page_title: Reston, Virginia
section_title: Conception and guiding principles
hierarchical_section_title: Reston, Virginia / History / Conception and guiding principles
caption_attribution_description: Old wine distillery owned by the Bowman family. It was built in 1933, after the prohibition act was repealed.
context_page_description: Reston is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia. Founded in 1964, Reston was influenced by the Garden City movement that emphasized planned, self-contained communities that intermingled green space, residential neighborhoods, and commercial development. The intent of Reston's founder, Robert E. Simon, was to build a town that would revolutionize post–World War II concepts of land use and residential/corporate development in suburban America. In 2018, Reston was ranked as the Best Place to Live in Virginia by Money magazine for its expanses of parks, lakes, golf courses, and bridle paths as well as the numerous shopping and dining opportunities in Reston Town Center.
  The U.S. Census Bureau estimated Reston's population to be 60,070 as of December 2017.
context_section_description: Simon officially launched Reston on April 10, 1964 (his 50th birthday) and named the community using his initials.  He laid out seven "guiding principles" that would stress quality of life and serve as the foundation for its future development.  His goal was for Restonians to live, work, and play in their own community, with common grounds and scenic beauty shared equally regardless of income level, thereby building a stronger sense of community ties. The initial motto of the community, as articulated by Simon, was "Work, Play, Live" (or, as more often was memorialized onto Reston merchandise, "Live, Work, Play.")
  Simon's seven principles are:
  The town should provide a variety of leisure opportunities, including a wide range of cultural and recreational facilities as well as an environment for privacy;
  Residents would be able to remain in the community throughout their lives, with a range of housing meeting a variety of needs and incomes;
  The focal point of all planning would be on the importance and dignity of the individual and would take precedence for large-scale concepts;
  Reston residents would be able to live and work in the same community;
  Commercial, cultural, and recreational facilities would be available to residents immediately, not years later;
  Beauty, both structural and natural, is a necessity and should be fostered; and
  Reston should be a financial success.
  Simon envisioned Reston as a model for clustered residential development, also known as conservation development, which puts a premium on the preservation of open space, landscapes, and wildlife habitats. Indeed, Reston was the first 20th-century private community in the U.S. to explicitly incorporate natural preservation in its planning (Greenbelt, Maryland, was a publicly supported community).
caption: A now abandoned whiskey distillery, long operated by the Bowman family
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