{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/135541"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/135541","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Suburbia 2124: Re-examining Suburban Development through a Contemporary Lens","abstract":"Suburbia 2124 explores how suburban development will shift in a future without dependence on private automobiles. This thesis takes Hybla Valley, a site characterized by autocentric strip malls and a mobile home community, and transforms it into a pedestrian focused, densely populated, mixed-use development with direct access to nature. This is accomplished by reexamining Fairfax County's Zoning ordinances and proposing a form-based zoning code. The research covered in this thesis includes a brief history of suburban development and zoning codes to understand how American suburban development has become what it is today. This thesis argues that suburban development was intended allow their inhabitants to live in harmony with nature, and that the American suburbs do not embody this sentiment. Instead, the majority of America's contemporary fabric demonstrates man's dominion over nature by clear cutting biodiverse areas, replacing them with impermeable pavements, inefficient buildings, infrastructure that allows stormwater runoff to harm the remaining ecosystems, and a vegetative monoculture. The reality, of which, was only achievable through the development of the private automobile. Instead of living in harmony with nature, most of the inhabitants of suburbia are divorced entirely from nature, forced to use their vehicles to commute to and from work, school, and all their daily activities. This thesis compares American suburban development to two European variants, one in Frankfurt, Germany and the other in Vilnius, Lithuania; Both of which have developed to seamlessly integrate residential and mixed-use development to create more efficient neighborhoods where their inhabitants can live, work, and recreate in one square kilometer, eliminating an inherent need for a private automobile. This is accomplished by zoning codes that are less stringent than the ordinances in the United States, allowing for more leeway and a suburban fabric which is more organic and less prescriptive. The site of Suburbia 2124, Hybla Valley, is on the precipice of a new life, being both in Fairfax County's Federal Opportunity Zone, a zone, in which, the county will provide tax incentives to developers who reimagine the landscape, and along the site of Fairfax's Bus Rapid Transit line, \"The One\". This line will not only connect Hybla Valley to the rest of Fairfax County, but also to the rest of the DC Metropolitan area as \"The One\" is being developed in preparation to ultimately be replaced by the DC Metro System within the next century. Suburbia 2124 proposes a radically new future for Hybla Valley by introducing Form Based zoning to the area. Without the constraints of Fairfax County's use based zoning codes, Hybla Valley has the opportunity to become a node for the Washington Metropolitan area and an example of how a different approach to new urbanism and suburban development, at scale, can transform an underperforming site into a community full of promise.","abstract_html":"Suburbia 2124 explores how suburban development will shift in a future without dependence on private automobiles. This thesis takes Hybla Valley, a site characterized by autocentric strip malls and a mobile home community, and transforms it into a pedestrian focused, densely populated, mixed-use development with direct access to nature. This is accomplished by reexamining Fairfax County's Zoning ordinances and proposing a form-based zoning code. The research covered in this thesis includes a brief history of suburban development and zoning codes to understand how American suburban development has become what it is today. This thesis argues that suburban development was intended allow their inhabitants to live in harmony with nature, and that the American suburbs do not embody this sentiment. Instead, the majority of America's contemporary fabric demonstrates man's dominion over nature by clear cutting biodiverse areas, replacing them with impermeable pavements, inefficient buildings, infrastructure that allows stormwater runoff to harm the remaining ecosystems, and a vegetative monoculture. The reality, of which, was only achievable through the development of the private automobile. Instead of living in harmony with nature, most of the inhabitants of suburbia are divorced entirely from nature, forced to use their vehicles to commute to and from work, school, and all their daily activities. This thesis compares American suburban development to two European variants, one in Frankfurt, Germany and the other in Vilnius, Lithuania; Both of which have developed to seamlessly integrate residential and mixed-use development to create more efficient neighborhoods where their inhabitants can live, work, and recreate in one square kilometer, eliminating an inherent need for a private automobile. This is accomplished by zoning codes that are less stringent than the ordinances in the United States, allowing for more leeway and a suburban fabric which is more organic and less prescriptive. The site of Suburbia 2124, Hybla Valley, is on the precipice of a new life, being both in Fairfax County's Federal Opportunity Zone, a zone, in which, the county will provide tax incentives to developers who reimagine the landscape, and along the site of Fairfax's Bus Rapid Transit line, "The One". This line will not only connect Hybla Valley to the rest of Fairfax County, but also to the rest of the DC Metropolitan area as "The One" is being developed in preparation to ultimately be replaced by the DC Metro System within the next century. Suburbia 2124 proposes a radically new future for Hybla Valley by introducing Form Based zoning to the area. Without the constraints of Fairfax County's use based zoning codes, Hybla Valley has the opportunity to become a node for the Washington Metropolitan area and an example of how a different approach to new urbanism and suburban development, at scale, can transform an underperforming site into a community full of promise.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McCarthy, Ian Alexander"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Architecture","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Architecture","degree_department":"Architecture","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C."],"committee_members":["Buehler, Ralph","Keslacy, Elizabeth Marie-Freha"],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-06-18","date_published":"2025-06-18","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:41Z","subjects":["Suburban Development","New Urbanism","Landscape Urbanism","Neighborhood","Nature","Residential Architecture","Zoning","Form-Based Zoning","Hybla Valley","Fairfax County","Houses","Connection","Reduce Sprawl","Planned Community"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:44124"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:44124","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/135541","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Buehler, Ralph","Keslacy, Elizabeth Marie-Freha"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Architecture"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McCarthy, Ian Alexander"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-06-19T08:01:21Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-06-19T08:01:21Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-06-18"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Architecture"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Architecture"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Suburban Development","New Urbanism","Landscape Urbanism","Neighborhood","Nature","Residential Architecture","Zoning","Form-Based Zoning","Hybla Valley","Fairfax County","Houses","Connection","Reduce Sprawl","Planned Community"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:44124"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/135541"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Suburbia 2124 explores how suburban development will shift in a future without dependence on private automobiles. This thesis takes Hybla Valley, a site characterized by autocentric strip malls and a mobile home community, and transforms it into a pedestrian focused, densely populated, mixed-use development with direct access to nature. This is accomplished by reexamining Fairfax County's Zoning ordinances and proposing a form-based zoning code. The research covered in this thesis includes a brief history of suburban development and zoning codes to understand how American suburban development has become what it is today. This thesis argues that suburban development was intended allow their inhabitants to live in harmony with nature, and that the American suburbs do not embody this sentiment. Instead, the majority of America's contemporary fabric demonstrates man's dominion over nature by clear cutting biodiverse areas, replacing them with impermeable pavements, inefficient buildings, infrastructure that allows stormwater runoff to harm the remaining ecosystems, and a vegetative monoculture. The reality, of which, was only achievable through the development of the private automobile. Instead of living in harmony with nature, most of the inhabitants of suburbia are divorced entirely from nature, forced to use their vehicles to commute to and from work, school, and all their daily activities. This thesis compares American suburban development to two European variants, one in Frankfurt, Germany and the other in Vilnius, Lithuania; Both of which have developed to seamlessly integrate residential and mixed-use development to create more efficient neighborhoods where their inhabitants can live, work, and recreate in one square kilometer, eliminating an inherent need for a private automobile. This is accomplished by zoning codes that are less stringent than the ordinances in the United States, allowing for more leeway and a suburban fabric which is more organic and less prescriptive. The site of Suburbia 2124, Hybla Valley, is on the precipice of a new life, being both in Fairfax County's Federal Opportunity Zone, a zone, in which, the county will provide tax incentives to developers who reimagine the landscape, and along the site of Fairfax's Bus Rapid Transit line, \"The One\". This line will not only connect Hybla Valley to the rest of Fairfax County, but also to the rest of the DC Metropolitan area as \"The One\" is being developed in preparation to ultimately be replaced by the DC Metro System within the next century. Suburbia 2124 proposes a radically new future for Hybla Valley by introducing Form Based zoning to the area. Without the constraints of Fairfax County's use based zoning codes, Hybla Valley has the opportunity to become a node for the Washington Metropolitan area and an example of how a different approach to new urbanism and suburban development, at scale, can transform an underperforming site into a community full of promise."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["The American suburbs are a unique development strategy that were birthed and cemented as a result of the rise of the private automobile. The American suburbs provided opportunities for some Americans to have more spacious and affordable homes on land which the individual could own. Although conceptualized, partially, with a slew of social and cultural prejudices embedded with them, Neighborhoods like Levittown, New York became the archetype for developments outside of the urban core within the United States. For many Americans, the suburbs quickly became an aspirational place to live as suburbia embodied many of the ideals of the \"American Dream\", established by James Truslow Adams in his novel \"The Epic of America\". Having been the dominant form of residential development throughout the last century and not experiencing many changes to the fundamental approach of neighborhood design, the question \"What is the future of Suburban Development?\" rises. This thesis, Suburbia 2124, attempts to explore this idea and provide a proposal for how the suburbs can shift within the next century. The research covered in this thesis includes a brief history of suburban development and zoning codes to understand how American suburban development has become what it is today. This thesis argues that suburban development was intended to allow their inhabitants to live in harmony with nature, and that the American suburbs do not embody this sentiment. Instead, the majority of American suburbs are inherently flawed, demonstrating man's dominion over nature rather than a respectful balance between the built environment and the natural world. To create the most neighborhoods, developers begin with clear cutting biodiverse areas only to replace them with impermeable pavements, inefficient buildings, and infrastructure that allows stormwater runoff to pollute the surrounding areas. Instead of living in harmony with nature, most of the inhabitants of suburbia are divorced entirely from nature, forced to use their vehicles to commute to and from work, school, and all their daily activities. Suburbia 2124 envisions a new future for a 179 acre site in Hybla Valley, an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, about 14 miles south of Washington DC. This thesis explores how Hybla Valley would change following a shift from their current use-based zoning code, to a form-based zoning code; A change which would allow an inefficient site characterized by shopping centers to become a node within Fairfax County and connect it to the greater Washington- Metropolitan Area."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Architecture"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Suburbia 2124: Re-examining Suburban Development through a Contemporary Lens"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Piedmont-Palladino, Susan C."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Buehler, Ralph","Keslacy, Elizabeth Marie-Freha"],"dc:contributor.department":["Architecture"],"dc:creator":["McCarthy, Ian Alexander"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-06-19T08:01:21Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-06-19T08:01:21Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-06-18"],"dc:description.abstract":["Suburbia 2124 explores how suburban development will shift in a future without dependence on private automobiles. This thesis takes Hybla Valley, a site characterized by autocentric strip malls and a mobile home community, and transforms it into a pedestrian focused, densely populated, mixed-use development with direct access to nature. This is accomplished by reexamining Fairfax County's Zoning ordinances and proposing a form-based zoning code. The research covered in this thesis includes a brief history of suburban development and zoning codes to understand how American suburban development has become what it is today. This thesis argues that suburban development was intended allow their inhabitants to live in harmony with nature, and that the American suburbs do not embody this sentiment. Instead, the majority of America's contemporary fabric demonstrates man's dominion over nature by clear cutting biodiverse areas, replacing them with impermeable pavements, inefficient buildings, infrastructure that allows stormwater runoff to harm the remaining ecosystems, and a vegetative monoculture. The reality, of which, was only achievable through the development of the private automobile. Instead of living in harmony with nature, most of the inhabitants of suburbia are divorced entirely from nature, forced to use their vehicles to commute to and from work, school, and all their daily activities. This thesis compares American suburban development to two European variants, one in Frankfurt, Germany and the other in Vilnius, Lithuania; Both of which have developed to seamlessly integrate residential and mixed-use development to create more efficient neighborhoods where their inhabitants can live, work, and recreate in one square kilometer, eliminating an inherent need for a private automobile. This is accomplished by zoning codes that are less stringent than the ordinances in the United States, allowing for more leeway and a suburban fabric which is more organic and less prescriptive. The site of Suburbia 2124, Hybla Valley, is on the precipice of a new life, being both in Fairfax County's Federal Opportunity Zone, a zone, in which, the county will provide tax incentives to developers who reimagine the landscape, and along the site of Fairfax's Bus Rapid Transit line, \"The One\". This line will not only connect Hybla Valley to the rest of Fairfax County, but also to the rest of the DC Metropolitan area as \"The One\" is being developed in preparation to ultimately be replaced by the DC Metro System within the next century. Suburbia 2124 proposes a radically new future for Hybla Valley by introducing Form Based zoning to the area. Without the constraints of Fairfax County's use based zoning codes, Hybla Valley has the opportunity to become a node for the Washington Metropolitan area and an example of how a different approach to new urbanism and suburban development, at scale, can transform an underperforming site into a community full of promise."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["The American suburbs are a unique development strategy that were birthed and cemented as a result of the rise of the private automobile. The American suburbs provided opportunities for some Americans to have more spacious and affordable homes on land which the individual could own. Although conceptualized, partially, with a slew of social and cultural prejudices embedded with them, Neighborhoods like Levittown, New York became the archetype for developments outside of the urban core within the United States. For many Americans, the suburbs quickly became an aspirational place to live as suburbia embodied many of the ideals of the \"American Dream\", established by James Truslow Adams in his novel \"The Epic of America\". Having been the dominant form of residential development throughout the last century and not experiencing many changes to the fundamental approach of neighborhood design, the question \"What is the future of Suburban Development?\" rises. This thesis, Suburbia 2124, attempts to explore this idea and provide a proposal for how the suburbs can shift within the next century. The research covered in this thesis includes a brief history of suburban development and zoning codes to understand how American suburban development has become what it is today. This thesis argues that suburban development was intended to allow their inhabitants to live in harmony with nature, and that the American suburbs do not embody this sentiment. Instead, the majority of American suburbs are inherently flawed, demonstrating man's dominion over nature rather than a respectful balance between the built environment and the natural world. To create the most neighborhoods, developers begin with clear cutting biodiverse areas only to replace them with impermeable pavements, inefficient buildings, and infrastructure that allows stormwater runoff to pollute the surrounding areas. Instead of living in harmony with nature, most of the inhabitants of suburbia are divorced entirely from nature, forced to use their vehicles to commute to and from work, school, and all their daily activities. Suburbia 2124 envisions a new future for a 179 acre site in Hybla Valley, an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, about 14 miles south of Washington DC. This thesis explores how Hybla Valley would change following a shift from their current use-based zoning code, to a form-based zoning code; A change which would allow an inefficient site characterized by shopping centers to become a node within Fairfax County and connect it to the greater Washington- Metropolitan Area."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Architecture"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:44124"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/135541"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Suburban Development","New Urbanism","Landscape Urbanism","Neighborhood","Nature","Residential Architecture","Zoning","Form-Based Zoning","Hybla Valley","Fairfax County","Houses","Connection","Reduce Sprawl","Planned Community"],"dc:title":["Suburbia 2124: Re-examining Suburban Development through a Contemporary Lens"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Architecture"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Architecture"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:41Z"}