Fairfax County conference examines how The New Urban Economic Model is transforming communities

Crosson, Downs, Hudnut, two panels offer insights and direction

Fairfax County, Virginia USA, Friday, June 26, 2009 -

Fairfax County, just outside Washington D.C., home to Virginia’s premier business hub, Tysons Corner, is a leading example of the trend toward increased growth and densification facing the U.S.’s suburban communities today. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority’s June 18 national conference “The New Urban Economic Model,” explored what this transformation means to the County and lessons drawn from the experiences of similar communities across the country.

From the history of  “America’s first suburb”—Long Island (NY), the national experience of thought-leaders in urban planning like William Hudnut III and Dr. Anthony Downs, to panel discussions of the symbiotic relationships between economic developers on one side and the companies they are competing for on the other, the day-long conference attracted an audience of some 200 business, community, civic and academic leaders from around the country. 

Gerald L. Gordon, Ph.D., president and CEO of the FCEDA noted, “Today’s discussion illustrates not just the challenges facing a rapidly growing community like Fairfax County, but also, and in equal balance, the tools that will allow us to successfully navigate this transformation. With cooperation, leadership, planning, vision and discipline we can build a city that perhaps will redefine urbanization itself.”

The day’s two keynote presentations had lists of three in common. William Hudnut III, senior fellow emeritus at the Urban Land Institute, opened the conference noting the three trends that should guide planning decisions in Fairfax County and other communities facing similar transformation:

• Explosive growth
• Inward momentum (people choosing to move closer to urban centers)
• The green movement

Hudnut said “redevelopment, reconfiguring and transformation” comes with vision and leadership.

The second keynote of the day, offered by Anthony Downs, senior fellow, The Brookings Institution, noted three things Tysons Corner needs before realizes true urbanization:

• Ease of movement
• Close spatial relationships of buildings
• More residents within the area, including those who work in Tysons

Downs offered a solution, boiled down to three key themes, which repeated throughout the day:

• A sustained cooperative effort
• Discipline
• Vision, combined with a willingness to compromise

Matt Crosson, president of  the Long Island Association, that region’s principle business and civic group, used his presentation to parallel the challenges of urbanization he has tackled during Long Island’s growth, with those Fairfax County is currently experiencing. Crosson explained how Long Island has addressed and, in some cases, resolved some of the most common problems faced by communities experiencing growth and urbanization, such as affordable housing, retaining young, mobile talent, the cost and structure of local government, transportation and other elements.

The day’s first panel provided insights from economic developers who are responsible for attracting and retaining companies to their communities.  It featured Deborah Knutson, president, Economic Development Council of Snohomish County, Michigan; David J. Robertson, executive director, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments; and Richard W. Story, executive director, Howard County Economic Development Authority.

The second panel, moderated by Gerald Gordon, featured a discussion by business leaders from three of the County’s  major corporations: David Geanacoupolos, executive vice president for public affairs and general counsel, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.; Terrance Bilbo, corporate vice president, CSC; and Kevin Jacobs senior vice president, corporate strategy for Hilton Hotels Corporation. The panel discussed the strategies that drive the decision about where to locate a company’s headquarters and what about Fairfax County was attractive to their organizations.