Elements of Urbanism: Alexandria, VA

[Metro Jacksonville]

Elements of Urbanism: Alexandria, VA



Metro Jacksonville looks at a community that has successfully integrated mass transit and modern infill transit oriented development into a historic urban setting: Alexandria, VA.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-oct-elements-of-urbanism-alexandria-va

[sheclown]

I grew up in Northern Virginia.  Alexandria has always been a cool, urbane place with a strong sense of identity.  Arlington, for example, has DC as its identity.  People moved to Arlington when they were too afraid to live in DC.   Alexandria, somehow, stands alone.  The historic nature (and the respect for its historic nature) largely contributes to this.

[willydenn]

I grew up in Alexandria and it is amazing how much it has changed in the last 10 years.  The infill growth around the King Street Metro is relatively new.

[JaxNative68]

The rail transit in Alexandria is more of a connector to DC.  The rail isn't used to connect points of interest within Alexandria.  Nobody rides it from King St to Braddock Rd, which are the only two stops within downtown Alexandria.  And to consider these two stops as being in downtown is a stretch.  They are really on the outskirts of the downtown area.  To walk from the Metro to the waterfront is quite a hike.  The Van Dorn station is in the suburbs and may pick a few riders to King Street station, but mostly are riders going to DC.  That being evident by how full the train is in the morning when it gets to King St.

One important note about the King Street station not mentioned in the article, unless I missed it, is that it is a connector station to Amtrak, which further extends the transit system into Virginia.

I don’t think the fact that Alexandria doesn’t have a convention center is an issue, seeing how the DC convention center is only eight miles away, a very short ride on the Metro.  It’s practically in their backyard.

[thelakelander]

Just to clarify, although we used the same statistical data in the beginning as every Elements of Urbanism story, the article is not an attempt to compare DT Jax to DT Arlington.  Instead, it is a visual example of how rail and new transit oriented development can be integrated with historic urban neighborhood environments.  If we had to pull out future commuter rail locations in Jax that could be similar, a few come to mind.

San Marco - A commuter rail stop at Atlantic Blvd that spurs infill development to make the entire stretch between I-95 and San Marco Square walkable.

Riverside - A stop at Post or King Street could have a similar effect combining new development on the fringe of the historic district with the neighborhood, Park & King and St. Vincents.

Springfield - A stop at the Springfield Warehouse District could also spur development along Main between 9th & 20th Street.

Durkeeville - A rail stop on the S-Line at Kings Road could spur new infill development in the blighted industrial district that ends up integrating with the surrounding environment and Edward Waters College.

[JaxNative68]

build it, they will come . . . or am I thinking about a baseball diamond in a corn field?  nevermind.

[stjr]

This is light years better than the pictures and sense of place conveyed in the Arlington, VA story.  Much of it can be attributed to the preservation of historic structures, modern architecture that relates to the human scale, nice and friendly streetscapes, and a waterfront.  The Metro mass transit station is icing on the cake.

Of all your city comparisons, this may come closest to what we should ideally strive to achieve for our more developed non-Downtown areas.  Great job.  I hope you send it to all our City politicos and planners to pin on their walls or tatoo to their heads so they can see it everyday and work toward making something like this a reality here.

[sheclown]

And Gateway Plaza.  What would it mean to that place?  It could tie into the bus hub. 

[thelakelander]

stjr, I agree that the atmosphere is superior to Arlington's.  Here is an aerial of King Street from wikipedia.  Its a great shot showing how new, old and transit have been integrated with one another.  Its a model that would be great for Jacksonville's urban core.



sheclown, yes Gateway and the Norwood corridor would greatly benefit from putting rail back on the S-Line.

[zoo]

Sadly, the thing that jumps out at me in these pictures these days, is the signage. Makes me more upset about JaxPride and all of the sign nazis in this town that have made the entire city - and I don't just mean the core - feel so visually bland and antiseptic.