What To Do With an Old Shopping Center
A Shopping Nexus Outside Washington Plots a Future as an Urban Center
In October, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors accepted the recommendations of a 36-member task force that had labored for three years on a plan to turn this traffic-clogged maze of malls and office parks into an urban center that has more housing and is less dependent on cars. This month, the supervisors said they would move quickly in 2009 to pass regulations allowing for greater density, consistent with the long-range plan for Tysons.
Similar plans are taking place at various malls throughout the country, most of a smaller scale than the Tyson’s project. The owners of the property of one of my local malls are just waiting for the demise of the various leases before they start turning the mall into offices and apartments surrounded by outdoor walk shopping. In the meantime, as the stores slowly close, the mall looks rather abandoned and foreboding.
This kind of planning will get us walking again.
City living has long been known to fight mid section sprawl in the U.S., according to an Australian study it hold true in at least one other country.
How city living fights the waistband sprawl.
Happy Holidays to you, don’t eat too much. If you do take a walk.
