Urban Design for an Urban Century: Shaping More Livable, Equitable, and Resilient Cities, 2nd Edition

Looking Forward: Projects That Help Define a More Livable, Equitable, and Resilient Future

C.30 a,b A high-density suburb shaped around the automobile, Rosslyn, Virginia, evolved in the 1970s and 1980s as an “edge city,” a class of communities that competed with—and many planners hoped would ultimately displace—downtowns. A 2013 plan by Goody Clancy aims to reshape Rosslyn around transit and walkability. It maximizes the value of new mixed-use development and leverages some of that increased value into narrowing streets and bringing them to life with wide, tree-shaded sidewalks and stores and cafés; adding bike lanes; breaking up superblocks; and creating bustling new public spaces.

Both courtesy Goody Clancy (Ganesh Ramachandran rendering)

C.31 The resurgence of interest in walkable, transit-connected communities positions urbanism to recapture some of the exuberance of early twentieth-century cities. The Transbay Transit Center, described by its sponsors as the “Grand Central Station of the West,” brings together eleven transit systems that serve eight counties around San Francisco Bay. As the anchor for a new transit-oriented district with more than 6 million square feet ...