>With the exception of places like Clarendon, it's all tall buildings with enormous lawns surrounding them at every angle. It makes walking almost worthless, ev

>With the exception of places like Clarendon, it's all tall buildings with enormous lawns surrounding them at every angle. It makes walking almost worthless, even in a huge metropolitan area. When were you last in Arlington? I live in Arlington and I walk everywhere and bike to work. Arlington is actually used as a model in urban planning textbooks to show a transformation from a car centric area into a walkable one. The states are clear; traffic has fallen and it is almost at the point where a majority of people don't drive alone to work. The Crystal City, Pentagon City, and Rosslyn (to a much lesser extent) areas have lots of work to be done, but N. Arlington along Wilson and Clarendon are very walkable from Rosslyn to Ballston. I can't think of too many 'tall buildings surrounded by lawns' along Wilson or Clarendon Blvds. Look at it from the air. I know of one in Rosslyn that meets the description near the Safeway; it has a lawn. Other than that, there's not too much green space other than a small handful of parks. Areas away from the Metro are mostly single family housing with a handful of places, like some spots on Columbia Pike, that have some slight walkability to them. >Contrast with Manhattan: much taller, much denser, with a greater concentration of shops and services per area. Of course, it's Manhattan. Anywhere in the greater DC metro area compares unfavorably given that nowhere in the area is nearly as dense, even in DC. Few, if any, places in the US could be compared favorably. EDIT: Here are some streetview links illustrating the built environment in Arlington for those outside of the area. View on Clarendon Blvd. facing away from DC on western end of Rosslyn: https://goo.gl/maps/X96A2w9spsJ2 https://goo.gl/maps/X96A2w9spsJ2 Wilson Blvd. near the Rosslyn Metro station: https://goo.gl/maps/owGGWu4ZyP32 https://goo.gl/maps/owGGWu4ZyP32 Near the actual Courthouse https://goo.gl/maps/8dRAzVzEHf92 https://goo.gl/maps/8dRAzVzEHf92 Another view near the Court House Metro station: https://goo.gl/maps/mz5Z7uE9JVs https://goo.gl/maps/mz5Z7uE9JVs One of the remnant suburban style buildings on the Court House / Claredon border: https://goo.gl/maps/L295anQZ46H2 https://goo.gl/maps/L295anQZ46H2 Clarendon: https://goo.gl/maps/9XfPUP76k4r https://goo.gl/maps/9XfPUP76k4r Another view of Clarendon: https://goo.gl/maps/gHSk93EBfcD2 https://goo.gl/maps/gHSk93EBfcD2 Ballston: https://goo.gl/maps/fo7hfint9qj https://goo.gl/maps/fo7hfint9qj Another view from Wilson: https://goo.gl/maps/m2Jtt42uMnM2 https://goo.gl/maps/m2Jtt42uMnM2 Virginia Square: https://goo.gl/maps/yCQHcv21CGm https://goo.gl/maps/yCQHcv21CGm