Comments on Top of the Park neighborhood shows density done right - Greater Greater Washington

Comment by spookiness

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 09:16:02 EDT

Looks a lot like Park Fairfax, and other various 40's era developments around Arlington & Alexandria.

Comment by Laurence Aurbach

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:21:13 EDT

There are scores of suburban garden apartment complexes in that area of Silver Spring which are similar. Top of the Park has nicer landscaping than most -- more shrubbery and ground planting, in contrast to standard garden apartment landscaping of grass lawn only.

My distinction between urban and suburban is the inclusiveness or exclusiveness of the civic space. Are strangers welcome on the streets and sidewalks of Top of the Park? My guess is in that in general, the answer is no. Contrast that to most streets and blocks in DC, where strangers are free to walk the sidewalks and everyone takes that freedom for granted.

Comment by Greenbelt

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 15:15:40 EDT

Looks a lot like Old Greenbelt.

Comment by grumpy

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 12:17:07 EDT

I like these houses, and if I didn't have good reasons to continue living where I am, I would consider buying the house that's for sale there right now for $299K. As for urban/non-urban, I think part of what matters is context - if this development was surrounded by other higher-density dwellings and had some retail then it would feel more urban, but instead it borders a park, single family homes with yards, a few tall apartments buildings, and a strip mall (which also incidentally describes some parts of NW DC). On a tangentially related note, are there any recent updates on the purple line? I've been hearing about it since I was a freshman at UMCP and it would be nice to see it built in my lifetime :)

Comment by drumz

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:28:19 EDT

There are similar lay outs all over fairfax (I used to live in one as well). The problem in my neighborhood was that the outdoor green spaces weren't as utilized as what was shown. I think it would have been better if there was rear alley access and then the mini-green areas could have been larger since not as much room had to go for parking spots and brought the houses right up to the street making it look nicer and more urban.

Looking at your pictures though seem to be the intent of what I experienced though some things prevented it from being as nice.

Comment by andrew

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:27:50 EDT

The trees make it.

We need more trees.

Comment by Snob

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:14:25 EDT

You lost me at "Silver Spring"

Comment by dan reed!

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:11:31 EDT

@Thayer-D

That's fair, but if we say urbanism is like a continuum, maybe Top of the Park is closer to the "urban" side than the "suburban" side.

Comment by Thayer-D

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:07:31 EDT

"Top of the Park can arguably be called an urban neighborhood now," I'm not sure I'd call it urban. The streets don't go through and the buildings don't form an out door room. It's a mature suburban townhouse development. I wouldn't call LeCorbusier's Villa Radieuse urban either. Just becasue a place is dense, dosen't make it urban. That being said, it's an interesting alternative and the topography is very nice. It just goes to show if you build with natural materials and an let the trees grow, you'll get something nice no matter how it looks when completed.