Early History of Reston: Creation of the Master Plan

What was involved in the planning and creation of Reston?  The story is rich with historical significance.

Reston Museum staff member Loren Bruce, along with Bob Simon and Glenn Saunders, will present a program on the origins of Reston (1961-1963), the nation’s first large-scale planned community that changed the face of the suburban landscape in America. 

The presentation will cover Robert E. Simon Jr.’s thinking about urban planning and a balanced community; what led to the purchase of the land and the creation of the initial Master Plan, the ideas behind Simon’s desire to create an “Open Community” with a diverse mix of people, along with his aspiration to protect nature and maximize open space within the context of mixed use and clustered development. 

It will also cover the story behind the creation of a new zoning ordinance that allowed Reston to exist as we know it today.

  
Time and Location:  Thursday, May 24, 2012, from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., at the Reston Community Center - Lake Anne Plaza - Lake Anne Village Center, Reston, VA

Presenters: Bob Simon, Glenn Saunders, and Loren Bruce