Shirlington Student Project

The Fall 2019 studio class poses before the community open house begins. Students gathered input from residents and merchants.

2020 graduates Hannah Morrison and Ashwini Siddheshwar practice their final presentation.

Hannah Morrison explains the proposed density changes to Shirlington residents.

Michelle Brydges discusses what higher density would mean for the merchants of Shirlington.

Students practice their presentation communicating resident input and recommendations, before making their final presentation to the Arlington County Planning Department and Commission.

Amanda Esposito talks with a Shirlington resident at the open house in November 2019.

Curriculum Includes Hands-on Student Projects, Real World Planning Experience

While it’s not uncommon for our students to gain hands-on experiences in class, having a direct hand in planning a city’s future is certainly unique. Recently, master's degree students teamed up with the Arlington County Planning Department to reimagine the land surrounding the Shirlington Village neighborhood. Students had to balance the concerns of residents keen on preserving the “small-town feel” and unique historical charm of the area with the desire to drive economic growth and vitality for the neighborhood.

Building upon work begun by the planning staff, students collected direct input from residents, as well as conducted historical research, a walking tour of the subject area, a parking study and development of 11 guiding principles. All in all, students presented their findings—to the county leadership and the community—complete with the input received, pros/cons of each design, lessons learned and suggestions for the planning department—both in person and in a 44-page report on the land study use process.

It just goes to show that when it comes to Sustainable Urban Planning at GW, conducting an actual land study may be among the many lessons learned.