Why Reston, Virginia, Still Inspires Planners 50 Years Later - CityLab

Why Reston, Virginia, Still Inspires Planners 50 Years Later - CityLab



Reston is one of the original New Towns that inspired many imitators, most of them on a much smaller scale.  For those who don't like CIDs, you may reflexively hate the idea that anybody would admire Reston.  The ideas--his own and those of others--that he implemented at Reston have shaped suburban development ever since.  Private planning, private funding, private government, mixed use development...and on and on.  But Simon, who I met years ago, was something of a utopian visionary who sincerely wanted to create the ideal place to live. He reminded me of Ebenezer Howard, who invented the whole "Garden City" idea back in 1897, with his plans to build entirely new cities on undeveloped land.  Few developers try to build Reston-sized communities these days, because the risk is so enormous. Reston, Columbia, Radburn, Rancho Bernardo, and a few other huge private communities are still around after many decades.