Dale City SDAT: The friendliest greenest little city around

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[],"markups":[],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"How do you aid a suburban community that was planned more than five decades ago to bring itself into the twenty-first century? How do you help it avoid a deadly downward spiral of falling property values, declining home sales and steady loss of businesses?"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This was the challenge that faced an AIA Sustainable Design Assessment Team in 2015 when it responded to a request from Dale City, Va. for advice in developing a vision and identity for four intersections that serve as commercial nodes for the community. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Dale City, located about 25 miles southwest of Washington D.C., asked the SDAT program to provide sustainable design alternatives and recommendations in each node as a means of redevelopment and future use mix. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"A key goal was to develop a foundation for more sustainable future planning along the Dale Boulevard corridor to help shape \u201careas with a greater mix of uses, improved connectivity, and a stronger sense of place for the surrounding neighborhoods,\u201d in the words of the city\u2019s SDAT application."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"The team responded with recommendations on issues including economic development, mobility, connectivity, community design and place making. They included:"]]],[3,"ul",[[[0,[],0,"Transforming Dale Boulevard into a \u201ccomplete street\u201d that allows people to walk, bicycle and take transit, as well as drive "]],[[0,[],0,"Completing a greenway system and making other pedestrian and bike connections into and between neighborhoods"]],[[0,[],0,"Improving transit service and facilities to encourage increased local as well as commuter use."]],[[0,[],0,"Managing traffic to support a \u201ccomplete street\u201d and improve the commuter experience."]],[[0,[],0,"Providing streetscape elements that support walking and bicycling and reinforce community identity"]]]]]}