Skip to Main Content

Planning Principles: Placemaking in Rosslyn

Category Placemaking

Good urban planning and design are critical for making a neighborhood a welcoming place where people want to be. This is the fourth and final piece in a series of articles, Planning Principles, in which we provide examples of how Rosslyn has employed urban planning and design best practices to make the neighborhood a better place. The other articles in this series include a story about successful pop-ups in Rosslyn, a piece on our upcoming parklet and an article about green buildings in Rosslyn.

Placemaking invigorates our growing neighborhood

Previously a commercial hub, Rosslyn is evolving into a dynamic, 24/7 community

With 25,000+ employees and 16,000+ residents, Rosslyn is evolving into an increasingly vibrant community. As more people choose to call Rosslyn home, retail has surged. Meanwhile, many new, mixed-use development projects have also come online, bringing together retail, residential, and business communities in one place.

Rosslyn today looks different than it did ten or fifteen years ago, and it also feels different. This is in large part because of the placemaking efforts of the Rosslyn BID.

Placemaking is a multifaceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. It is a key element of the Rosslyn BID's work in creating a welcoming environment that can be enjoyed by everyone.

The Rosslyn BID uses the art and science of placemaking to achieve different goals across three key areas:

  1. Creating an identity
  2. Programming physical places through events
  3. Activating our public realm

Creating an identity

Visual identity and sense of place help to create a welcoming, comfortable and cohesive environment that encourages people to gather and stay longer. To achieve this, the Rosslyn BID employs a multi-faceted approach to visual branding. This includes branded light poles, Big Belly trash cans (with event advertisements embedded), coordinated landscaping, and branded hospitality Ambassadors (pictured above).

The BID designed and installed custom streetscape furnishings that were deployed throughout the neighborhood. Not only do these reinforce our sleek, modern aesthetic, but they provide great utilitarian value to the community while serving as a unifying element.

Additionally, the BID introduced Arlington County’s first parklet in 2018. This extension of the sidewalk provides public seating, and is designed to match the streetscape elements there were introduced around the same time.

Besides our year-round landscaping, which provides continuity across the neighborhood, the BID also installs seasonal flourishes throughout the public realm, fostering a sense of excitement for changing seasons and holidays and helping to drive awareness of our programming and events.

Programming physical places through events

The Rosslyn BID also activates the neighborhood with over 100 public events each year. Our largest, the Rosslyn Jazz Fest (pictured above), has attracted thousands of attendees over the 30+ years of the event's existence.

We also program a weekly farmers market to not only supply the neighborhood with fresh offerings, but to draw more attention to Central Place Plaza and encourage people to visit retailers nearby.

Activating our public realm

Finally, the Rosslyn BID builds community through activation and improvement of our physical spaces. For instance, Central Place Plaza (pictured above) is often activated with seasonal installations to create a vibrant focal point in the neighborhood.

Another great example of how we've activated the public realm is the new Continental Beer Garden. Once a vacant lot located on a prominent street corner in the heart of Rosslyn, it was completely underutilized. In 2014, the BID worked with the property owner to revitalize the space and create a public gathering spot. It became such a popular place for people to enjoy lunch and meet up with friends and coworkers that that we decided to host pop-up events on this new plaza, such as beer gardens held in partnership with the nearby Continental Pool Lounge. After several packed events in this space, we had proven the concept and Continental Pool Lounge decided to lease and build out the plaza as a permanent beer garden. Now, Continental Beer Garden is packed every day after work, in the evenings, and on weekends and has received national acclaim in the press. This example shows the full potential permanent effect of placemaking, transforming an unused space into a hot, new retail establishment.