities can aggravate traffic conditions. But well-executed projects can reduce the number and distance of automobile trips. And well-executed projects in localities served by mass transit can accommodate growth with very little increase in the number of cars on the road at all. A case in point: Arlington County.
Arlington is one of the few urban-core jurisdictions in Virginia to be gaining population and increasing employment. Since 1970, the square footage of office space in the Ballston-Rosslyn corridor alone has increased from 5.5 million square feet to 20.5 million, the number of jobs from 22,000 to 90,000 and the number of residential units from 7,000 to 26,200.
According to the conventional thinking, that density should have translated into more congestion. But it hasn’t. The key, as I explain in this week’s column, “Vanquishing the Density Demon,” is the three-fold set of policies that Arlington has pursued consistently over more than three decades: (1) Invest in mass transit, both rail and buses, (2) encourage walkable, high-density, mixed-use projects around transportation nodes, and (3) market the “one-car lifestyle” to residents.
The Arlington model works. It’s not inexpensive, costing roughly $120 per resident per year. But compare that to the Business As Usual alternative, which, according to proponents, will only slow the rate at which congestion gets worse. The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority has just approved regional tax increases of $400 million a year — or $200 for each of the region’s two million inhabitants.
Density is not the problem. Poor planning is the problem. Re-developing decaying neighborhoods at higher density, with detailed attention to limiting transportation demand, is part of the solution.
