tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30306615.post7428378112826246446..comments2024-02-28T11:29:36.860-05:00Comments on just up the pike: "silver springs" mentioned in TED talk on suburban retrofitsDan Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10594208011755406956noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30306615.post-68295482446638167282010-07-16T09:43:52.327-04:002010-07-16T09:43:52.327-04:00The Oxon Hill development is National Harbor, of c...The Oxon Hill development is National Harbor, of course. My folks still live near there. Dad loves to see a reviewer, especially in the Post, have to admit that there is something wonderful in Oxon Hill.Terry in Silver Springhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14327980975408524384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30306615.post-47706906602842933102010-07-16T09:40:36.042-04:002010-07-16T09:40:36.042-04:00Peterson has taken a lot of hits over the years, b...Peterson has taken a lot of hits over the years, but he deserves a huge amount of credit for developing or redeveloping the right places.<br /><br />He took on an alley and vacant lot and created DTSS, as you say, an example to the country.<br /><br />He took a rundown area by PG Plaza Mall and turned it into University Town Center, an attractive and neat area with apartments, restaurants, offices, and things to do.<br /><br />He took a gravel mining area beside the Potomac in Oxon Hill and created a showplace with GREAT restaurants, concerts, shopping, and a waterfront that people really seem to love to spend time along.<br /><br />I'd like to hug this man. I grew up in Oxon Hill/Ft Washington, went to undergrad at UMd, and now live in DTSS. He took areas that were run down, and saw their potential.Terry in Silver Springhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14327980975408524384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30306615.post-5322640838813649692010-07-15T10:04:03.847-04:002010-07-15T10:04:03.847-04:00Silver Spring gets mentioned a lot by the national...Silver Spring gets mentioned a lot by the national media and academics for how to retrofit the suburbs correctly.<br /><br />Here is a NY Times article from a few years ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/13/realestate/commercial/13silver.html?ref=american_film_institute<br /><br />Silver Spring has made a few missteps and consider me one of the people who agrees that the AstroTurf was funny and quirky, but ultimately not good urban design (and most people who visited thought it was rather embarrassing). I'm happy to see it gone. The plaza is a step in the right direction. Let's build a skate park to get the skateboarders out of it (and give them something to do) and then it will really shine.<br /><br />The new library looks good too, especially if the Purple Line does get built. A pedestrian bridge, however, would not help our image or our community. Almost no one is building them anymore, because they are anti-urban, anti-walking. They are a suburban solution that has proven not to work. The whole reason to build sky bridges is to get people off the streets, so that cars can go faster, with less impediment. <br /><br />Silver Spring is doing well, but for it to keep up the momentum, it has to focus on what has worked (building a vibrant downtown that attracts people on foot to do all sorts of activities) and get away from what isn't working (City Place, managing traffic and not enough mixed-use development).<br /><br />If Silver Spring plays its cards right, in a few decades it could be the new Arlington (one of the biggest darlings for proponents of smart growth). If not, people will look to move to other better, designed urban areas. <br /><br />My generation wants walkable neighborhoods with mixed use. Silver Spring has the potential to attract a lot of people and investment moving forward, but only if they county planners can keep reactionary tendencies at bay.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12909573380308387800noreply@blogger.com