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2/7/1967 - See America First! Reston Va., Inc. by Eden Ross Lipson

INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS NOT FOR PUBLICATION West Street ERL I New York New York 10023 See America First February Reston Va Inc Mr R H Institute Current World Affairs Madison Avenue New York E Y Dear Mr Nolte In years phras Ne Town become popular disorganized trend conscious nerican construction industry The phrase semantic abandon describe increasing number projects enormous subdivisions The bandwagon debate shelter trade journals House Home Practical Builder centers acreage makes incidental reernce planning If large tract includes stores industrial builder called Nc Town Reston however America It New Town according primary European criter being built government sponso rship matter public policy Reston Inc It being privatsly developed ultimate profit Robert E Simon financial backing Gul Oil Co John Hancock Insurance Company Reston Columbia unbuilt Maryland second perhaps important New Town They began comprehensive careully reasoned Master Plans finished beore construction development place AMaster Plan deals basically doing describes kinds housing recreational community facilities schools commercial industrial sites developed outlining distribution space Thus Master Plan social implications European New Towns roughly categories English model combines housing facilities space enough prime employment resultant towns economically contained In Scandinavia trend toward residenti satellite communities The primary employment opportunities remainxdowntown center success satellite towns depends large measure efficient transportation systems At point unclear which Reston Originally supposed supportin Btish It probably going intriguingly American mixture BRL I Reston occupies I0 square tract Virginia countryside miles Washington D As construction business partially grouzJd Almost people living there By number should closer Lasmonth I explore American style Town infancy It close bright I noticed teenagers swarmin across WashinEton Plaza Reston Lake Anne Village Center Note Everything Name Reston itself acrunym founder initials Lake Anne named streets future housing cluster named other famous NeJ Towns Tapiloa Road Oumbernauld Drive By stairs shores Lake The Washington Plaza Lake Anne Village Center Retracing their across Plaza I learned students nearby schools Reston special shoing Olivier Hamlet Community Center Inside Liza Jackman young woman workin Center office politely agreed around The people Restonare strangers pokin round asking questions In shops clerks volunteer their opinions The Center includes allery space exhibitions kitchen fully equipped Reston china purpose dance classes religious services movies meetings private parties office separate Rathskeller Reston teenagers Liza Jackman husband their small ldren living apartment Falls Ohurch first townhouses offered Reston They Reston going another suburb reason excellent financing house Last before money market tightened Jackmans moved story apartments above Village Center shops Like about everyone Reston Liza speaks rather pridefully about architects architecture The house Oloethiel Woodard Snith apart Whittlsey Oonk Rossant To stranger Liza merely townhouse their needs besides within The wistful words ackman bought house thought could afford without anticipating hidden expenses ownership The important thing leave Reston The apartent little cramped someti hsays Liza husband salesman family commute District Because schedule flexible misses traffic drive Life Reston without dmree moility diversity choices called Liza Oommuity Center The children Lake Ae Nursery Kindergarten school aMove Safeway mornings In afternoon children woman lives Hickory Oluter townhouses They themselves without crossing Liza basic shopping Washington Plaza The Safeway lbary several boutiques quite literally doorstep To everything wants Liza starts occaional takes catch ironing You workers Hen Whlte women clean because They about including transportation Herndon small about miles Reston But I afford besides I South relatives South Carolina still money Reston integrated Liza honestly remembered I going I never thought about The first family built their house swimming fence They integrate But things moving quickly The others along after afford One playmates little Negro going birthday Saturday His mother especially friends crazy about Of e9urse I really She Greansboro I I things because I where lived knows where I lived In thing harder They I never expected Negros times changed A amateurs Reston beginning Arty people because paint dance stuff There ladies whose husbands always drive everyplace They around themselves Mostly younger people little I sorry teenagers They outnumbered theytre having getting organized Oh babysitting buesiness night women someone watch during Reston growing everybody anymore Perhaps because Community Center Li Restonians There difference noted between people around Village Center families Hunter Woods They bought built their houses We bought townhouses apartments Reston In executives people executive ofices They everything complain The I called Hunter Woods Reston Inc needed finish Village Center It economic decision planners families Hunter Woods going isolated possibly alienated community first years until their Village Center built Eventually Reston seven Village Centers Town Center department stores It rural suburbia there Hunter Wood sububia vexing problem endence The woods lovely miles other essentials By despite there reputable distillery property there liquor store Reston probably until Town Center built The package store Herndon provides those essential commodities I store crowded Sturdays Most people Reston there Some planning garden apartments Vantage Hill finished spring rents there begin still service employees I Peggy I looking model homes afternoon She young Negro cleans model homes every She spends alone quiet sparse furnished houses brooms It silence broken sounds small playing outside A comes heavy washing windows Peggy makes She raised Herndon In school thought briefly about becomin secretary never mastered typing preferred economics anyway Before comin Reston Peggy worked kitchen Fairfax Country Club It awful kitchen Her husband working Reston carpenter Would Peggy Reston Mmm I right I couldn bring trailer Pey speaks slowly softly talks about trailer brighten Bought months Virginia Mobile Homes Fairfax month Over pretty It about bedrooms kitchen livig roomj I gather furnished All I I needed besides TV phonograph Peggy mother grandmother It trailer anyone husband rather startled first The trail Peggy grandmother leggy where cement bocks Last planted floaters would spring But longer matters looks because June Peggy wants trade trailer three bedroom model month People visit explainedymother comes Peggy likcs Reston approximately reasons likes trailer pretty works Weekends enjoys coming walking around Reston Herndon allows mostly houses there nOtnng One fatalistically expects Reston But thought about trailer would surrou 0hloethiel Woodard Smith designed townhouse The apartment building eround called Heron House otoaken This phase Reston development It souldn surprising right Reston exclusively middle class Most housing bought youngish couples small children Currently outside Reston At bginning employers Reston Reston Inc A Smith Bowman Distillery Piet Hein Danish mathematician writes small poems called Grooks summarized matter verse called T T T Things Time After almost years planning development Reston really beginning At appears become middle class nirvana number elements change Reston New Town The press after heaping praise Reston architecture designjnotlced residents comfortably bourgeoise dismissed hopes Reston might aster Plan diversify itself becoming New Town Because construction Columbia Md begun fickle critics lavish praise social planning praise undefiled first visible evidence housing market Its paper plans New Town Reston established itself visitors style envied facilities It established using architectural standards pattern mixed housing townhouses garden apartments apartments detached single family units The casual visitor cluster zoning generally produces woodsj The swimming pools course tennis courts Village Oenter itself exist obviously Reston first elementary school opened weeks The absence nearby elementary school deterred buyers first Indeed small number teenagers partially reflects location schools nearby critical sometimes crucial factor buying Still Reston proved attractive place where possible civilized sylvan fashion As result businessmen thinking about locating Reston industrial areas A research developent firms Signs truction announce future homes nearly dozen firms Admittedly industry Reston attracts seeks white collar That necessarily indicate overt discrimination Reston against steel mills factories hardly indigenous Washington anyway The thins produced bulkbytheDistrictofOolumbiaand itsenvironsareverblap andpaper White collar American terms covers realtively income spread Reston determined develop housing employee employers executives That tention should visible headquarters United States Geological Survey which middlerae civil Servie employee ready occupancy about If promisd suitable available USGS probably Reston The Lutheran Church building units housing Lake Anne Village Center The apartment buildings include recreation facilities counity share addition special medical services residents Last month Reston given grant Department Housing Urban Affairs experiment integration housing planned residential community Using conventional methods materials impossible without subsidies build decent housing income families Pro fabricated housing however trailers The technology built Peggy trailer Res HUD adapted houses gardent apartments posmlbl dwellings blend Reston The social integration difficult Modern Americans unused living heterogeneous communities Reston Social planning challenged critical period people different backgrounds different income levels different needs purposes begin share facilities ranging schools child centers swimming pools woodland community center That New Town Sincerely Ed Ross Lipson Midwinter This B Lake Anne SCHOOL FUTURE Right ELEMENTARY SCHOOL showing Reeton today TOWN CENTER FUTURE GOLF COURSE ISLAND HILLS RD SQUARE The Reston Va Inc GOVI RESERVE handouts CENTER TENNIS Bottom answer question Reston MARYLAND LOUDON COUNTY BRIDGE NS11KT Of I KEY BRIDGE CHANTILLY GEORGE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL BRIDGE STREET BRIDGE CORNERS FAIRFAX VIRGINIA COUNTY ALEXANDRIA WILSON MEM BRIDGE PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY Received New York Februar