Ballston Metro Station - Research Paper Example

Research Introduction Ballston Metro station lies in approximately 260 acres of land. I have found out that the Ballston Metro station is located on the Metrorail Orange line near Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. Ballston existed before as a retail center since the construction of Parkington Shopping Center. The research findings have concluded that Ballston sector plan of 1980’s sought to create a ‘new downtown’ in Arlington. From observation, I have noticed that the development of the area sought to have a mix of offices, residential areas and commercial buildings. I could notice single-detached homes especially in the southwestern parts of the town (Howard, Burnham and Burnham 46). Research findings From the respondents, most of the residents were born in other counties, and minority of them spoke English by 2000. Ballston also houses E*Trade Bank, office of Navy research and CACI International. Some of the surrounding new projects that I witnessed include Liberty Center office, 4501 Fairfax Drive and 4100 Fairfax Drive. Ballston Metro station has several hotels and restaurants that are mainly serve students and employers. For instance, Comfort Inn Ballston offers exceptional amenities such as fitness centers, dinning halls and dry cleaning services to students. Ballston Metro station is surrounded by various shops, restaurants, arts and nightlife that suit every kind of lifestyle and personality. I could notice the local population doing their shopping at Harris Teeter Supermarket and Boston Common Mall that are near both the Ballston and Virginia Square metro stations (Howard, Burnham and Burnham 49). I discovered that Ballston is the home of Arbour Realty, one of the most innovative real estate firms in DC. From my observation, I discovered that Ballston has a number of townhouses that have hardwood floors, brick exteriors and tree-lined sidewalks. I discovered that Ballston-Rosslyn corridor is mainly used by pedestrians who follow the Orange Line Metrorail in North Arlington. Ballston Metro station is ideal for connecting to local airports and hotels. Metro is easier and cost effective in travelling to various attraction centers in the city. Some of the attractions include the National Gallery of art that is made of Italian limestone, and contains both American and European Art. Breathtaking sculptures and exhibitions including early paintings can be located inside the gallery (Howard, Burnham and Burnham 48). One of the facilities that I visited was Ballston Common mall that is a four-level enclosed urban development at the junction of Wilson Boulevard and Glebe road. The shoppers in the mall can enjoy able parking in the garage owned by Arlington County. This facility is just located only meters from Ballston Metro station on the Orange line via skywalk from Mall level 2. Research strategy The research utilized both qualitative and quantitative research strategies. I obtained quantifiable evidence through statistical analysis of the population growth trends in Ballston area. I also relied on observation and communication with the local population to understand the lifestyle of the Ballston Metro station population. Quantitative design focused on data collection and analysis in order to gain the demographic statistics of residents near Ballston Metro station and average daily number of visitors to the shopping malls and restaurants. The data had to be collected during the day for about one week. The purpose of the quantitative strategy was to make a comparison with the local authority locals on the population of the area and average number of visitors daily. The qualitative strategy entailed observation of the general movements of visitors, the business activity level in restaurants and the station. The other technique was interviews with businessmen, investors and visitors at the Station and shopping malls. The respondents were selected according to ages, lifestyles, and their main economic activity in Airlington. Obstacles encountered during field experience I encountered various obstacles during my field experience. One of the greatest challenges was the identification of the research sample. Ballston Metro station is frequented mainly by working professionals and students who may have limited time to answer to research questions. Another challenge was the numerous travelling around Airlington in order to have a physical count of the surrounding infrastructure like the restaurants and hotels that are frequented by professionals. I had limited resources and time to travel to the neighborhoods and experience the exact lifestyle of Ballston Metro station. Another obstacle was the need to safeguard the identity of the respondents. Some of the respondents were new to the sociological research and hardly understood the purpose of research in Ballston Metro station. Some respondents especially Hispanics did not understand English Language thus I had to hire the services of an interpreter. Many of the respondents were concerned about their privacy and confidentiality even after explaining to them the purpose of the research. Some respondents provided defensive responses since they mentioned several restrictions on their lifestyles and problems experienced in Ballston Metro station thus forcing us to change the perspective of the questions or finish the interviews even when we were aware the answers were unreliable. The frame of the interviews was insufficient since many respondents were new to sociological research, such questions could generate a series of new perspectives on the lifestyle of Ballston Metro station. Tactics that I used to overcome the obstacles In order to overcome significant obstacles in the research design, data collection and analysis was done simultaneously in order to make adjustments to the data collecting instruments. We eliminated all questions that concerned individual privacy such lifestyles, income level and marital status. Since we discovered that many respondents did not understand the purpose of the research clearly, we enhanced the participation rate during interviews by first initiating an informal chat and understanding the interests of each particular respondent. We did not restrict the research to one area of Ballston Metro station, but we moved to other areas especially hotels, business malls and restaurants. In order to effectively guarantee the safeguard of respondents’ privacy and confidentiality, we provided each interviewee with a written informed consent agreement that explained the purpose of the research and safeguard of their privacy. I also suggested that we change the identity of the respondents in the questionnaires in order to ensure confidentiality of the information provided by respondents. Analysis and meanings of the findings Ballston Metro station has several public facilities and infrastructure. For instance, Ballston Public Parking garage enables visitors to park their cars and pay reasonable hourly rates. The garage is clean, convenient and secure and is connected to wide transportation infrastructure such as Metro’s Orange line. Ballston Metro station is a major transportation center and provides access to Glebe road. The main development agenda was to create a new ‘downtown’ that includes commercial centers, office blocks and residential areas. The construction of Ballston Common Mall in late 1980s created the impetus for the modern construction of several modern shopping malls. The high density population provides expanded market for the hotels, entertainment facilities and restaurants. From observations, we could note that Stuart Street Walkway is lined with trees placed in metal grates and coordinated paving. Fairfax Drive Boulevard provides to the residential area north of Fairfaz Drive. Ballston Metro station boasts of enough sidewalks, underground facilities and pedestrian lighting. Some notable community features include Central Library on Quincy Street that offers extensive film collection. Additional services at the Central Library include audio visual materials, homebound services and research assistance. This is a facility that is commonly utilized by students from the neighboring Universities and colleges. Elementary schools include Barrett, Jackson and Page. Other public spaces include the recreational parks such as Fields Park on the North George Mason Drive next to fire station. There is also a Gallery in the west of Metro station that provides exhibitions and art collections. Notable land mark buildings include Marymount University, Ballston Common Mall, National Science Foundation and Regal Cinemas 12. Ballston Metro station is surrounded by many shopping malls and restaurants that are frequented by students from the neighboring schools and colleges and also professionals. Ballston-Common mall in the heart of Arlington has almost 200 stores with high fashion apparel and several food courts for the middle income individuals. Majority of the students usually visit the 12-screen movie theater, Regal Cinemas Ballston Common 12 and Comedy Spot. The station is surrounded by many new developments such as townhouses, apartments and single-family homes. There is a quiet residential area that is characterized by tree-lined streets, schools and parks. Ballston has hosted several food festivals from over more than 40 local restaurants. The design of the station allows smoother pedestrian movement, and improved traffic safety. The design of the station allows for easy access to shopping malls and public spaces. The station is surrounded by nearly 900 hotel rooms and over five thousand residential units. On average, 26,000 passengers use the Metro station while another 10,000 others utilize ART or Metrobus. However, some zones have limited bus and taxi spaces thus congesting the taxi and bus operation. Conclusion Ballston Metro station consists of mixed-urban development with office blocks, shopping malls and residential areas. The station acts as a transportation center with more than 26,000 using the station on a daily basis. The restaurants, hotels, shopping malls and entertainment facilities are frequented by students and working class. Works cited: Howard, Blair, Burnham, Bill and Burnham, Mary. The Virginia handbook. New Jersey. Hunter. 2006. Read More