study the past

Welcome to port halifax idea gateway. As this is my inaugural post, and in the terminology of Bill Morrish, I am inaugurating the civilized terrain I figure I would begin with an homage to my favorite statue, which is right across the street from my favorite Metro stop. The Metro stop would be Archives / Navy Memorial in DC and the statue is this very large and very somber looking man with his left arm resting on a book. On the base of the statue there is an inscription that reads: 'Study The Past."

The inscription is a command, a suggestion, a call to arms and a very stern reminder. I have always wished that this statue had stood outside of the History Department at Northwestern University where I studied as an undergraduate. If this man stared me down each cold Chicago morning, I probably would've put a much greater effort into my studies.

Even though I am now a student of the planning of cities and their transportation networks my thinking is always grounded in the past. I recently finished Zachary Schrag's book The Great Society Subway: a History of the Washington Metro. In it, I was amazed to see Fairfax County repeatedly making transportation planning mistakes. In the 1960s when Fairfax County was deciding on the alignment for the Metro they decided to emphasize cheap right of way and selected an alignment in the median of Interstate 66 going west to what would become known as the Vienna Metro station. In the 1970s, Fairfax County had the opportunity to revisit this decision and perhaps re-route the Metro closer to the burgeoning Tysons Corner area. County officials stuck with their I-66 alignment. In recent years, there have been private efforts by developers to create a 'transit village' near the Vienna Metro. The high levels of density met with great resistance from both community members and Congressman Tom Davis.

Despite this history, Fairfax County is positioned to make another massive mistake. With the Metrorail extension from West Falls Church to Dulles Airport becoming more plausible by the day the big discussion in Washington, DC right now is whether to have the Metro run under ground or above ground through Tysons Corner. Like 40 years ago, the plan for Metro in Fairfax County is emphasizing the cheapest possible alignment. I know that many officials in Fairfax want the underground system through Tysons Corner but they should study the past and say "we've made mistakes in the past and this time we're going to do it right." If that means waiting for a few more years then that's what they should do.

If the Metro system had done what was cheapest in terms of its station designs, we would not be enjoying the vaulted, arching ceilings nor the comfort and security that the stations provide. These are iconic landmarks, in a city replete with landmarks. Study the past! There is a second chance (actually third or fourth chance) for compelling rail transit in Fairfax County. Let's take advantage of this opportunity!