How One D.C. Suburb Set A Gold Standard For Commuting

(NPR) It may come as a surprise to riders on Metro's Orange Line in Arlington, Va., just outside Washington, D.C., but the area sets the bar for suburban transit.

That's because a risky, expensive decision by local planners in the 1960s as the Washington subway system was about to be built helped this once-sleepy community come alive. It led to an increase in residents and decrease in traffic. Instead of having a line bypass these nearby Virginia suburbs aboveground, next to a highway, planners decided to run it underground and redevelop the neighborhoods above.
New York: Taken from the 50th street stop on the 1 train, just blocks from Times Square at 1:30 a.m. A new New Yorker, from Portland, Ore., my favorite activity is people watching, especially underground.

"I think we were bold at the time, and it has paid off. I can't imagine what this area would be like without it," says Jay Ricks, a former board member in Arlington County.

In itself, communities built around a subway line that people use to commute into a city is not unique. What's different here is the metamorphosis, from a downtrodden suburb where everyone drives to a place where people live, walk, bike, eat, play and commute, all without ever getting behind the wheel. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.npr.org/2013/10/24/239138789/how-one-d-c-suburb-set-a-gold-standard-for-commuting