Innovate Arlington Comprehensive Plan

Innovate Arlington Community Board Gameplay

Innovate Arlington is pleased to host a series of community game events featuring Growing a Better Arlington, an interactive board game that invites participants to explore the city’s future through engaging, thoughtful play.

To learn more about upcoming game days or nights, please click here.

Interested in playing with your neighborhood association, HOA, or civic group? Submit a request, and a member of the Innovate Arlington team will assist you in scheduling a session. Please click here to get started.

To review the Growing a Better Arlington game instructions prior to participating, please visit the “Documents” section located on the right side of this page.

Innovate Arlington Phase I Engagement Summary

Thank you to all the Arlington community members who participated in the Phase 1 community engagement efforts. Below are the common themes we heard online and in-person.

What do you feel are Arlington’s greatest strengths?
- Location, parks and outdoor rec., sports and entertainment venues, and the community.
What concerns do you have about Arlington’s future?
- Traffic congestion, public safety and crime, funding for essential services, and community health and wellness.
What types of new places do you want to see in Arlington in the future?
- Parks and open spaces, walkable shopping and lifestyle areas, mixed-used, more housing choices.
What types of improvements would you like to see?
- Safer bike and walking routes, reinvestment in parks and neighborhoods, beautification and better urban design.

On June 10, 2025, the Phase I Engagement Summary was presented to the City Council during the work session.

Phase 2 engagement will begin summer 2025 with the Growing a Better Arlington board game with more engagement opportunities later this fall, too. To stay up-to-date with all the upcoming engagements and reports for Innovate Arlington Comprehensive Plan, please signup using the button on the top right.

Be sure to check out the ideas, places, and guestbook tabs at the bottom of this page!

What is a Comprehensive Plan?

The Comprehensive Plan serves as one of Arlington’s key policy documents and charts a course for the city's future. The plan is a blueprint for Arlington and focuses on the guidelines for developing attractive and prosperous neighborhoods; coordinating land use and transportation; ensuring responsible growth; stimulating economic development; and encouraging environmental sustainability. These strategies are also reflected in other city plans and regulations, which are the components and implementation tools of the Comprehensive Plan.

Now through October 2026, the city's Comprehensive Plan will undergo a major update. Community members and the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee will help Arlington, and its representatives, understand the goals of residents, business owners, workers, and visitors. The principal role of the Steering Committee is to build consensus and support for the various topics, approaches, and strategies within the plan. This website will be used to engage and listen to all stakeholders and provide a forum for their ideas. Using this site, different engagement methods will be used including: polls, forums, and questionnaires, to fully understand the desires of those who live and work in The American Dream City.

You may use the "Signup Banner" and "Follow Project" buttons to stay informed and participate in this pivotal project. If you would like to contact us, please visit the "Who's Listening" section of this webpage.

Please return to ArlingtonListens periodically for updates, documents, and more news about the Innovate Arlington Comprehensive Plan.