It Takes an Urban Village to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Solutions in Action from the Climate 2030 Blueprint
The trolley carried its first passengers from Clarendon, Virginia, across the Potomac into Washington, DC, in 1896 (APA 2007). It served not only commuters but also shoppers, transporting them to stores along its lines. Today the urban villages along the old trolley lines—Clarendon, Courthouse, Ballston, and others—make Arlington County one of the most desirable communities in the metro-DC area.
Although there are no more streetcars, the spirit of the trolleys is alive in Arlington County. In contrast to its suburban cousins in Maryland and northern Virginia, the county used its rail and bus system as a foundation for smart growth, encouraging business development while preserving unique neighborhoods.
Under its General Land Use Plan, Arlington concentrated dense, mixed-use development around its Metro stations beginning in the mid-1980s. These urban villages emphasize pedestrian access, promote safety through traffic calming, provide bike lanes, and create highly desirable living spaces by incorporating public art, pocket parks and street trees, wide sidewalks with restaurant seating, and street-level retail (EPA 2002).
While much of the nation followed the trajectory of sprawl development, Arlington County boasts 22,500 apartments and condos, townhouses and single-family detached homes, as well as a thriving commercial base (EPA 2002). Mindful of the area’s socioeconomic disparities, county government and civic groups worked to spread the benefits equitably among all residents. Affordable Housing Protection Districts, for example, help preserve low- and moderate-income apartment units (CPHD 2008a).
Metro ridership in the corridor doubled between 1991 and 2002. And to expand residents’ access to public transportation, the county created the Arlington Rapid Transit system (ART)—a fleet of 30 smaller, handicapped-accessible buses that can navigate neighborhoods and are well integrated into the comprehensive network of bus and train lines in the nation’s capital and the surrounding region (ART 2009).
The resulting health, environmental, and other quality-of-life benefits are equally impressive. Almost half of Arlington residents use transit to commute (APA 2007), while another 6 percent walk to work, compared with 2.5 percent nationwide (CPHD 2008b; Reuters 2007). Nearly 20 percent of county residents do not even own a car.
Heavily traveled Wilson Boulevard saw traffic drop nearly 16 percent from 1996 to 2006 (APA 2007). Commute time in Arlington County is the region’s lowest, and both carbon and smog-forming emissions have fallen dramatically. The county has accomplished all this while maintaining a high level of municipal services and the lowest property tax rate of any jurisdiction near the nation’s capital (CPHD 2008b).
The urban village model has won national awards for smart growth (EPA 2002), and the American Planning Association recently showcased Arlington’s main corridor as one of the Great Streets of America (APA 2007).
Meanwhile other cities are forging their own smart-growth path. Atlanta has focused on urban renewal through its downtown Atlantic Station project, for example (EPA 2005). And the outer-rim suburb of Buckeye, Arizona, near Phoenix, is working to become its own bedroom and business community (Suarez 2008). Whatever the approach, a commitment to sustainable growth is one way to help us reach our lower-carbon future.
References
American Planning Association (APA). 2007. Great places in America: Streets. Clarendon-Wilson Corridor, Arlington, Virginia. Chicago, IL. Accessed on February 5, 2009.
Arlington Rapid Transit (ART). 2009. About ART-Arlington transit. Arlington County, VA.
Department of Community Planning, Housing, and Development (CPHD). 2008a. Special planning areas: Arlington, VA. Accessed on February 5, 2009.
Department of Community Planning, Housing, and Development (CPHD). 2008b. Smart growth: Arlington, VA. Accessed on February 5, 2009.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2005. EPA congratulates Atlanta on smart growth success. Washington, DC. Accessed on February 5, 2009.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2002. Arlington County, Virginia: National award for smart growth achievement 2002 winners presentation. Washington, DC. Accessed on February 5, 2009.
Reuters. 2007. Bostonians walk to work, Portlanders cycle, but most drive. June 13. Accessed on February 5, 2009.
Suarez, R. 2008. Population growth burdens roads, schools, and state programs. PBS: The Online NewsHour, October 22. Accessed on February 5, 2009.
