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Kentlands is celebrating its 20th anniversary as the country’s first New Urbanism community. Where would any think piece on development be without the words “New Urbanism?” The New Republic, the New Yorker, and all architecture mags and development beat reporters should pay tribute. Kentlands sparked a million think pieces and dozens of those communities designed as walkable. My parents should also bless their MOCO neighbors as they moved to one of those new grids a few years ago. Now they can walk to the grocery store or hit up a chain restaurant without increasing their carbon footprint!
The Gazette writes that the community will not let this anniversary go without a lame parade. It can do better—it has held a dog show (see above photo). The festivities feel a bit, well, poorly planned. It may be a planned community, but it’s still a planned community in the ‘burbs—which means the party(!) will be held in a…parking lot:
“The first Celebrate Kentlands Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, in the parking lot near Potomac Pizza, behind Market Square on Centerpoint Way.
Parking is available at the lot, or near Whole Foods Market and Lowe’s Home Improvement off Kentlands Boulevard.
More than 100 businesses, most of them Kentlands businesses will hold an exposition. A parade will run at 10 a.m. down Main Street into Market Square Plaza. Jeremy Vest, a longtime resident, and Nora Kaplan, a civic leader, will lead as parade marshals, along with City Councilman Jud Ashman and Councilwoman Cathy Drzyzgula. City Manager Angel Jones, Councilman Michael A. Sesma and the mayor will judge parade-goers riding in cars and on foot.”
Not yet announced: The possibility of seeing David Brooks scribbling generalizations in his notebook.
(Via BeyondDC).
*dog show photo courtesy of kentlands.org.