A transit-oriented development integrating entertainment, housing, office, retail, and public spaces

The Downtown Silver Spring in Silver Spring, Maryland, is a 22-acre mixed-use suburban downtown revitalization initiative. Developed from Maryland’s Smart Growth policies, the project represents the ideal “first ring” suburb. It is the result of a public-private partnership and the creation of retail, entertainment, office, and public spaces and multi-family housing units, as well as four vibrant, revitalized main streets downtown that are safe and attractive for pedestrians.

Downtown Silver Spring project worked with the architecture of the Discovery Center and its public park, the commons, and the Veterans Plaza on axis with the transit center.

2005 Selection Committee

Totaling $1.3 billion in investment, the revitalization has resulted in more than one million square feet of retail space including movie theaters and restaurants in a restored historic Art Deco building. The American Film Institute and the world headquarters for Discovery Communications are housed in newly developed office spaces. Located adjacent to a Metro stop, the project provides a transit-oriented model of redevelopment in a suburb serving a diverse population.