Arlington, Virginia: Livable By Design

In Arlington there are also many factors at work that are a result of conscious policies to reduce reliance on driving and produce less traffic and associated benefits for the business climate and quality of life.

On one hand, Arlington has designed its growth plan around the Metrorail and bus systems, and has development requirements that result in compact, mixed-use “urban villages” which are highly walkable and served by excellent public transit, bike routes, and HOV facilities.  This has the twin advantages of making it easier to get around without having to drive, and has proven to attract people who enjoy the urban amenities and less car-dependent lifestyle, including the vital younger generations referenced in the article.

On the other hand, Arlington County Commuter Services provides one of the most comprehensive sets of services in the US to help residents and employees understand and use the myriad choices other than driving, such as rail and bus transit, walking, biking, carpooling, and telework.  Research shows that these services entice people to switch from driving alone to other modes and thus take 41,000 trips off the roads in Arlington on the average workday in 2010.  When you consider that one lane of urban interstate highway typically carries 5,000 – 6,000 vehicles during the 3 hour rush period, these trips taken off the road reduce traffic congestion dramatically.  You can see and feel the difference in Arlington where traffic counts on most of the County’s major arterial streets have remained flat or actually decreased over the past 10 years.  This is a pretty amazing fact in the core of the DC region.