Northern Virginia and the D.C. region have long had a strong economy tied to the federal government and the many great programs required to support and strengthen a nation of 330 million people. We also enjoy a wonderful diversity fueled by energetic immigrants seeking peace and opportunity. That diversity is and will continue to be one of our greatest strengths.
Yet, a prosperous future is not guaranteed in the face of current and future challenges. We’ve long been plagued by traffic due to inefficient land-use patterns and now face high housing prices. The combination of the two appears to be discouraging people and firms from coming and causing young people to leave. In addition, the long “war” against our federal government and post-pandemic “work from anywhere” may weaken the federal underpinning of our economy.
Yes, we should add new knowledge-economy initiatives. Yet, the explosion of data centers tying into our fiber-optic hubs is coming at a cost to nearby neighborhoods and scenic and historic landscapes, including noise, high energy and water consumption, and new power lines. The increasing energy use and emissions due to data centers and increased driving and traffic from suburban sprawl fuel global warming. The effects are already impacting our region with deadly heat, flood-causing downpours and droughts that will threaten the region’s drinking-water supplies.
We need a new vision and plan for a more sustainable, inclusive and livable future. Simply put, where and how we grow matters. Our Blueprint for a Better Region is a vision for designing our neighborhoods and communities to be more compact and vibrant – with a mix of housing types, jobs, retail and services, and prioritizing transit, walking, biking and local street connections over highways and wider roads.
This means building more homes close to our Metro, bus-rapid-transit, and Virginia Railway Express commuter-rail stations. It means transforming Northern Virginia’s strip commercial corridors and parking lots into walkable mixed-use neighborhoods with updated stormwater controls. It means more diverse housing options in our neighborhoods with walk/bike connections to nearby schools, stores and parks.
We envision and are working for interesting and inviting places for people to gather and connect – places to live healthier, thriving, more connected lives. Doing so will mean we can drive less and pollute less, helping to fight climate change and improve our own health. This will help our efforts to limit outward sprawl and preserve farms for local food, and the forests necessary for clean water supplies and absorbing carbon. We also need to avoid the over-concentration in our region of data centers and their massive energy use.
In an era when so many people can work from anywhere, the communities and regions that will thrive are those that preserve their natural resources and create well-designed, vibrant, walkable, interesting places to connect and interact – fueling the next-generation creative economy. That’s why our team at the Coalition for Smarter Growth and our many partner groups and fellow advocates will keep fighting for more homes in walkable, bike-friendly, inclusive, transit-accessible communities.
So, be sure to check out our Blueprint for a Better region video (smartergrowth.net/blueprint) and Webinar presentation (visit smarter growth.net) Click the button to take the pledge to become a Smart Growth Champion, because shaping a more sustainable world requires all of us.
