Ashley Shook

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Inner-ring suburban revitalization and redevelopment is a growing challenge in the United States as downtowns and outer-ring suburbs receive increased investment. Greenfields in fringe cities offer less construction obstacles and more return on investment for private sector developers leaving inner-ring suburbs behind. Additionally, with aging infrastructure and housing stock, declining population, increasing crime, and regional competition for investment, inner-ring suburbs face mounting difficulty toward recovery. One neighborhood at a time, these first-tier suburbs encourage investment from within and outside of the community through various planning techniques, some for successfully than others. Adding to the mounting obstacles is the misunderstanding of what is the most appropriate approach toward reviving inner-ring suburbs. Some suggest revitalization; others suggest redevelopment, some a combination of both, and others use the terms interchangeably. Such is the case for the inner-ring suburban city of Arlington, Texas. The City attempted to encourage redevelopment in the Lamar-Collins area of North Arlington to become a major gateway into the City and Entertainment District, but plans have not come to fruition. In a growing region like the Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex, how do inner-ring suburbs appropriately approach restoration? This paper examines the challenges faced by inner-ring suburbs, differentiate between revitalization and redevelopment using regional examples, and present an analysis of how Arlington had recently approached restoration using Lamar-Collins as the study area. Lastly, an alternative approach toward inner-ring suburban restoration, supplemented by a review of federal, state and local strategies, is presented for the Lamar-Collins area of North Arlington.

Disciplines

Architecture | Urban, Community and Regional Planning

Publication Date

11-1-2012

Language

English

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