With four months to go in the Arlington 2050 Initiative, conversations about the county’s long-term future are still underway.
While the goals of residents for the next several decades differ substantially, county spokesperson Kristen Clark told ARLnow that one clear trend has emerged across engagement efforts: “Folks want to be together.”
“In every single corner of the county that we’ve been so far, people are asking for third places, and inexpensive places to be outside, and plazas,” Clark said. “[We are] hearing lots of things about people wanting to live in neighborhoods that are socioeconomically integrated… and people [want to] have experience across differences, and get to have that sense of richness and sense of place, and being interwoven with each other.”
One of the stated goals of Arlington 2050, which was announced in January as the county’s first “visioning process” of its kind since 1986, is to create two to three “distinct visions of the future” to serve as a basis for long-term planning.
Ahead of a planned December presentation to the Arlington County Board, a combination of county staff and volunteers have been asking residents imagine a future Arlington in “postcards from the future.”
Cards shared with ARLnow express hopes for a more robust tree canopy, better housing affordability, better access to public transportation and the preservation of historic districts and historic buildings. There are also those of the less serious variety.
One resident voiced a hope for improving transit on Columbia Pike, while another talked about the importance of High View Park and the John M. Langston Citizens Association. An 8-year-old respondent, meanwhile, dreams of more playgrounds where they can “play waterbombs” — and also hopes for their parent to be granted asylum in the U.S.
Clark hopes these visions can be truly representative Arlington’s population, taking in a full spectrum of views and backgrounds.
Feedback should reflect the full range of the Arlington community: that means YOUR PERSPECTIVE matters!
Please share your thoughts on what should change, stay the same, or go away by 2050. This is a chance to share your hopes & dreams for our community!https://t.co/Sz2BgXOiws https://t.co/pU9mj6KZUX
— Maureen Coffey – Arlington, VA (@maureencoffeyva) August 14, 2024
Clark’s team team has hosted pop-up events at the just-concluded Arlington County Fair, at Arlington Food Assistance Center distribution locations, and in Lubber Run Park, High View Park, Met Park and Jennie Dean Park.
Plans for collaboration efforts with Columbia Pike Movie Nights, Arlington Public Schools, Arlington Presbyterian Church and the Hispanic Heritage Community Festival are also in the works.
As much as possible, the project is “very explicitly focusing on getting outside of the typical county structures” — connecting with informal community leaders and people who don’t often interact with the county. The hope, Clark said, is to build long-term “community resiliency.”
“This is sort of a way to have a different conversation with the community, and sort of build a social consciousness around how we’re going to do this together — like, how we’re going to be resilient and figure out how to thrive together,” she said.
Residents have until Sept. 30 to fill out postcards online or at their local library. They can also leave feedback in the form of voicemails by calling 703-228-0020.
APS educators who are interested in working with the project can also fill out an interest form.
“It’s a bunch of big goals, but it’s all aimed at, like, we want people’s voices in the room. We want people to feel like they are active participants in building this community and building the future,” Clark said. “And that’s kind of the big question, is how do we get there together?”
