Having been born and raised in Arlington, I remember the days before Metro, when Ballston was called Parkington and you drove there to visit The Hecht Co., South Pacific Restaurant, the 7 and 9 Shop, Hahn’s Shoe Store, or Danneman’s Fabrics. Clarendon had a free standing Sears store and a JC Penney.
Arlington’s push to get as many Metro stops as possible, when other suburban communities were afraid Metro would bring urban problems along with it, resulted in what Arlington is today – a model for “Smart Growth” and its pedestrian friendly urban villages helped earn the Washington area the title of “the most walkable major metropolitan area” in the country.
Now, a new documentary details the story of “Arlington’s Smart Growth Journey”. You can view it online here.
