Whether it's to prescribe what's needed for healing our fractured society, restoring 'values', or just giving people a feeling of security, a renewed sense of community is touted as the answer.
And a key reason for the explosive growth of cyberspace is that the new media emerged at a time when there is a real hunger for community, virtual and otherwise.
Some people, like 81-year-old Reston founder Robert E. Simon, Jr. have lived and breathed the idea of community their entire lives. During a recent interview with The Reston Web, Mr. Simon expressed his views of the New Town he founded more than 30 years ago, on what was then the outer fringe of the Washington, D.C. region.
Mr. Simon returned to Reston in June1993 after an absence of more than 25 years. Since then, he's been involved in several controversies. He actively opposed the original design of the Spectrum shopping center adjacent to the Reston Town Center, and he is not satisfied with the modifications the developer made to the original plan.
He's also battled those in Reston who have opposed the small tax district assessment, which raises revenue to pay for the Reston Community Center.
Overall, however, Mr. Simon is pleased with his creation. He expressed particular satisfaction at the close match between the 40,000 jobs in Reston and the 57,000 residents. 'It has done better than my fondest hopes in terms of providing employment for the residents here,' he said.
The Reston New Town pioneered several urban concepts which are now widely accepted, including the development of townhouse communities. These concepts were among the most controversial aspects of the project.
Mr. Simon chuckled as he recalled the reaction of one of his early backers when Mr. Simon proposed building 227 townhouses, all on a single site.
The reaction, Mr. Simon remembered with a laugh, was, 'Why don't you just build one next to the sales building and see how it goes? Clearly the man missed the whole point.'
But the greatest barrier to developing the largest New Town the nation had ever scene was not urban design or financial feasibility, but race.
Virginia, and indeed the nation as a whole, was not ready in the early 1960s for the idea of an open, integrated community.
Mr. Simon was asked how his vision of the New Town has held up over time. The original concept, he said, was a town in which a person could begin life in an apartment or townhouse and then move into a detached home, all in the same neighborhood - a neighborhood with convenient access to friends, schools and shopping.
The concept was executed throughout Reston, he said, with the exception of North Point, the last area to be developed. In that area, there is an over-concentration of luxury homes, making for a distinct departure from the rest of Reston, Mr. Simon noted.
As for the future, Mr. Simon does not believe that it is politically feasible for Reston to incorporate and develop its own form of governance separate from Fairfax County.
The future of the older village centers - Lake Anne, Tall Oaks, and Hunters Woods is worrisome, Mr. Simon said, not because of the development of large-scale retailing centers at the Town Center the Spectrum, but because of the trend toward very large supermarkets.
There is insufficient space for a modern supermarket to anchor Lake Anne or Tall Oaks, and large supermarkets at Fox Mill and South Lakes are too close to Hunters Woods.
Throughout the interview, it was apparent that a visit with Robert Simon in 1995 is little different than it would have been in 1960. The analytical talent, and the ability to articulate ideas with precision, force, and clarity are evident at every turn.
The Reston Web looks forward to hearing again from Mr. Simon, and presenting his views to you in the coming years.
